Not every movie has to be dramatic and moody to be counted as worth watching. Despite what some might say, not every movie has to be Moonlight-caliber to be enjoyed. While movies like that definitely have their place, other movies are just fun and silly. And it’s okay to enjoy those too! Sometimes you just want to sit down and watch something easy and enjoy yourself, especially around Christmastime.

Because while Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, it can also be the most stressful time of year. Families are tense, there’s panic over presents and decorations, and confusion about whose house are we going to and when; then amidst all that chaos stands a beloved Christmas comedy: Elf.

Elf doesn’t want you to sit down and ponder deep philosophical questions for two hours. It doesn’t want to wrench your heart and leave you low when the movie is over. Elf wants you lay back and laugh at Will Ferrell takes eating littered gum and getting hit by a taxi. Elf wants nothing more than for you to relax and enjoy your holiday.

So while I cannot tell you that Elf is a masterpiece of cinema, I can tell you that Elf has saved me from many potential holiday meltdowns. It’s not meant to change your life. It’s just meant to entertain you for an hour and a half, and for me it succeeds! Laughing at stupid comedy is a welcome distraction from the hustle and bustle of the holiday, and I will always spend my Christmases with Buddy the Elf.

Written by Michelle Beaulieu

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And really, what is Thanksgiving bringing to the table anyways? A big dinner? Quality time with family and friends? Holiday-appropriate television programming? Literally everything we get at Christmas, minus the presents? No thank you. If I’m eating a lengthy meal with my family while wearing an uncomfortable sweater some relative got me last year for my birthday, I am dang sure getting some presents out of it.

It’s not all about recieving, either. Christmas allows you to actually show people how much you care. All Thanksgiving does is let you say the same, completely forgettable phrases over and over again. Christmas lets you show people you care with Christmas cookies, Christmas carols, and, everyone’s favorite: Christmas presents. Nothing says “I know and love you” more than getting your best friend the complete collection of Gilmore Girls for Christmas and then putting videos of them crying over Jess breaking Rory’s heart on your Snapchat story for the world to see.

All I’m here to say is that no one is going around singing Thanksgiving carols, no one is wearing ironically ugly Thanksgiving sweaters, and no one should be decorating their house for Thanksgiving. Seriously. Enough with the pilgrim hats on turkeys: It’s the laziest decorating idea possible and I won’t stand for it. Thanksgiving is simply a one-day affair and that’s all it should be. At the end of the day, Thanksgiving is the enjoyable roadside attraction you visit on your way to the actual destination: Christmas.

The post THANKSGIVING VS CHRISTMAS: THE DEFENSE ON CHRISTMAS appeared first on SCAD Radio.