25 Days of Christmas *BONUS* TV Episode: December 25

THE BRADY BUNCH: S1: E12 “The Voice of Christmas”

PLOT SUMMARY: Carol has laryngitis and will not be able to sing at church on Christmas Day, but a department store Santa Claus promises Cindy that she will get her voice back in time.

WHERE TO WATCH: Paramount+

JAIMEE’S NOTES: A CLASSIC! Mike is giving Carol a state of the art recorder so she can listen to herself sing her Christmas service solo! But oh no! Carol has laryngitis! I also get laryngitis every time I go out and get drunk and yell which is a lot because every time I get drunk I almost exclusively yell. All the other Bradys are getting in the Christmas spirit. Alice is trying to give Carol something to cure her ailment that contains tar? Cindy asks Santa to give her mom her voice back, so sweet. And Santa tells her he can do that so Mike is like WTF, Santa? All of the kids are acting as if their mom has a terminal illness, they can’t sleep! Tragic. Will Carol get her voice back before her church solo? Will she ever speak again!? Dun dun dun….tune in to find out. Happy Holidays!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 25

A CHRISTMAS STORY

PLOT SUMMARY: In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.

WHERE TO WATCH: HBO Max or TBS/TNT anytime from December 24 at 7 PM CT to December 25 at 7 PM CST.

JAIMEE’S NOTES: Staple movie number four! It’s that special time of year where you put this movie on in the background and let it play over and over and over again until your uncle goes, “do we have to watch this damn movie AGAIN!?” The answer is yes, yes we do. I could probably put on a Michael Scott style play of A Christmas Story and be every single character. I know all of the lines! Let us never forget the life lessons A Christmas Story taught us: when near icicles and BB guns be wary of your eyes, soap poisoning will make you go blind, and if you’re getting bullied you just have to beat the shit out of them…fuck around and find out. I need a shirt with Ralphie’s face on it that just says fuck around and find out. Anyway, have a beautiful Christmas! Don’t forget to annoy your loved ones!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 24

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION

PLOT SUMMARY: The Griswold family’s plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.

WHERE TO WATCH: HBO Max

JAIMEE’S NOTES: Christmas staple number three! I think the opening credit song in this movie is my favorite Christmas song of all time, sorry Mariah. I feel as though I have the same enthusiasm and unrealistic expectations of perfection as Clark when it comes to Christmas, so I understand his frustration and outbursts.

I still will not rest until I get the exact advent calendar they have with the tiny doors. I’ll share one fun fact with you that you may not know: the woman who plays Aunt Bethany, Mae Questel, was the voice of Betty Boop and Christmas Vacation is the last movie she did. This movie is just so great, it will never get old to me! I always wonder if they will try to remake this movie someday, there is a Vacation remake with Ed Helms and Christina Applegate and it’s actually pretty funny. So, I would be open to it! Merry Christmas Eve!

25 Days of Christmas *BONUS* TV Episode: December 23

BOY MEETS WORLD, S1: E10 “Santa’s Little Helper”

PLOT SUMMARY: Shawn’s dad gets laid off right around Christmas, so Cory vows to get Shawn a present for Christmas this year. Santa Claus has a heart attack when Morgan sits on his lap, traumatizing her.

WHERE TO WATCH: Disney+

JAIMEE’S NOTES: I had to include a Boy Meets World episode! My favorite! Cory is excited for his Christmas presents and Minkus is collecting money for Mr. Feeney’s class present and being kind of a pushy lil bitch. Meanwhile, Morgan is having her own deeply traumatizing event. Cory is not too good at context clues and figuring things out in his young age, so when his dad tells him Shawn’s dad got laid off, he’s shocked. He immediately wants to share with his bestie but Shawn does not want to be a charity case. Friend fight! Cory finds a way to make it up him and we learn that the spirit of giving is more important than material presents. JUST LIKE TOPANGA TOLD US ALL ALONG! Thanks girl!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 23

A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS

PLOT SUMMARY: Follows the now-adult Ralphie as he returns to the house on Cleveland Street to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had as a child, reconnecting with childhood friends, and reconciling the passing of his Old Man.

