My Favourite Things, Die Hard, and The Meaning of Christmas

And Throw in Silverware and Fine China while we're at it!

Each morning I choose a spoon to stir my coffee… a silver spoon rather than the more plain stainless steel. I like the weight of the silver one, it is better balanced. I like the way it feels in my hand as I stir in cream and sugar.

When Cheryl and I were first married we received a silverware set stored in a beautiful wood chest, and we received a Wedgwood fine china dinner set. For the first ten or so years of married life, these pieces were reserved for fancy dinner parties. For us, that meant literally anytime we had guests. It was fun to bring out the nice stuff, but we eventually realized that we could enjoy the nice dishes and the silverware anytime.

So, about ten years ago we mixed our fine dining accoutrements in with everything else. Shocking, I know, to have the nicer silver right there in the same drawer with the steel knives and forks. Even more shocking to have the outdoor plastic plates we sometimes use in summer piled on top of the Wedgwood.

But, honestly… Best. Decision. Ever. I love stirring my coffee with the heavier spoon, and I also love eating my oatmeal out of a fine china bowl. Why not enjoy these fine gifts we received over 24 years ago, and why not notice my own delight in something as simple as stirring my coffee with a particular spoon because of its particular weight!

The other day, my daughter and I were wondering together why “My Favourite Things” from The Sound of Music is somehow considered a Christmas Song. I assumed this was some new development, but it turns out that it has been connected with the holiday season since Julie Andrews perfomed the number on a TV holiday special in 1961. That’s two years after the famed musical debuted on Broadway and four years before the film premiered. This little tidbit of information, among other things can be found in this interesting article on the Billboard Website:

Mystery Solved: Here’s How ‘My Favorite Things’ From ‘The Sound of Music’ Became a Christmas Song

The artcile’s author, Fred Bronson, is quick to point out that “Although it wasn’t written as a holiday song, there were lyrical references to sleigh bells, snowflakes, silver-white winters and brown paper packages tied up with strings.”

In our conversation, my daughter also pointed out that her mom had told her that The Sound of Music used to always be on TV over the Christmas Holidays, which is wierd because, though it is hearthwarmingly nostalgic for many, it is most certainly not a Christmas movie. No one is debating this, unlike that Christmas classic, Die Hard.

Supposedly Bruce Willis settled this when he said the film was definitley not a Christmas movie, but I’m not buying it. It is set at Christmas, and much like Home Alone or Trains, Planes, and Automobiles (I know this one is about Thanksgiving), the main goal is about being with family for the holidays, it’s just John McLane blows up an awful lot of stuff to get there.

See this very fun article (on the Draftkings network - wierd place for it?) that tries to prove that Die Hard is indeed a Christmas Movie: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

Make sure you scroll down to watch the (I think it is actually real) trailer that the studio put out that plays up all the Christmas in Die Hard.

What they don’t draw attention to is the obvious allusion with McClane’s wife being named Holly, nor the blatant Silent Night connection. Don’t know this one? Well, Franz Gruber wrote the famous Christmas Carol, and then on a not so silent night in Die Hard the villain shows up… and his name is… wait for it… Hans Gruber. Coincidence? Probably, but you never know. (And for anyone now thinking about an old Saturday Night Live sketch about pumping iron with Hans and Franz, you’re welcome!)

Of course there is also the actual theme of Christmas, which is so often the theme of action movies—A Saviour is with us. Obviously John McClane is as flawed as they come—I’m not really comparing him with Jesus—but still, he does save the day, and peace is (kind of) restored.

But, I had started out with The Sound of Music, and look at me getting all sentimental about Die Hard.

“My Favourite Things” is indeed more Christmassy than we might think, and not just in its mentions of sleigh bells and snow.

The setting of the song in the musical is a thunderstorm. The kids are afraid and they show up in Maria’s room. They come together for the first time as a family in this scene. They comfort each other by being together while the storm rages on outside. Christmas is about God being with us, about light coming in the darkness, about tidings of comfort and joy, about hoping even as we are in the midst of the storm.

Yes, the song is a bit simplistic: “When I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don’t feel so bad.” But, interestingly, it is about remembering, and not about buying. Their list of favourites are not a shopping list nor a wish list for Santa. Among them are things like crisp apple strudel and raindrops on roses.

It is important to note that they simply call these things to mind, remembering their simple goodness in the midst of current strife. They don’t eat strudel. They just think about it.

Calling to mind simple joys is powerful in its simplicity. Our decision to let the fine china be mixed in among the everyday dishes was a very good decision. It is good to enjoy it as something simple, to be reminded of something that brings me a bit of happiness. No, this isn’t lasting joy, but enjoying simple pleasures reminds me of a deeper joy that breaks in, often when we don’t expect it. This too, is what Christmas is about.

Perhaps the most Christmassy lyric is “silver white winters that melt into spring.” For us in the northern hemisphere, this is an important Christmas promise. Yes, the winters are beautiful, but the reality of spring’s arrival from the warmth of the sun is even better. The promise that all that is cold and dormant will spring to life again is the same promise that comes in the Christ child. New life comes in this child. Jesus is the Son, but in the tradition he is also likened to the Sun, to light and warmth for this earth.

Think of the third verse of “Hark! the herald angels sing,” which actually looks ahead to Easter.

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.

In the end, I still wouldn’t classify “My Favourite Things” as a Christmas song, even though it has some Christmas allusions and themes. That being said, I do think the basic move of the song can be helpful. When we bring to mind simple things in which we take delight, it can help us connect to a deeper joy that God provides in Christ, and why not remember these things at Christmas time?

My go to “favourite thing” is going for a walk in the forest, but now I have to also include, perhaps surprisingly, our silverware and fine china, and a good action movie. What about for you?

What are some of your favourite things that bring you a bit of joy as you bring them to mind? Let us know in the comments below!