I’m not a Scrooge.

Photo | Jeffrey Diener

I have a Christmas tree. I even made all the ornaments for it. Lights are hung. Presents are bought. However, to describe me as someone with Christmas or holiday spirit would not be accurate. I don’t have holiday tunes on my iPod. In fact, I change the radio station when they come on and do my best to avoid the mall and Starbucks this time of year to steer clear of red-nosed reindeer and two eyes made of coal.

The same goes for movies. I only have the most basic cable and therefore get little choice in what I watch if I’m at home—unless watching something from hulu on my laptop counts. I’ve flicked through my six or so channels these last few weeks only to be met with an updated version of Miracle on 34th Street, complete with a tween romance (seriously?). Also, there’s an old Olsen twin movie floating around about getting to Grandma’s house…and then there’s always Ernest Saves Christmas.

So when my friend suggested we spend Sunday going to The Naro’s double feature of It’s A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story, my first question was “Should I bring a flask?”

The double feature began at 1 pm. Coincidentally, that’s the same time the ABC store opens, so no libations to ease me into this world of holiday movie adoration. Sigh. Participating in this little adventure was going to be done sans vice with eyes wide open. And on top of that, we miscalculated how long it would take to see the films and only had time to see the first one.

We arrived at The Naro and bought tickets. People were filling the lobby dressed in greens and reds. One lady was even wearing a Santa hat with little holiday gift dangly earrings. Normally, she is the kind of lady I take a mental picture of to laugh at later with my friends. But this time I smiled. Involuntarily. Is this spirit contagious? If I’m already feeling warmer and happier standing in the concession line, surrounded by a non-ironic Ugly Sweater Party, what awaits once the lights go down?

A Christmas Story started. I’ve seen portions of this film for years. Mainly in snippets between channel surfing back when I had cable…or on the millions of pop-culture shows on VH1 or E!. I was familiar with the famous references: the tongue stuck to the flagpole, the leg lamp, the “You’ll shoot your eye out!” mantra.

What I had not realized, having not seen the film in its entirety, was how much one can relate to it. I didn’t know enough about it to form pre-conceived ideas. I didn’t know when it was made, who was in it, when it took place, etc. And you don’t need to. Simply put, A Christmas Story makes you feel like a kid on Christmas. It does its job. It’s not necessarily set in the 1930s, 40s or 50s. It’s set in Kid-Time.

That said, seeing it in the cinema, with no commercial breaks or edits for content or time, showed me it’s more of an adult movie than I had previously thought. Kids can watch it. However, I didn’t see any kids at The Naro. I saw a room full of adults remembering how exciting it is to so ardently want that BB gun, to scheme and feel guilt and excitement about what Santa thinks of you, the disappointment of not getting what you want, the elation of surprise. I also remember why I moved to Norfolk…to never have to wear a snowsuit like Randy’s ever, ever again. The feather dusting left after Saturday night’s flurries was still skipping along Colley Avenue Sunday afternoon.

The movie ended and I was reminded we couldn’t stay for the double feature; and something I hadn’t been looking forward to that morning became something I was disappointed I couldn’t experience at once. I immediately went to see when another playing of It’s A Wonderful Life would occur. If one dose of holiday movie was making me feel this good, by two, I may also end up owning a Santa hat (but definitely not an ugly sweater—boundaries must exist).

A lesson has been learned and this time next year, I will be planning on seeing whatever holiday films The Naro offers—regardless of the ABC’s weekend hours, even. The charm of seeing an old film in an old theater—about Christmas at Christmastime during a snow in Norfolk, no less—has made it official. The Christmas spirit is real. I thought I was immune…turns out it’s just very difficult to catch from a laptop or VH1.