Charles and Elsie – It's a Wonderful Life
It was something they had done since long before they were married, before they had even gotten together, back when they were just friends. Every year Charles and Elsie Carson would sit down in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate in hand and pop in there worn out copy of 'It's A Wonderful Life' into the VHS player. It was tradition.
The whole thing had started when the pair had been working at the same diner in their twenties, Elsie had been talking about how she was going to miss being able to watch 'It's A Wonderful Life' with her family this year. Charles because he a) felt bad Elsie didn't get to go and see her family for Christmas that year and b) had a bigger crush than he'd like to admit on the waitress, volunteered to watch it with her at his apartment. Elsie accepted the invitation graciously and a tradition was born.
From then on every year, on December 23rd just like the first time, Elsie and Charles got together and watched that movie. They even had their first kiss while watching that movie the second time around. They watched as fiancées, newlyweds, expecting parents, new parents and new grandparents and it was fantastic every time. Sometimes family and friends joined them, sometimes it was just the two of them.
This time it was just the two of them.
Elsie had been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster of a day, she had just found out that Richard, Laura and the kids wouldn't be coming out. Just like Elizabeth and her family. It was heartbreaking for Elsie to find out that neither of her kids would be coming out to visit this year, it would be the first time in years that it would just be her and Charles for Christmas.
This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, of course. Elsie loved Charles and she still loved to spend time with him but it was Christmas and it was of the few times the kids actually came out to visit and now they weren't. All of a sudden they weren't. Elsie had worried at first that someone was ill or she had done something but apparently both kids really did just want to stay home for Christmas.
Charles had been sad too, he hadn't showed it the same way Elsie had but in the back of his mind he had been planning on where he would take his grandkids and imagined the grins on their faces as they tore open their presents and now none of that would happen.
Still, it was December 23rd and they had a tradition to keep! Charles had set up the VCR while Elsie made her rich and creamy hot chocolate (from scratch). They settled onto the couch, Elsie resting her head on her husband's shoulder.
"I do wish the kids were coming out."
"I know, sweetheart, I know, but, you have me and I like to think I'm the next best thing."
"Charles Carson, you will always be the first best."
Charles kisses her forehead and soon enough they absorbed in the Christmas classic of angels, hard times and realizing sometimes you have a truly wonderful life.
Tom and Sybil – How the Grinch Stole Christmas
One of the first things Sybil learned about Tom was that he loved the Grinch, both the book and the cartoon. He could recite the book and the narrative from the movie and by December it was very common to catch him humming 'You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch'. Sybil liked this quirk about her boyfriend, she liked that he had something that got him excited every year.
This year Sybil had decided she would take some initiative and go down to the video store and rent the Grinch. On a whim she decided not only would she rent the carton classic but she would grab a copy of the 2003 live-action version because Tom mentioned he still hadn't gotten around to seeing it (something about 'tarnishing the vision').
As Tom walked in the door of their small apartment she grinned and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I have a surprise for you..."
"Kitchen table sex?" Tom joked, though the way his eyes lit up told Sybil this may be a recurring idea.
"No, not even close," Sybil said. "I went down to the video store and I got the Grinch! I know you haven't watched it this year and I thought it would be fun to watch it together. Oh! And I didn't just get one version, no, I, being an awesome girlfriend, got two!" She grabbed the DVDs off the kitchen table.
"You are an awesome girlfriend," Tom said pulling Sybil into a long, lazy kiss. "Shall we get to watching, then?"
"Absolutely," Sybil grinned.
Tom smiled as the Grinch cut into the roast beast, "That movie will never not be good."
"I still love that you well-up every time you see it," Sybil mused tauntingly.
"Hey!" Tom said, mock-seriousness dripping from his tone and body language. "That movie has a beautiful message!"
"Yes, yes, friendship and acceptance and all that," Sybil joked. "I teach that message to my kindergartners daily but no one ever wells-up when I speak."
"Well, maybe if you rhymed like Dr. Seuss."
"Hmm, alright, well, I guess I'll add rhyming dictionary to my list for Santa." Sybil smiled leaning over and kissing Tom. "Now, onto the Grinch you haven't seen."
"That was awful!"
"Tom, calm down, it was just a film." Sybil said resting a comforting hand on her now seething boyfriend's shoulder.
"It was a terrible film! They butchered the Grinch! Nay, they butchered Christmas!" Tom said fuming. They had just finished the 2003 live-action version of the holiday classic and the plot changes they decided to make had outraged Tom to say the least. "I should write a letter! I should start a letter campaign! Make them burn every copy of this film!"
"Tom, the movie is nearly ten years old, what do you really think you can do?"
"I-I don't know, but they tarnished a memory, Syb, and I hate that."
