You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out: A Holiday Movie Quote Quiz

The holiday music has been playing on the radio and in the stores for a couple of weeks already. Winter decorations adorn the street lamps and shop windows. Advertisements for holiday gifts and sales have taken over our media outlets. The “Christmas Spirit” is everywhere. I wouldn’t call myself a “Grinch,” but I’m always caught off guard at how early the push for Christmas starts each year. There is one part of the holidays, however, I welcome with much enthusiasm: holiday films and television specials.

Back in the day, I had to wait for the specific broadcast network to air holiday-themed movies and specials. There was no “on demand,” video tapes/discs, nor streaming services to automatically fulfill my desire to watch whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. The winter special, Frosty the Snowman (1969), came on once a year. When its upcoming air time was announced, the date and time were written on the family calendar to ensure that I, along with my three siblings, didn’t miss the show. As a little girl, I was giddy to finally hear Frosty yell “Happy Birthday!” as he came to life.

In the late 1990s, TBS started showing A Christmas Story (1983) for a 24-hour marathon from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. I can remember being home for the holidays and going to sleep at night, hearing my dad’s laughter at such great lines like “Randy lay there like a slug! It was his only defense!” and “Daddy’s gonna kill Ralphie!” Then waking in the morning to hear him hysterically laughing at a different point in the movie, such as when the dad declares “It's a major award!” for a leg lamp he's received in the mail for winning a contest.

The memorable lines from A Christmas Story come at the viewer in rapid fire. There are, however, plenty of catchy quotes from other holiday movies and shows. I’ve pulled ten quotes from winter/holiday themed videos. See if you can match each line with its respective show:

Quote:	Movie/TV Special:
1.“What if Christmas, he thought, didn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, was a little bit more.”	A. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
2. “I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery.”	B. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
3. "I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it?”	C. How the Grinch Stole Christmas(1966)
4. "You smell like beef and cheese! You don't smell like Santa.”	D. Elf (2003)
5. “Well, sir, someday, I'd like to be a... a dentist.”	E. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
6. “We've been given our parts in the nativity play. And I'm the lobster.”	F. Miracle on 34th Street(1947)
7. “Just because I cannot see it, doesn't mean I can't believe it!”	G. Love, Actually (2003)
8. "But... but maybe he's only a little crazy like painters or composers or... or some of those men in Washington."	H. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
9. “You can be too old for a lot of things, but you're never too old to be afraid.”	I. Home Alone (1990)
10. “Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?”	J. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Answers:

1. (C) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) Summary: Every Who down in Who-ville likes Christmas a lot, but the Grinch who lives just north of Who-ville does not! So the cuddly as a cactus Grinch (with termites in his smile and garlic in his soul) tries to wipe out Christmas for the cheerful Who-villians, only to discover maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more. Special features include: Dr. Seuss and the Grinch; From Who-ville to Hollywood; and much more.

2. (J) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) Summary: It's Christmas time and Clark decides to invite all the family to have 'the most fun-filled old-fashioned family Christmas that no one will ever forget.' When the first relatives arrive, Clark goes out on the roof to rig the lighting. The one thing that Clark wants is to surprise the whole family with is the installation of a pool, which he already ordered. Unfortunately, the bonus check Clark expects any minute is overdue. Tempers rise and not just because of the late check. Uninvited cousin Eddie arrives with his family in their mobile home.

3. (A) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Summary: Lights are twinkling red and green, but Charlie Brown has the Yuletide blues. To get in the holiday spirit, he takes Lucy's advice and directs the Christmas play. And a Christmas play needs a proper Christmas tree. But everyone makes fun of the short, spindly evergreen that Charlie brings back -- that is until the real meaning of Christmas works its magic.

4. (D) Elf (2003). Summary: A human baby accidentally ends up at the North Pole and grows up among the elf community. Buddy, as he comes to be known, knows that he's "special." When he's 30, Buddy learns from Santa that he's really a human. He decides to go in search of his father, to find out where he belongs. He walks to Manhattan, and is immediately run over by a cab. His father at first rejects him and Buddy ends up in a department store where other elves are working. But all the while, things are looking bad for Santa Claus. When Santa crashes his sleigh in Central Park, it's Buddy's moment to shine.

5. (B) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) Summary: After being told he could not play in any Reindeer Games due to his glowing nose, Rudolph sets out on a fantastic journey where he meets Hermey the elf, prospector Yukon Cornelius and a host of Misfit Toys, all while trying to hide from the Abominable Snow Monster. It's a race against time as his family and Clarice try to find him during a big snowstorm that threatens to cancel Christmas.

6. (G) Love, Actually (2003) Summary: It's all about love and holiday cheer in London. The Prime Minister is smitten with his caterer; a widower's young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother copes with her potentially unfaithful husband; and a lovelorn American is desperately attracted to a colleague.

7. (E) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Summary: Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere!

8. (F) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Summary: In this Oscar-winning classic, a Macy's Department Store Santa who insists his name is Kris Kringle teaches everyone a lesson in love, faith and the value of imagination.

9. (I) Home Alone (1990) Summary: Accidentally left behind when his parents rush off on their Christmas vacation, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister embarks on a hilarious, madcap mission to defend the family home when two bumbling burglars try to break in, and find themselves tangled in Kevin's bewildering battery of booby traps.

10. (H) It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) Summary: George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss George, his life is shown in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all of his good deeds over the years.

- Anna, Hopewell Branch