Holiday Overload... Well Before the Holidays

by Victoria M. Johnson

In July while hunting for a beach umbrella and chairs, I expected to encounter back-to-school supplies.  I was not prepared to find Halloween decorations on the shelves.  Something about jack-o-lanterns juxtaposed with flip-flops just didn't seem right.  Then in August, while trying to locate summer picnic items—after all plenty of summer still lay ahead—I was shocked to see Thanksgiving items in place of outdoor entertaining necessities.  This disconcerting circumstance wasn't just at one store.  I come across it everywhere: coffee shops already have pumpkin spiced beverages for sale, grocery stores have the Fall merchandise out, and apparel shops have Fall clothing in their windows.  It's still 99 degrees outside!

What's the rush?  Can't we enjoy our summer without the added stress of thinking about school and holidays?  Okay, I get—even though I don't agree with—the back-to-school displays overlapping with Halloween.  Harried parents buying backpacks and lunch boxes may have eager children pulling on their hems saying, "mommy, buy me this costume."  And that harried parent is thinking about saving a shopping trip to buy costumes a month later.  I understand the reasoning behind that.  But Thanksgiving items for sale in August?  Really? 

Now that it is September, I fully expect to hear Christmas carols playing in stores.  And I haven't even discussed the internet ads yet.  Yes, I've seen the first Christmas ebook ad on Twitter.  Ugh.  Too soon, people.  I am happy to read that ebook in November.  But at the moment I want to frolic in the ocean.  Christmas is too stressful to think about in the carefree days of summer. 

I know Christmastime doesn't have to be stressful but it's just that it falls at that time of the year when so much else is happening in life.  Family commitments, work pressure to meet end-of-year targets, and forgotten personal goals we scramble to make an attempt to tackle. On top of this I haven't mentioned how much I get into the spirit of the season.  I like to attend the Christmas pageants of my youngest relatives, attend holiday festivals, and decorate my home for the many visitors who will stop by.  I love to shop, wrap, and give to my loved ones.

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As if all this weren't overload enough, I also happen to adore Christmas movies.  Typically during the season I might watch two in one week.  However, today I found out that the Hallmark Channel has plans to render me useless for the month of December.  They plan 33 new original movies for the 2017 holiday!  What?  How am I supposed to manage that on top of everything else?  I still have movies on my DVR from last season I haven't watched yet.  Click on the image above to see a preview of the new lineup.  (Or click the link here.) This announcement adds anxiety to my holiday planning.  I realize I must start everything sooner.  Perhaps I should bump things up a month to free up my time.  Maybe the retailers have it right.  Maybe the elementary schools could have their Christmas pageants in November, which would move Thanksgiving to October, and Halloween to September.  I think I should begin wrapping gifts now...

Is anyone else feeling rushed with holiday stuff being thrown at you too early?  Or are you happy, yet panicked, that Hallmark has 33 wonderful, uplifting movies coming out this holiday season?  Let me know in the comments below.

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma.  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.   Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.

Of War, Movie-Making and Boxes

by Janis Susan May/Janis Patterson

Last Saturday, after a bookfair/signing at a local library, The Husband treated me to a trip to the IMAX theatre to see DUNKIRK. Being an amateur WWII historian (his reference books cover one entire wall in our newest library) as well as being a Navy Captain retired after 32 years’ service, he was so excited about this film. As a veteran of the film and TV industry myself, I must admit a certain curiosity about it as well, if only to see if all the hype was justified.

It was.

DUNKIRK is a masterpiece of filmmaking, but it is not what we would think of as a ‘movie.’ It’s too big for that.  We were sitting in padded seats in a comfortable theatre, but otherwise I imagine it was as close to being in an actual battle as possible. There are a few continuing characters, but they have no or minimal backstory, and we have no idea of what happens to them after the movie ends.  Everything is immediate and in the moment. There is no overarching ‘documentary’ or ‘instructional’ feel. Each moment is as if seen through one person’s eyes, but using lots of different people. The action is sometimes out of sequence – or seems to be, I could never figure that out – but is very evocative of what I think it must have been like for someone actually being there. Without, of course, the hideous awareness of an immediate and possibly very messy death.

Some of the sequences were far too long – in my seldom-humble opinion – such as the running with a stretcher scene, but are understandable in the context of ‘one person’s eyes.’