WHERE TO WATCH: HBO Max

JAIMEE’S NOTES: Well, they tried! Ralphie is old and married with two kids in Chicago. He wants to be a writer and still has ridiculous daydreams about his writing skills. We lose Dad/now Grandpa so that is sad; that, I feel, was the most touching part of this movie: everything revolving around the old man, the memories and Ralphie writing his obituary. Ralphie returns home to try to make it a great Christmas for his mom and wife and kids and we get nods to pretty much everything in the original movie: the radiator, the pink bunny suit, the lamp, Higbee’s Santa. We also see some old friends: Flick, Schwartz, and little bro Randy! There’s bullying, there’s triple dog dares, there’s Black Bart, there’s icicles taking people’s eyes out. It’s never going to be the original A Christmas Story, you can’t recreate that magic, but they gave it their best shot!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 22

LAST HOLIDAY

PLOT SUMMARY: Upon learning of a terminal illness, a shy woman decides to sell all her possessions and live it up at a posh Central European hotel.

WHERE TO WATCH: Prime or Paramount+

JAIMEE’S NOTES: Georgia Byrd lives her life through her scrapbook of possibilities, from her cooking dreams to her dream boyfriend, played by LL Cool J, who she keeps buying grills from as a way to talk to him. After bumping her head she finds out she has a terminal disease that her insurance won’t cover surgery for, thanks America. So she decides to live her life to the absolute fullest but by going on a dream vacation, blowing her money, and doing and saying whatever she wants. Dreams, literal dreams. She makes many friends and really becomes an inspiring person through the choices she is making. This is such a cute movie and reminds you to always try to make your possibilities into realities, it’s okay to take some chances!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 21

THE FAMILY MAN

PLOT SUMMARY: A fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.

WHERE TO WATCH: Peacock

JAIMEE’S NOTES: This is such a great movie! We have kind of an It’s a Wonderful Life vibe of what would happen if I made a different decision in my life. Jack freaks the fuck out and is told he is seeing a glimpse of what life would have been like and he has to figure out what that means for him. Annie, his “daughter,” knows something is off and thinks Jack is an alien, everyone else just thinks he’s having a mid-life crisis. Jack learns a lot about perspective and what is really important in life, career or family? But which path will he choose!?

25 Days of Christmas: Day 20

SCROOGED

PLOT SUMMARY: A selfish, cynical television executive is haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.

WHERE TO WATCH: Prime or Paramount+

JAIMEE’S NOTES: I know we’re doing a lot of Scrooge work this year but this is a modern take on the old story, modern as in 1988, but still! Frank is an asshole TV executive who happens to be producing A Christmas Carol for his network, starring Mary Lou Retton as Tiny Tim, that made me lol. He is visited by his deceased old boss and friend, Lou, to tell him about the experience he is about to have. He is then visited by his three ghosts to see the error of his ways and realize he is really hurting people, namely his brother, ex-girlfriend, and secretary. Of course we all know how this story ends but it was very touching. It even made me tear up a little! God bless us, everyone!

25 Days of Christmas *BONUS* TV Episode: December 19

KING OF THE HILL S2: E11 “The Unbearable Blindness of Laying”

PLOT SUMMARY: Hank’s mother brings home her new boyfriend, an affectionate Jewish man named Gary. After Hank sees the two of them having relations, he goes blind.

WHERE TO WATCH: Hulu

JAIMEE’S NOTES: It’s Christmas in Arlen! And Hank has to meet his mom’s new boyfriend, Gary. Hank is a very protective son and sees something he cannot unsee then spontaneously goes blind. Poor Hank is using a foam finger as a guide cane lol. Peggy makes him confront his demons and Hank realizes how much Gary actually loves his mom. Peggy Hill is one of the best TV characters around, I love her so much. This is a great episode of TV, what a concept. 10 out of 10 laughs for me!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 19

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

PLOT SUMMARY: A recently widowed man’s son calls a radio talk-show in an attempt to find his father a partner.

WHERE TO WATCH: Paramount+

JAIMEE’S NOTES: I’m back on my widowed fathers bullshit! A CLASSIC! I truly don’t think I realized that Tom Hanks was my one of my favorite actors until I thought of how many of my favorite movies have him in them. Sam and Jonah are struggling, so they move to Seattle. Sam gains some notoriety on a radio show talking about his deceased wife…”Tell me what was so special about your wife” “Well, how long is your program?” Who wouldn’t love that? Anyway, it’s a love story for the ages, great movie, great cast. Side note: I must watch An Affair to Remember! Is this really a Christmas movie? Nahh, but who really cares? Empire State Building vibez.