Of all the movie versions made of the classic Christmas story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the 1951 production starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge stands out as an exceptional movie.
It remains one of their best loved Christmas movies all these years later.
If you are wondering what might be a good movie to show family and friends at home on a winter's night this Christmas, look no further. You will not be disappointed with this wonderfully acted portrayal of the popular characters in this enduring story about the meaning of Christmas.
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A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition)(B/W & Color)
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $9.70
Used From: $7.22
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0Item Type: DVD MovieItem Rating: NRStreet Date: 10/23/07Wide Screen: noDirector Cut: noSpecial Edition: noLanguage: ENGLISHForeign Film: noSubtitles: noDubbed: noFull Frame: yesRe-Release: noPackaging: Sleeve
This is the desert-island choice of the many versions of A Christmas Carol, with a magnificent, full-bodied portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge by Alastair Sim that leaves everyone else in the dust. Lean and direct, this film's version of the story wastes no time trying to impress viewers with the magical nature of the spirits' visitations. Director Brian Desmond Hurst keeps the focus on Scrooge's life story, beautifully simplifying and underscoring the theme of lost women with a haunting musical refrain from the folk song "Barbara Allen." Sim's commitment to the role is at times astonishing; his Scrooge's Christmas-morning ecstasy is a marvel of giddy technique. Watch for Patrick Macnee (Steed in The Avengers) as the young Jacob Marley--the actor made his screen debut in this 1951 production. --Tom Keogh On the DVD This ultimate collectors' edition is crammed with special features, on both discs. Amazon exclusive video: George Cole, who played theyoung Ebenezer Scrooge, reflects.Watch here Find out what's new on this restored version of A Christmas Carol. Watch here Never-before-seen U.S. andU.K. trailers. Watch here Film (and Charles Dickens) fans won't want to miss a single screen. The audio commentary by Marcus Hearn and George Cole adds depth and perspective to Sim's amazing performance, and the groundbreaking special effects for the time. Cole also gives a homey remembrance of working with Sim during World War II and living in the English countryside to avoid the Blitz. One of the most compelling extras is a short bio of George Mintner, the film's executive producer who would go on to found his own successful distribution company, Renown Pictures. An unlikely film mogul, the British Mintner was shy and bookish, but managed to build a reputable mini-studio in the '50s, out of the Hollywood limelight. He produced mostly B-movies, though after A Christmas Carol (originally titled Scrooge), he produced another Dickens adaptation, The Pickwick Papers. There's a great mini-bio of Dickens, who grew up in the poverty that later fascinated him in his writings. Other extras include the colorized version (what were people thinking back in the '80s?), cast bios, original trailers, and a features that more film companies might want to consider, an optional narration for the blind. Nothing is left out for film fans--God bless us, every one.--A.T. Hurley Beyond A Christmas Carol 1938 version starring Reginald Owen 1984 version starring George C. Scott 1999 version starring Patrick Stewart Stills from A Christmas Carol
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When putting on a Christmas pageant nativity play one of the most important things to do is to arrange costumes for the players. You will need costumes for the leading roles, especially Mary, Joseph and the Three Wise Men. Other players also need costumes, such as shepherds, angels and perhaps (if you include them) King Herod and his soldiers.
You can buy children's Nativity costumes and similar ready-made biblical costumes for adults. This saves time and trouble but incurs an expense. Simple biblical costumes are not difficult to make, but it does help to start with a sewing pattern.
Here are some sources of suitable low-cost biblical costume patterns. With these patterns anybody with sewing skills could soon prepare the costumes needed to put on a nativity play.
The Nativity Story DVD
With Christmas approaching, Christian families will want to include a reminder of the Christian origins of Christmas somewhere in their celebrations.
To this end, the Christmas nativity story is traditionally retold as part of Christmas activities. Church and other Christian groups will often put on a Christmas pageant or play to portray the story.
A more modern alternative is to sit down and watch a movie telling the Christmas nativity story. This is also a more convenient option for many families.
The 2006 version of The Nativity Story stands out as a well made movie that keeps the traditional story pretty much intact. It stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary and Oscar Isaac as Joseph. The movie covers the full story including the dramatic tension in the background of the attempts by King Herod to find and destroy the baby Jesus, including depicting the massacre of the innocents at Bethlehem that he ordered. The violence in the movie is bloodless and it is rated PG. It is intended for family viewing with parental guidance, though perhaps it is a little frightening in places and so not well suited for very young children.
In addition to showing the DVD to your own family, you might consider it to be a suitable Christmas gift to give to family and friends with whom you would like to share the Christmas story.
Get your copy of The Nativity Story (Click Here).
There are few things more thrilling for a small child than to receive a personalized letter from Santa Claus soon before Christmas.
It can be arranged.