The scope of the film is gigantic, gargantuan, enormous – just a list of the stuntmen alone is like the population roster of a small town. The number of extras (most of whom just stood in neat lines waiting to be rescued or falling down from the German strafing) was even greater, though they received no screen credit. What was mind-boggling to me was that these hordes of men shown on screen are a mere pittance compared to the numbers who were involved in the actuality. Overwhelming!

Even though I am something of a movie buff and worked in the motion picture/TV business for over a decade, I only recognized two actors – Sir Kenneth Branagh and Sir Mark Rylance, both extravagantly talented Englishmen – and both were so submerged into their roles it took a while for me to do that! If I have a quibble with the casting, it is that with only two or three exceptions, every man in the movie was dark haired and dark eyed, and as they were all unfamiliar to me that made them almost impossible to tell them apart. Thank heavens one of the main ones had a mole on his chin, so at least I could recognize him.  But – perhaps that was a deliberate choice of the director to show the interchangeability of soldiers in wartime?

One of the main selling points about IMAX is that it makes you ‘feel as if you’re part of the action.’ I must beg to disagree. First of all, it’s hard to feel part of the action when you’re reclining in a chair with your neck uncomfortably bent so you can look upward. That I could live with, though, but what loses me to IMAX is the distortion caused by the fish-eye of the dome. I do want to see DUNKIRK again, but in a flat screen format. I think it will be a lot more emotionally grabbing if the wings of a Spitfire fighter don’t curve up like a bird’s. Also – a word of warning. If you have a fear of water be prepared to spend a fair amount of time with your hands in front of your face. I am and I did.

So – to drag this post kicking and screaming back to somewhere approximating writing, I would say that DUNKIRK is a valuable lesson in stepping/thinking/creating outside the box. Far too often people and publishers talk about wanting ‘something the same as _____(insert bestseller or writer’s name here)…  but different.’ As writers we should dare to step out of the box occasionally. DUNKIRK did, and while it is most definitely different, it is gloriously spectacular. It deserves to win just about every Oscar going.

Dreaming of Hawaii

by Victoria M. Johnson

I'll admit it. My favorite state is Hawaii. Currently my husband and I are planning another Hawaiian vacation. I'm so excited, and as usual, I need to do something that helps me keep going until the big departure day. Sometimes I get my Hawaii fix by reading a book set in Hawaii. Other times watching a movie made in Hawaii settles my eagerness to drive to the airport 21 days early. I'll pore over our photo albums of previous trips, seeking that tranquility and vitality I feel with every visit. Or I'll play my CDs of Hawaiian music such as those of Iz or Henry Kapono.

But this time nothing is working. I really need the calm and serenity Hawaii brings me, and I need it yesterday. I can't unwind at all and I have more than three weeks until our flight across the Pacific. I am desperate for the lush greenery and black sand beaches, the majestic waterfalls and bright colors of exotic flowers. I can feel the drums beating for the hula dancers and hear the conch shell's echo. 

In my desperation, I turn to Netflix and my personal library.  I could watch TV series like Hawaii Five-O, Baywatch reruns, or Magnum PI reruns.  Or I could reread some literary favorites like, Hawaii by James Michener, Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter, or The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings. But I've read all those books more than once. They just make me yearn for Hawaii more than before, which does not make my situation easier.

So I glance through the options in DVD format: Blue Hawaii and two other entertaining Elvis Presley offerings, 50 First Dates, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall for lighthearted humor, and for completely different movies there is the SyFy Channel original film, Supergator or the biography, Soul Surfer. Don't forget the classic drama, From Here to Eternity.

I reach for Elvis and I already feel my blood pressure decreasing. Is it his rousing voice, his swaying hips, or is it Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach that provoke my spirit?  I can't say. I only know that Blue Hawaii works. I realize I don't need to calm myself for Hawaii; I need to awaken myself. I need to be alert to the beauty and wonder of Hawaii to fully enjoy the intoxicating serenity. And I just need to think of Elvis dancing to "Rock-a-Hula Baby" and know that I'll soon be enjoying my own Hawaiian sunset.

Do you have a favorite Hawaiian destination? I want to hear about it. Do you have a favorite book or movie set in Hawaii? Tell us!

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma, (A 2012 Bookseller’s Best double finalist).  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride.  Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page at http://amzn.com/e/B0046CG6PQ or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.