"No, they made a memory; I can assure you I will never forget your reaction during and after the movie. Oh, how I wish I had filmed it." Sybil teased wrapping her arms around Tom's neck. "Plus, I know how I can make things a bit better..."
"Kitchen floor sex?"
"Kitchen floor sex."
Mary and Matthew – Love Actually
"Why won't you watch it?"
"Because it's cheesy and cliché-ridden."
"How could you possibly know that, Mary? You've never even seen it, besides it's a bit of a classic nowadays."
Mary sighed putting her head in her hands, "Matthew, why do you so desperately want me to watch some romantic comedy with you?"
Matthew flopped onto the couch pulling Mary down onto his lap as he fell, "Because, dear, it's Christmas and this is a Christmas movie! So, this is the perfect time to watch it, plus I am positive you will like it."
"Oh, really?"
"Absolutely." Matthew said with a smug smile.
Mary quirked a perfect eyebrow, "Care to make it interesting?"
"What did you have in mind?" Asked Matthew intrigued.
"Well, if I'm right and I hate the movie, you have to," Mary leaned over and whispered something rather scandalous in her fiancée's ear making him turn a bright shade of red.
"Alright, wow, but if I win and you love it then I get to pick all the movies we watch for a month." Matthew said trying to not let his voice quiver after hearing some rather vivid descriptions from Mary.
"You're crying," Triumph oozed from Matthew's voice. "You like it, you're emotionally invested! Ha!"
"You know, you shouldn't happily say that your fiancée is crying," Mary mused as she wiped her eyes. "And it was simply allergies."
"Liar, you liked it!" Matthew cried over the credits.
"Well... maybe a little, but I mean, it was really sweet. How come you never tell me I'm perfect via poster board? Or learn another language for me?" Mary taunted.
"Because... I want to show you I love you in a different way."
"Oh? And what might that be?" Mary asked and Matthew leaned over and whispered something quite scandalous in her ear. "Well, that will certainly do."
Thomas and Jimmy – Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
"Are you mouthing along with the words?" Thomas asked incredulous.
Jimmy waved him off, eyes still fixed on the screen, "Of course I'm not, how would I be able to do that?"
"I'm not sure, but apparently you know how considering you are absolutely doing it!" Thomas taunted.
"I am not!" Jimmy protested. Instead of going out and interacting with society he and Thomas had opted for a movie-date-night-type-thing in which they watched the stop-motion animation classic Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Which, apparently, Jimmy was a very big fan of as he was definitely mouthing the words.
"That's brilliant! You can recite an entire movie. That is so brilliant!"
Jimmy laughed despite himself, "I don't know why you find it to be such a big deal."
"Because, it's adorable," Thomas smirked.
"Adorable? You really think I'm adorable?" Jimmy quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Absolutely, what with your apparent passion for Christmas specials."
Jimmy sort of tackled his boyfriend, not in an 'I'm gonna punch your face!' way but rather 'I'm gonna suck your face!' then there was a lot of kissing before Jimmy muttered, "How's that for adorable?"
Thomas thought for a moment, "Alright, that wasn't really 'adorable' as opposed to bloody attractive but in general you're still adorable."
"Oh, shut up."
Anna and John – Frosty the Snowman
Anna Bates had a plan. A Christmas movie watching plan. She made one every year to make sure that she saw all four specials she had to see every year. So far she had seen three out of four but it was December 20th and she still had not seen number four: Frosty the Snowman. She had wanted to see it back on December 14th but she and John had the office Christmas party to attend and so she couldn't watch it then. But, the special was on for the last time this year tonight.
It was on at eight so she knew she had to make sure dinner was ready by six thirty and the dishes were done in time. She had it all figured out. But, of course, things never wanted to go her way when necessary.
The first hitch was her boss saying she needed to stay late to finish a couple of reports. Alright she gets home at six instead of five, that's okay. Maybe they just call in for a pizza but, that's fine. She likes pizza... sort of.
Next, she's out of gas. Because, this morning she wanted to get in early to finish the reports she had to stay late to finish and didn't get to fill up the tank even though she knew she needed to. So, she called John and he picked her up and brought some gas and it was fine. They definitely needed a pizza but whatever it was only seven.
Her mother called at seven twenty, right after she finished calling the third different pizza place. It wasn't an emergency or anything, no, she just wanted to talk. She kept talking until seven fifty when the pizza man came.
Only to realize he left the pizza in the car. Of course. So by the time all that was sorted it was eight and she was starving and John was starving and she lost track of time for a moment when she got caught up in her (mediocre) pizza.
"Shit!" Anna never cursed unless it was something big so it was accounted for when John actually jumped in his seat. "We missed it, we actually missed it."
John got up and pulled his wife into a hug, "No we didn't."
"Yes, we did, sweetheart, I would know." Anna said hugging him back.
"I taped it," John smiled.
