Christmas movies on TV: “The Muppets Christmas Story”
The “Muppets Christmas Story” doesn’t exactly suit my usual taste. A literary film adaptation – books are better – with puppets! Diminishment alert! And then there are animals: pigs, frogs and rats can’t talk!! So there must be Christmas hormones. Because, miraculously, this film, based on Charles Dickens’ Christmas story, has delighted me for about 20 years. Back then, my sisters and I discovered it on television by chance and have watched it every year since. First on an increasingly noisy VHS cassette, then on DVD. Even if I fight against it with all my mental vehemence, I keep wiping away tears when Kermit, the sick frog son and Piggy sing the final Christmas hit. So much for Christmas hormones. Otherwise, what’s special about this Christmas story is that it makes you happy. The quotes “Mimimimimi” and “A heatwave!” have long since become part of our family jargon. I giggle at Rizzo the rat and his attempt to climb over a fence. Waldorf and Statler are always funny. And that’s exactly what makes me happiest this time of year. Merry Christmas!
– Inga