Xmas spirit all though the year

December 16, 2008 7:48 PM

What are some actual examples of this Christmas-time cliche?

"If only we could keep the spirit of this day all year round..."

I know this hackneyed sentiment has been expressed in tons of Christmas-themed narratives. But when I try to think of specific examples, I come up blank.

What are some books, movies, songs, etc. where someone expresses the wish that the "spirit of Christmas" isn't just a once-a-year event?

posted by neroli to media & arts (16 comments total)

A Christmas Carol?

One of the things said about Scrooge after his "enlightenment" is that he knew how to keep Christmas in his heart all the year. I'm paraphrashing, but the story definitely mentions keeping the spirit of Christmas year-round.
posted by pecanpies at 7:52 PM on December 16, 2008

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
posted by Jon_Evil at 7:53 PM on December 16, 2008

This Sunday's Luann comic contained a watered down version of the sentiment.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:56 PM on December 16, 2008

A Change at Christmas, by The Flaming Lips is exactly this. Here are the lyrics.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 8:10 PM on December 16, 2008

Nobody clichés the way Elvis clichés --- if every day could be just like Christmas, what a wonderful world this would be!
posted by headnsouth at 8:19 PM on December 16, 2008

Keep Christmas with You from Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (recently on MeFi here).
posted by naoko at 8:27 PM on December 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Here's a hilarious take on it:

Christmas Every Day by William Dean Howells

Once there was a little girl who liked Christmas so much that she wanted it to be Christmas every day in the year, and as soon as Thanksgiving was over she began to send postcards to the old Christmas Fairy to ask if she mightn't have it. But the old Fairy never answered, and after a while the little girl found out that the Fairy wouldn't notice anything but real letters sealed outside with a monogram--or your initial, anyway...
posted by roger ackroyd at 9:10 PM on December 16, 2008

Christmas Every Day (1996)

"The Groundhog Day of Christmas movies"
posted by bradly at 9:16 PM on December 16, 2008

Here it is in its purest form.
posted by decagon at 9:41 PM on December 16, 2008

98 Degrees' "If Every Day Could Be Christmas" (lyrics)
posted by booksandlibretti at 10:53 PM on December 16, 2008

There's the 1973 UK Hit by Wizzard I wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (Youtube). Then there's This bloke.
posted by tallus at 2:09 AM on December 17, 2008

The Christmas In Heaven musical number from the end of Monty Python's Meaning of Life?

It's Christmas in Heaven,
There's great films on TV,
The Sound of Music twice an hour,
and Jaws I, II, and III...
posted by jozxyqk at 6:50 AM on December 17, 2008

The last lyrics to "Christmastime Is Here" from the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack:

"Christmastime is here,
Families drawing near,
Oh that we could always see
Such spirit through the year..."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:52 AM on December 17, 2008

Marry Christmas Everyone by Shakin Stevens.

"How I wish that every day was Christmas
What a nice way to spend the year."
posted by the latin mouse at 10:04 AM on December 17, 2008

The end of Scrooged, for sure.
posted by indiebass at 11:04 AM on December 17, 2008

These are all great! Thanks so much. I don't want to be geeky and give every one a "best answer," but every one is a best answer.
posted by neroli at 7:52 PM on December 17, 2008