Christmas on the Screen: Reviewing the Evolution of American Spirituality

by John A. Zukowski

“Christmas movies are revealing windows into religion, consumerism, family, and American pop culture, and Zukowski offers a compelling, highly readable guide to this long-flourishing genre. Exploring classics as well as flops, he illuminates both the resilience and the limitations of the holiday’s celebration on screen.” —Leigh E. Schmidt, Washington University in St. Louis, author of  Consumer The Buying and Selling of American Holidays How the Grinch Stole Christmas weighs materialism against community. The Polar Express tests the wonder of miracles in an age of cynicism. And Die Hard (yes, Die Hard ) wrestles with the impact of broken relationships on holiday joy. With Christmas on the Screen , journalist John A. Zukowski takes readers on an historic tour of Christmas films and changing American values to ask the question, “What does Christmas mean to us?”

245 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Shant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the themes/categories that he used for Christmas movies. It was interesting seeing the political-ness of the Second Wave Stopmotion specials. I liked the appendix list of Christmas movies at the end (I never heard of Mixed Nuts, but am curious enough to check it out), although his ratings left me confused.

Also, I am someone who hasn't seen most of these movies (Scrooged, A Christmas Story, aforementioned Stopmotion specials, Love Actually), for what it's worth.