The original “Miracle on 34th Street” still has heart
“There’s a lot of bad isms floating around this world and one of the worst is commercialism.”
“Miracle on 34th Street” bemoaned the commercialism of the holiday season way back in 1947. It is a commentary on a city’s focus on money and gift-giving as the primary ingredients in a holiday season. More than 60 years ago, people were noticing that this was a problem—and the effect of it on one little girl.
Today, commercialism is more prominent than ever during the holidays. With sites like Amazon, eBay and many more designed to make gift-giving possible from your chair at home with the push of a button, it’s easy to focus on products, not on people, and what should really count at this time of year.
As a child, I saw the original movie (which has since had many remakes, both as movies and onstage), and I remember thinking how kind Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn, who won the Oscar that year) was and how wonderful it would be if Santa Claus cared more about people than the gifts they wanted him to bring.
Spoiler Alert: If you are one of a handful of people who haven’t seen this classic, it is all about people and how Kris brings a family together to discover that the true meaning of Christmas isn’t in boxes and bags…but in the heart.
“Miracle on 34th Street”
Sunday, Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m.
East Ridge 18
5080 S. Terrace
(423) 855-9652
carmike.com