And for a very low price.
Your child receives a bright red envelope containing a personalized letter from Santa addressed to them. With the letter there is a recipe for Santa's favorite cookies, and a color-in and cut-out Christmas ornament craft project your child can do.
The letters come in a choice of themes: reindeers having fun, Santa's busy North Pole workshop and a Three Kings theme for those who prefer a reminder of the Christian origins of Christmas.
Dates are important, of course - order before December 15th to ensure delivery in time for Christmas. Just click on the order box on the right to see more details and place your order.
Santa's Little Helpers
Don't leave your pets out this Christmas.
Sure, you could give them a few gourmet treats on Christmas Day (but be careful about the chicken and turkey bones, as they could hurt them). But what a lot of pets like most is to be the center of attention.
What better way to have your pet admired by all your family and guests than to dress it up in a Christmas costume. You could just make it a special collar, but you can also add a hat, or get a lot of laughs with the Little Santa's Helper costume in the picture to the left.
Dressing up is not just for dogs. Cats can join the party too, with costume variations for them.
See our Pet Costume Store for a lot more pet costume ideas.
Santa Hat Costume
Dressing up for Christmas is all part of the fun.
There are those who dress up as Santa Claus in Santa outfits or suits, and they are always popular in shops, on the streets, at parties, at kids Christmas functions as well as at home, especially on Christmas Eve or whenever you choose to give gifts. There are all kinds of reasons to have a Santa Suit.
But there are also Christmas suits for Santa's helpers, including for "Mother Christmas" and little elves. There are even Christmas costumes for the family dog and the family cat so they are not left out of the action.
For most families though, a full Christmas costume is a little over the top, especially in these times of economic hardship for many. A less extravagant way to go is to simply have a Christmas Santa hat for everyone in the family. Wearing a Santa Hat instantly conveys the Christmas spirit to all around, and is a great way to get in the mood for Christmas celebrations.
See the cute Tartan Plaid Santa Hat shown in the picture on the left and many other choices at our Christmas costume store, or see the choice from Amazon below:
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Santa Hat in Large Adult Size
Sale Price: $2.48
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Plush Santa hat in polyester. Red with white band and pom pom as shown. One size fits most adults. Measures 24" in circumference and 16" pom pom to bottom of band.
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Santa Hat with Coil Spring
Sale Price: $3.39
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White faux fur headband has red velour top and coil with a white fuzzy ball on top. Fully lined inside, fits up to approx. 22 inch diameter.
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Plush Velvet Santa Hat Soft
List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $8.98
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Plush Red Velvet Santa's Hat with white trim. One size. Great for Holiday evening wear, complete a costume or to complement lingerie...Happy Holidays!
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Velvet Santa Hat with Plush Trim
List Price: $11.99
Sale Price: $3.99
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Velvet Santa Hat with Plush Trim
Size: Standard. 17.5in x 11.25in.
Inside Diameter: 22.5in
Optional accessories:
(Rudolph, Dasher and Prancer Sold Separately)
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With Christmas now only a couple of months away, it's that time of year when many church groups plan their Christmas pageant, to tell the Christmas story in a nativity play. One of the most challenging tasks ahead for these good folk will be finding suitable biblical costumes for the characters in their Christmas play. Homemade nativity costumes are popular, but today's families are often too busy for dressmaking and related craft work. With the cost of buying clothing new having fallen in recent years, there are fewer stay at home moms who have kept up the skills, have the sewing machines and who can spare the time. A quick and simple solution to outfitting your Christmas pageant actors is to buy a set of biblical costumes of theatrical quality. The cost is not that great these days, and the costumes can be reused at Easter or other times, and be ready again for the following Christmas. Even if some individual size adjustments are required, the dressmaking work is much less demanding than starting out from scratch to make a new costume.
Good quality costumes are readily available for both children and adult parts, and cover most of the leading characters of the nativity story, particularly Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels and the Three Wise Men. Costumes for Roman soldiers and other related parts you may include in your play can also be readily obtained, should you want to tell a comprehensive story and involve a larger cast in your performance.
Costume accessories and extras, such as wigs, beards and even a shepherd's crook, are also available with a biblical theme.
Here are some of the most popular biblical costumes that are available:
Once again Christmas fast approaches, and if have plans to put on a Christmas nativity play you need to give some thought to obtaining a nativity play script and music, arranging nativity play costumes and getting your organizing team together. There is still plenty of time, but you will need to begin your preparations and get your Christmas play cast auditioning and set building under way quite soon.
A quick and low cost way to get your preparation started is to buy a comprehensive nativity script complete with music scores. The Christmas nativity play script we recommend is a well proven 4 act pantomime. The narrator tells the story, while the cast acts out the events portrayed to tell the classic Christmas story in comprehensive detail, to a musical accompaniment.