Anna looked up with hope in her eyes, "Did you really? Don't you toy with me John Reginald Bates!"
"I did."
"Oh!" Anna squealed wrapping her arms around John's neck. "I have never loved you as much as I do now!"
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" John jested.
"Oh, that is a very good thing, John, a very good thing," Anna said pulling him into a kiss. "Now! Let's go watch it!"
Alfred and Ivy – Die Hard
"How is this a Christmas movie?" Ivy asked her sort-of-boyfriend. Alfred and Ivy had been on a couple of dates now but nothing seemed that official.
"It takes place at Christmas doesn't it?" Alfred reasoned scurrying back onto the couch from the DVD player. "Besides, it's a classic and you haven't seen it yet."
"But, it's Christmas we should be watching Miracle on 34th Street or Elf or, heck, even The Nightmare before Christmas!" Ivy reasoned she was not expecting a movie like Die Hard when Alfred asked her to watch a Christmas film with him. "Also, isn't this one rather scary?"
"Is that what it is?" Alfred asked, grinning slightly. "You're scared? Don't worry, I can protect you."
"I'm not scared, per se, but I'm not... not scared."
"Come on, it's fantastic, if you don't like it I'll take you to dinner, my treat."
"You already do that."
"Just watch it."
"That was... awesome!" Ivy gushed. "It was so...cool. Gosh, I sound a little American saying that, but it's true. The whole thing made me feel American!"
"I told you it was good."
Cora and Robert – A Charlie Brown Christmas
Charlie Brown had always been the girls' favorites growing up. It was the only Christmas film they all would watch happily. Cora and Robert loved it to because it was both a moment of togetherness and, at times more importantly, it offered a moment of peace.
This year all the girls were out of the house, Edith having gotten her own place in February. Now, they didn't really have an excuse to watch the film.
"It's so quiet," Cora mused at the dinner table. "And not in a good way, not really."
Robert nodded, "I love having the place to ourselves but, Christmas should be louder." Robert paused for a moment. "You know what might be fun? We should watch Charlie Brown." Cora went to speak but Robert interrupted before she could. "I know, it was something we only really watched because the girls were around but I think it could be fun."
"That sounds brilliant."
And, so, the couple moved into the living room and popped in there worn copy of the Christmas classic. Cora cuddled closer to Robert, 'I love this."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
William and Daisy – A Christmas Story
"Favorite Christmas film, go." Daisy prompted sitting cross legged on William's kitchen counter. They were playing the question game like they did a lot. They were newly dating and since neither had really been in a 'proper' relationship before they decided this was how they would get to know each other.
"A Christmas Story, without a doubt."
"I don't think I've ever seen that one," Daisy mused.
William gasped, like actually flat out gaped, "Daisy, how have you never seen it? It's the definition of Christmas classic!"
"I only watched Christmas cartoons as a kid," Daisy shrugged. "I don't see the big deal, William."
"You will see the big deal when you see the movie; you will see the very big deal." William said standing up and heading to the door. "Now, come on! We're going to the video store!"
"That is the definition of Christmas classic."
"I know!" William said. "See, it's amazing."
Daisy smiled, "Thank you, for making me watch that. I'll even forgive you for freaking out at me."
"I did no such thing!" William denied, affronted.
"You totally did," Daisy argued.
"Oh, really?" William challenged. He leaned over and started tickling Daisy, whose giggles now filled William's apartment. "Did I really?"
"Yes!" Daisy cried still giggling. Her giggles soon got cut off when William kissed her and then he kept kissing her. And Daisy, Daisy was fine with that.
Edith and Anthony – Miracle on 34th Street
"Edith?" Anthony murmured getting his co-worker's attention.
"Oh, hi, Anthony! How are you?" Edith smiled biting her lip slightly. She had always had a bit of a crush on Anthony and was more than happy to chat with him.
"I'm lovely, thank you. I was just wondering, that is, the old cinema is playing a showing of Miracle on 34th Street this evening and I was wondering if you'd like to see it."
Edith grinned, "I would love too."
"Oh, good, I was worried what with it being short notice and all but, I'm glad you want to come. It will be fun."
"That was really good," Edith mused as her and Anthony walked out of the old theater, it was one of those theatres that always had special events and only had one screen.
"It was, wasn't it?" Anthony smiled. "I'm really glad you decided to come with me."
"Me to, but, before we part ways, there is one thing," Edith said.
"What's that?" Anthony asked.
Edith pointed up, "Mistletoe." The kiss was soft and nervous and everything Edith had wanted it to be. It was a bit of a Christmas miracle. Pun completely intended.
Note: Just a bit of holiday fluff I whipped up this afternoon. I hope you enjoyed it, I had a lot of fun writing it. Maybe I'll write more of these with different holiday movies let me know if you're keen on that at all.