When it comes to Christmas films many are packed with elements of fantasy. Reasonings for how Santa achieves his annual worldwide delivery, and keeps the North Pole hidden, introduce sci-fi leanings with increasingly futuristic ideas. Delving into imagination has long been a big part of many fictional festive films, no matter what genre. However, this year’s Alternative Christmas Film Advent Calendar switches focus to look at documentaries which follow real world Christmas stories and figures, each with their own strand of imagination, festive spirit and occasional fantasy.
Whether transforming a home or shop into an unrecognisably festive space with endless ribbons and paper chains, attempting to impress the family or entering into a battle with the neighbours for the best light show there are plenty of moments in Christmas films where the characters, and filmmakers, will stop to admire the displays. Even Kevin McCallister takes a moment to stop thinking about the Wet Bandits or Tim Curry’s concierge, constantly on his tail, to take in both the towering tree outside the Rockefeller Centre and the smaller ornament-laden one in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel. However, today’s Alternative Christmas Film Advent Calendar entry looks less at taking a moment to take in the decorations and more having them constantly flooding through your street and window, and only from one house.
Jeremy Morris loves Christmas, and wants to spread the joy to everyone with welcoming events at his house. Each year his decorations grew brighter, expand further across the outside of his house and eventually became an attraction. Hot chocolate would be given out while a camel joined in the attraction. Eventually, when moving with his family to a quieter neighbourhood outside of the city limits, where a permit to hold this kind of event isn’t needed, Jeremy finds himself clashing with the Homeowners’ Association over his displays which draw in hundreds of visitors to the small community and cause disturbances to fellow residents.
Jeremy himself, his talking head interviews largely held in a storage garage filled with brightly coloured Christmas decorations, his clothes fitting colours for the season, says that he views himself as Clark Griswold, wanting to create the best, most spectacular Christmas for his whole family and those around them. However, it seems those around him view him as the other side of Clark Grisworld which causes chaos and headaches. Director Becky Reed quickly shifts perspective to show that the responses the Homeowners’ Association in the quiet North Idaho neighbourhood received from lawyer Jeremy, and his friends, escalated quickly and strayed from politeness. What unfolds is a festive battle twisting the meanings of Christmas spirit and how going all out to display it might actually backfire and show quite the opposite.
The season of goodwill begins to contain very little of just that as the streets begin to fill up with noisy visitors attending the illuminating display covering the entirety of the Morris’ home. The idea of religion begins to play into things are different ideas of the true meaning of Christmas begin to be brought up by both parties creating a set of arguments all of which recognise that somewhere the Christmas season isn’t being properly embraced or celebrated. However, the film quickly asks and delves into where this is really coming from with all the sympathy going towards everyone else in the community, particularly those leading the Homeowners’ Association (who show themselves as far from Hot Fuzz’s Neighbourhood Watch Association) as Christmas becomes an increasing struggle of heated back-and-forth communication and strong visual and audible noise.
Perhaps when it comes to feeling like a traditional Christmas film ‘Twas The Fight Before Christmas doesn’t tick most of the boxes, although that is to some extent what the Alternative Christmas Film Advent Calendar is all about. However, it deals with the season upfront and keeps it at the focus of its events, bringing in new ideas and arguments as to what the true meaning of it is, and how that can twist and change depending on who your asking and when. And just how much Christmas spirit is too much?
‘Twas The Fight Before Christmas can be watched in the following places:
Apple TV+
To see where else the film is available to stream, buy or rent, especially if you live outside the UK, JustWatch should list most places where you can find it.
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