Xmas

Dinner for One is little remembered in its native UK, but the tradition of watching the 1962 television sketch at Christmas is as ingrained in many European countries as the annual viewing of The Snowman is in Britain.

The 18-minute sketch stars May Warden as dowager Miss Sophie and Freddie Frinton as her butler. Miss Sophie is celebrating her 90th birthday in the company of four friends (all dead). James, the butler, has to serve dinner and down the drinks accompanying every course for each imaginary guest, becoming increasingly sozzled, until the pair retire upstairs with a wink at the camera.

Originally written for the stage, Dinner for One was televised by Norddeutscher Rundfunk in 1962 and became a perennial holiday favourite not just in Germany, but in Norway, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, and Switzerland.

Gallic audiences have as many holiday favourites as Anglophones. French Christmas movies range from the serious, including 2005’s Joyeux Noël depicting the famous 1914 Christmas truce in the trenches of the First World War, to the ribald or wacky, like Le Père Noël est une ordure (Santa Claus is a Shit), La Bûche, and Santa & Cie. 1979’s Les Bronzés font du ski is de rigueur Christmas viewing, loved by many for the notorious scene in which the protagonists are fed nauseating made-up rural delicacies. TV shows are also a big feature in the French Christmas calendar, with blooper programmes a permanent fixture and, until his death in 2017, the rock star Johnny Halliday’s three-hour television specials.

Perhaps as unexpected as the appeal of Dinner for One to Germans is the enduring love of Italians for the dubbed version of the 1983 comedy film Trading Places. Since 1997, the film, under the title Una Poltrona per Due (An Armchair for Two) has been broadcast at Christmas with millions tuning in every year.

Non-Christmas Christmas Movies

Many movies are set at Christmas not to tell a story about the holiday but to evoke a certain mood. Love Actually takes place during the holiday season to encourage the audiences to conjure up happy memories of times with loved ones.

Die Hard, on the other hand - plenty of listicles and forum posts will furnish reasons why it’s the perfect Christmas movie - takes place during Christmas to add emotional heft to the protagonist’s reconciliation with his estranged wife. In fact, Die Hard was released in July 1988. The makers didn’t want to cash in on Christmas, they wanted the audience to have some Summer fun.

And of course, some films turn the traditional Christmas movie on its head. The classics made in the 1950s, 60s and 70s are typically warm, sweet, and inspirational. It’s easy to see how later filmmakers exploited the irony of bad things happening at the most saccharine time of year, in movies like 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, or by setting Gremlins during the holiday season. As odd and occasionally unsettling as these movies are - like the subgenre of the Christmas horror movie - they’re also favourite holiday viewing, if only because they help the (relative) peace and warmth of the real-life occasion shine all the more brightly.

All your Christmases at Once

Christmas may come but once a year, but for corporate video production companies and ad agencies, preparation for the festive season can start so early that it almost overlaps with the previous season.

Holiday ads, Christmas catalogues, and seasonal sales campaigns are carefully planned in anticipation of one of the biggest selling periods of the year. That takes time, which is why it’s not uncommon for video producers to get to work on Christmas content as early as February, especially if the project involves a high-stake video for a major brand.

With reported budgets of between £1 million and £7 million, John Lewis Christmas advertisements have become a much-anticipated annual tradition in the UK. First aired in 2007, these ads often focus on themes of kindness, family, and connection. Known for their high production values and sentimental soundtracks, they typically feature a cover of a well-known song by artists like Ellie Goulding, Lily Allen, and Aurora. Over the years, John Lewis ads like The Man on the Moon, The Bear and the Hare, and Buster the Boxer have become iconic, with fans eagerly awaiting the brand’s new release each Christmas.

Inspired by John Lewis’s success, competitors soon developed their own festive campaigns. Sainsbury’s made waves - and stirred a bit of controversy - in 2014 with their Christmas Truce ad, which recreated the World War I ceasefire between British and German soldiers.

Marks & Spencer (M&S) have leaned into the magical and whimsical in their ads. M&S's 2016 ad, Mrs. Claus, told the story of a modern Mrs. Claus who secretly helps a young boy give his sister the perfect Christmas surprise. Boots, meanwhile, tend to take a more down-to-earth approach, focusing on heartfelt stories of family and connection. Their 2017 Show Them You Know Them ad encouraged people to give gifts that reflect the recipient’s personality and passions.

These Christmas adverts have a significant impact on the UK economy and sales. John Lewis have reported that their Christmas campaigns increase sales by around 35% each year. In 2023, advertisers spent £9.5 billion on Christmas adverts, and for every £1 spent on a Christmas campaign, the UK economy receives an estimated £6 in return.

No wonder UK retailers feel that Christmas adverts are the best way to maximise profits during the holiday season.

Making Christmas Sparkle

Shooting ads and movies in the Spring or Summer comes with some challenges. So how do film production teams make Christmas look not just real, but better than it does in real life? Of course, the actors need to look the part, whatever the temperature, wearing heavy coats, scarves and gloves. The lighting on set can do much to suggest the conditions on an overcast Winter’s day. For snow-covered landscapes, film creatives use cellulose-based, biodegradable paper to mimic fluffy snow. When actors need to make a snow angel, polymer snow - a powdered plastic that expands with water - provides realistic weight. For falling snow, snow machines spray soap bubbles or lightweight flakes.

Creating convincing icicles calls for materials like melted plastic or silicone. Prop masters mold resin-like substances into various lengths, ensuring they taper to realistic, pointed ends. Some icicles are coated with glycerin or water for a wet, melting look. These are hung from fishing line or adhesive and positioned to catch light, making them sparkle like real ice.

Filmmakers can also alter footage in post-production. Digital snow can be spread across trees and foliage. Colour palettes are graded to create bluer, cooler tones for a chilly atmosphere, and digital breath vapour can be added.

While this box of tricks is impressive and effective, perhaps the greatest deception comes with seasonal food shoots. Turkeys, for instance, are only partially cooked to retain a plump look, and then finished with browning agents like soy sauce, shoe polish, or wood stain for a perfect golden-brown finish. A carefully-applied heat gun can add subtle burnt areas, giving foods a rich, caramelised look.

Mashed potatoes might be made from shaving cream to hold their shape. Holiday pies and desserts are often coated with hairspray or furniture polish for a glossy finish. Visible steam, as from hot mince pies, is created by microwaving and then concealing damp cotton balls. Bon appetit!

With their dinner digested, and the presents opened, the content producers can finally take a break, before returning to their studios with fresh ideas for next year’s Christmas campaign, which probably starts in a fortnight!