Holidays and the Time-Space Vortex
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What is it about the holidays that causes time to accelerate at preposterous speeds?
Wasn’t it Thanksgiving only a couple of days ago?! Only a Timelord with a Tardis could manipulate time that quickly…
Despite the disruption to the time-space vortex, I have nonetheless managed to complete each of the key requirements of the yuletide season: (1) Gifts are purchased and/or properly distributed to their recipients, (2) Holiday cards were successfully mailed, (3) Outdoor holiday light displays are in place, and (4) The holiday meal groceries shopping is completed. Anything more beyond those key objectives falls into the realm of “bonus items,” which can be appreciated in their entirety in leisurely fashion.
If you’re like me – and my sympathies to you if you are – the holidays include holiday-themed programs. Personally, I appreciate classics such as The Charlie Brown Christmas Special, How the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (either the cartoon or the Jim Carrey film), A Christmas Carol (my favorite version is 1984 film starring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge), the 2003 film Love Actually, and the 2006 film The Holiday, which are among my all-time favorites. However, I also appreciate the litany of saccharine-themed holiday movies that content providers like Netflix and Lifetime stream around this time of year.
But chiefly among my most important holiday indulgences is re-watching the various Doctor Who Christmas Specials that were spawned since the 2005 reboot of the series. Of those it’s too difficult to pick a single favorite. Instead, here’s a list of my top favorite Doctor Who holiday specials, in order of generation of the Doctor:
Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" (Dec. 2005) (10th Doctor , David Tennant)
Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned
"Voyage of the Damned" (Dec. 2007) (10th Doctor, David Tennant)
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
"The Next Doctor" (Dec. 2008) (10th Doctor, David Tennant)
Doctor Who: The End of Time
"The End of Time" (Dec. 2009) (10th Doctor, David Tennant) – Oh, how I cry at the end of this one.
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol
"A Christmas Carol" (Dec. 2010) (11th Doctor, Matt Smith) – This one always brings tears to my eyes, too.
Doctor Who: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
"The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" (Dec. 2011) (11th Doctor, Matt Smith) – Yes, more tears during this one, as well!
Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor
"The Time of the Doctor" (Dec. 2013) (11th Doctor, Matt Smith) – This one involves tears and me yelling, “No!!! Not yet!!!”
Actress Jodie Whittaker becomes the newest Doctor!
The BBC won’t release this year’s Doctor Who holiday special until the evening of Christmas, so I’m not sure if it will make the list or not. Suffice to say, it will involve another regeneration sequence. Somehow, I doubt that I’ll shed many tears from Peter Capaldi’s transition. While Capaldi conveyed a competent and respectable portrayal of the Doctor, harkening back to the old Doctors from the pre-1990s era, I’m quite ready for a fresh personality helming the Tardis. And few prospects could excite me more than the idea of a female Doctor. I’m confident that such a strong actress as Jodie Whittaker will do an amazing job as the Doctor!
Do you have any favorite holiday programs or films that are part of your annual entertainment rituals around this time of year? Leave a comment and let me know!
For now, I’m off to watch more holiday programs and nibble on some tasty treats waiting for me in the kitchen. Oh, and of course, I plan to do some WRITING during the holidays, as well. *winking*
Until later, enjoy life; be kind to those around you, and Happy Holidays! Peace.