This approach avoids the complications of having amateur actors learn their lines and perhaps fail to get the Christmas messages across as clearly as you might wish. At the same time it allows less self confident actors to participate without the burden of having to master a lengthy spoken script.
This is an ideal arrangement for involving children in the telling of the Christmas story. They will take great delight in acting out the roles of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the Three Wise Men and the other characters in the cast of your Christmas pageant.
Participation is enhanced by the use of popular Christmas carols in the telling of the Christmas story, which enables the audience to join in as well.
All in all, the package you receive will save you a great deal of time, and help ensure the success of your nativity play production. In addition to the script, there is comprehensive sheet music and lyrics for guitar or piano, set design, costume, production and rehearsal notes. Important and helpful issues you might have overlooked are also included, such as permission letters and promotion posters and flyers.
Click here to find out more about this nativity play script.
Are you looking for interesting little odds and ends to add as stocking stuffers to round out your Christmas gift buying? Have a look at some of the low cost Christmas gift ideas below. There is still time if you act promptly.
There are also some great ideas for small gifts. When you have a large number of friends and family coming over its fun to give a little something to everyone, without having to break the bank.
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Matchbox 2008 Stocking Vehicles - Mystery Vehicle - Christmas Stocking Stuffers
Sale Price: $9.99
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what a great double surprise ... mystery matchbox cars hidden inside a Christmas stocking..... what will it be? A car? That rare hard to find Matchbox you have been looking for for months? Who knows!!! You will have to open it up and see!!!! These make a great socking suffer double surprise !!! Two stockings and two cars enclosed.....Ages 3 + recommended.
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Star Wars Galactic Heroes Stocking Stuffers - 3-Pack Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker & Shock Trooper
Sale Price: $5.45
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Celebrate the holidays with your favorite Star Wars characters! This miniature figure collection features Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and a Shock Trooper from the Star Wars saga. But instead of intergalactic weapons, theyre wielding holiday-themed goodies! Who knew Obi-Wan could get into the holiday spirit? So, grab your lightsaber, fire up your X-wing engines, and blast into hyperdrive fun with these holiday editions of the greatest Galactic Heroes of all time!
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Star Wars Galactic Heroes 3-Pack Stocking Stuffers Stormtrooper, Darth Vader, & Boba Fett
Sale Price: $9.95
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Celebrate the holidays with your favorite Star Wars characters! This miniature figure collection features Darth Vader, Boba Fett and a Stormtrooper from the Star Wars saga. Along with their intergalactic weapons, theyre wielding holiday-themed goodies! Who knew Darth Vader could get into the holiday spirit? So, grab your lightsaber, fire up your X-wing engines, and blast into hyperdrive fun with these holiday editions of the greatest Galactic Heroes of all time!
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Classic Rubber Ducky Bath Toy
Sale Price: $1.25
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This classic yellow rubber ducky is just perfect for fun in the tub! Has a hole in the bottom and squeaks. Measures 3-1/2"L x 2-1/2"W x 3"H. This duck is not weighted, therefore it will float on its side - not upright.
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Santa outfits are one of the first things to come to mind when I think of Christmas. When I was little one of the highlights of Christmas was meeting Santa in his red Santa suit at the local department store. We would queue up to sit on his knee and be photographed as we blurted out our most secret wishes of what we would like to find under the tree on Christmas morning. Often as not I would promise him a piece of Christmas cake and glass of whisky when he called, which always seemed to bring a sparkle to his eyes - you see, every Christmas my Mom had me help her set up that little treat on Christmas Eve, and it was always gone in the morning. I guess my Dad enjoyed it.
Those days a Santa outfit was uncommon, so it was easy for a kid to believe that guy in the store was the real thing. Nowadays you see Santa costumes all over the town at Christmas. That's no bad thing. It really adds to the festivities.
A few years ago Granddad showed up at our house on Christmas morning all dressed up as Santa in a Santa Claus costume, and ready to hand out the gifts from under the tree - much to the delight of the kids. Now it has become a much loved family tradition at our house. And yes, I bribe him with a piece of Christmas cake and a glass of whisky to bring an extra sparkle to his eyes!
Santa Outfits are easy to get and are not expensive to buy for good quality. It's so easy to dress up and look the part, and it adds so much to the family fun of Christmas to have a Santa Claus in the house at Christmas. They come in a variety of styles and sizes, including plus sized Santa costumes for big men. You can even get a version of a Santa Claus suit cut down for wearing in warmer climates! There is also a variation of blue Santa suits, though my preference is still the traditional rich red Santa outfit with white trimmings and black belt and boots. A bell is a nice touch to add to a Santa costume as well, and there are other Christmas costumes for Santa's wife and his other little helpers available at this leading online Christmas costume store.
US $4.99
