Today’s Film: Arthur Christmas
This 2011 film centres on Santa Claus’ youngest son, Arthur, who works in the letters department at the North Pole. Seen as a failure and a burden, Arthur still holds the magic and wonder of Christmas in his heart as he fights tirelessly to deliver a bicycle to a little girl before Christmas morning along with his grandfather, a retired Santa, to ensure no child is missed and the magic of Christmas will live on. This is another film full of British greats such as James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, and Jim Broadbent. It is a much more modern take on the Santa mythos but still delivers on the traditional messages of the holidays.
Today’s Tradition: Panto, United Kingdom
Every Christmas, the British flock to theatres for pantomime season. It’s the same formula every year; a fairytale story, a man dressed as a woman; a girl dressed as a boy; the same call-and-response comedy; and every year, someone gets a custard pie in the face.
To outsiders, it must seem absolutely bonkers, but the great British pantomime has been drawing crowds for centuries. This uniquely British phenomenon is rooted in Italian commedia dell’arte, with influences from medieval mummers plays and a dash of Victorian spectacle for good measure.
