When one keeps one's eyes open during the Christmas season, one might notice that local playhouses seem to have only a small selection of Christmas plays to choose from. During the month of December, you tend to see rotations of A Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and... Narnia. This once again brings me to a question I've wondered about in years past: Is Narnia (or will Narnia be) considered a Christmas classic?
I would love to see evidence both for and against this theory, but from my point of view, it looks like The Chronicles are becoming closely associated with the holiday season. Comments?
Movie Aristotle, AKA Risto
Topic starter
Posted : November 18, 2012 10:03 am
Interesting question. I like to say that LWW is my favorite Christmas movie since Father Christmas is in it. 
If I were asked to list Christmas books /movies / plays, I don't think Narnia would be on my list or at least in the top 10. It does have elements that are common to Christmas stories. The White Witch could be seen as the ultimate Scrooge and Grinch. Characters in Christmas stories often start out being selfish and disagreeable and then are reformed. Edmund fits that role. He began to feel sorry for people other than himself when he saw the animals having a Christmas party turned to stone. There is snow as well. However, if I had to pick only one holiday to associate LWW with, I'd say Easter. One cannot deny the strong death and resurrection connection.
I think Narnia is a good year round. I know LWW and VDT were released during the Christmas season but I thought that was just because that is a good time to release movies. I saw an advertisement for a Narnia production that is selling it as "a contemporary classic that captures the true holiday spirit." Well, I commented but I'm not sure I really gave a decisive answer.
NW sister to Movie Aristotle & daughter of the King
Posted : November 18, 2012 12:38 pm
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe is a Christmas Classic. No doubt about that at all...
The Chronicles of Narnia as a whole though? I think that if they were all genuine classics of literature (Christmas or otherwise), we wouldn't be in this situation of having no more movies for the forseeable future.
Posted : November 19, 2012 9:56 am
I don't actually think of it as a Christmas movie at all. Until Pattertwigs Pal mentioned it - I didn't even think about Father Christmas being in it.
I think it is more of just a straight classic.
If I was going to associate it with a holiday - I'd be more likely to associate it with Easter - since it has a Resurrection Story in it.
Further up and further in!!
Posted : November 19, 2012 10:48 am
Interesting idea. I suppose it could work. I've seen much worse "Christ an classics." I just got back from a movie and one of the previews was trying to sell "Horoton Hears a Who" as a Christmas an movie/book. 
LWW would work much better for Easter.
memento mori
Posted : November 25, 2012 3:29 pm
I think that LWW is considered a Christmas classic because of the eternal winter at the beginning of the story and the appearance of Father Christmas. However, given the climax and overall plot, I would consider it more appropriate for Easter.
In regards to the other books, they have no connection to Christmas at all. VDT came out at Christmastime because LWW came out then and it was the most successful. They also added all that snow in the movie and trailer to remind people of LWW. Overall, none of the other books are Christmas-y at all. (Although I got the books one by one on Christmas day, so I do have many good Christmas memories of Narnia. 
)
Posted : November 25, 2012 3:34 pm
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