Christmas Music and Films

Last year I did a Christmas round-up post which you can read here:  https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2016/12/christmas-round-up.html

 Now Christmas is here again, so here's a new festive themed post!


Music

These are my most recent Christmas music video posts:

Lindsey Stirling's Carol of the Bells: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/12/weekly-music-video_13.html


 K-pop Christmas!: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/12/k-pop-christmas.html


Ariana Grande's Wit It This Christmas: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/12/weekly-music-video_20.html

Also check out more songs from Ariana's Christmas & Chill EP: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2016/12/ariana-grande-christmas-songs.html



Here Mariah Carey's single Oh Santa! from 2010:

And the video for The Star, from the new animated film of the same name:

Also I found A K-pop themed Christmas playlist on YouTube. (I've added it to the K-pop Christmas post). Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC5-ZK_YGQI





Films/TV

The Snow Queen (2002)

Hallmark TV movie version of the classic story by Hans Christian Anderson, starring Bridget Fonda as the Snow Queen. When Kai (played by Jeremy Guilbaut) is taken by the mysterious Snow Queen the townspeople believe he's never coming back, but his best friend/girlfriend Gerda (Chelsea Hobbs) is determined to save him and sets off on a quest to do just that.

                                                                         Trailer from the film

Spoiler alert! If you don't know the story and don't like spoilers you might want to miss out the section below. (I haven't given a lot away though).


The Snow Queen used to freak me out when I was little! I think it's because of the whole thing with the mirror being made by the devil and the thought of a piece of it getting in your eye and changing how you view the world (making everything look ugly). I still find it a bit weird but I like this film. It's kind of haunting. They show it at Christmas but I don't think it's been on for a couple of years.

Read more about the story here: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/register/info_e.html?vid=68



The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1989)


Based on the 1962 book by Joan Aiken. Cousins Bonnie (Emily Hudson) and Sylvia (Aleks Darowska) are left in the care of evil governess Miss Slighcarp (played by Stephanie Beacham) while Bonnie's parents Lord and Lady Willoughby go abroad. It's the middle of the winter and the landscape outside is perilous, not only because of the cold but due to the wolves. Now the girls are also under threat from Miss Slighcarp. Can they outwit and escape the fate she has planned for them?

                                                         Trailer

This is not strictly about Christmas but it is winter themed! It's set in an alternative England during the reign of King James III in the early 19th century (who never actually existed at that time) and in this reality there are wolves who have come over from mainland Europe. I think they last showed this around Christmas quite a few years ago (maybe around 10 but I'm not sure). The book is good as well. It's part of a series called The Wolves Chronicles.


Note: Joan Aiken was a good writer. She mainly wrote children's books but she had adult novels too.  Also check out Midnight Is a Place and her short story book A Necklace of Raindrops (maybe more suitable for young kids). You can visit her website here: http://www.joanaiken.com/





Hope you liked the post! Merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate Christmas, have a good holiday/weekend! :)