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Director/producer Michael Davis came up with an idea on what to do with old family films of the holidays. You know, where kids are opening presents, the family dogs wait for their turn, relatives arrive from far away to visit and kids build snow forts. Davis collected the film from estate sales and, with writer Denise Patton, created stories to go along with sections of tape which are set in the 1960’s. Thus we see a boy getting a Popeye Punching Bag as a present (better to hit that than his brothers), how an only child celebrates Christmas, school’s out because of snow, how the family dog opens his present, the adventuresome Christmas Kitty who is trained to walk on a leash, and the Nativity set that goes from generation to generation. 

The mood is nostalgic, humorous and upbeat. There is even footage of three trips taken during the Christmas holidays. White Sands, N.M. is explored by small boys, while girls take on Santa Claus Land with grandparents, and Mom and Dad take a cruise to Spain before Christmas, reveling in their first sight of a camel in a field. “O Tannenbaum” gives a brief history of glass tree ornaments, while “Parade of Toys” shows toys of the past. “The Ring” gives us one man’s devotion to his wife and the camera was right there to record it for posterity. We even see two children putting up an aluminum Christmas tree, which is virtually extinct now. 

My personal favorites are “It’s a Dog’s Life” and “No School.” Perhaps, a Michael Davis sequel might be only on animals at holiday times?  Not that I write from experience, of course, but there is more than one pet that can sniff out its present under the Christmas tree.  _Christmas Memories_ will bring back the past for those of a certain age, and show others what “the good old days” were like. Yes, there really was snow that deep.

Copyright 2007 Marie Asner