Child Of The 1980's

With Christmas Day mere hours away, I wanted to take the time to wish all of you a very merry Christmas.

Things have been a little slow around this site for the past month or so, but I’m intending to get back into the swing of things in the new year and return to a more regular posting schedule.

I have some ideas I want to explore for the site, but if there’s anything you would like to suggest that you feel would improve the site then please let me know by posting a comment below. I’m all ears!

Charles Dickens really couldn’t have known what he created back in 1843 when he first published his story A Christmas Carol. This tale must have been made and adapted for film and television more than any other literary work ever. As well as countless film versions telling the story pretty much unaltered, many TV shows (especially US ones) have taken the idea and adapted it for Christmas specials of their own.

Personally, my favourite version (and apologies to the Muppets because I did like their version too) is the 1988 film Scrooged, starring Bill Murray as the Scrooge like Frank Cross. Whilst it changes some details of the story to bring things up-to-date (for example, Frank Cross is the boss of a TV Station, rather than a money lender, or whatever Ebenezer was supposed to be) the basic premise of the story survives intact.

Frank’s TV company is attempting a world’s first for their Christmas extravaganza. A live transmitted version of A Christmas Carol. Frank’s motives in this are more driven by money and greed than by presenting a good Christmas message. He had a bit of a miserable childhood, so doesn’t really take much interest in Christmas celebrations.

Frank is first visited by the ghost of his long dead boss, who warns him that he is to be visited that evening by three more ghosts who will show him his past, present and future, in an effort to make him change his ways. Frank, unsurprisingly perhaps, believes he has just been hallucinating, but he begins to change his mind as the ghosts start to pay him visits.

Read more…

Have you opened the first little door on your advent calendar yet? Assuming you have one, why not go and do it now? Go on, I’ll wait…

…back again? Good. What did you get? A Christmas Tree, a stocking, a Father Christmas? And was it just a picture or a shaped chocolate?

Hold on, what’s that? You don’t have an advent calendar? Awww! Fear not, for help is at hand! Why not pop on over to the Child of the 1980’s Advent Calendar and go and see what’s behind door number one. Keep coming back every day as well to see what’s behind the next door.