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“Maybe so, but Willa said no one under fifteen is allowed to see it. We’ll start the evening watchingThe Grinch,” he says.
“Fine.”
Luckily, that is my second favorite holiday classic.
Alice serves an herb-roasted pork tenderloin with a peach preserve, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots for dinner.
Once they’ve eaten, the kids go up and return to the great room in their pajamas. The parents and grandparents get an evening to themselves for a Christmas date night or to do some last-minute shopping while Willa, Hannah, Keller, and I entertain their children for a few hours.
We scoot the coffee table to the side, and Willa and Hannah make blanket pallets on the floor while Keller and I carry in the wood for the fireplace.
The younger kids pile onto the covers, and the teens settle on one of the leather couches.
I load up the first movie while Keller gets a fire going. The girls bring in a tray of milk and cookies. Once the snacks are distributed, Willa plugs in the Christmas tree, and we dim the lights and startThe Grinch.
There’s a brief intermission halfway through the flick, and Willa and Hannah take the kids to the restroom while I toss six bags of popcorn into the microwave.
Hannah walks into the kitchen as the last bag finishes popping.
“Better speed it up. The teens are getting restless,” she warns.
“That’s because they think they’re too cool for Dr. Seuss. They’ll be fine once we start the next movie.”
“Probably,” she agrees.
She grabs four large bowls from the pantry and begins opening the paper bags and dumping them in, adding a light sprinkling of salt to each one.
“You’re good with them,” she says.
“With the kids?” I ask.
“Yeah. They adore you. It’s sweet.”
“It’s a gift,” I boast.
I open the final bag and top off each bowl.
“Shall we?” I ask.
Each of us takes two bowls, and we rejoin the group.
“Wow, that movie did not get the response I’d expected,” I say once all the teens retire.
It got a few laughs from the boys, the majority during the Cousin Eddie scenes, but the girls were unimpressed and kept remarking about the lame fashion and the slapstick comedy.
“What did you expect? The movie is twice their age,” Hannah cracks.
“I expected them to respect the timelessness of Chevy Chase’s straight-man comedic genius. It’s a classic. Classics can hold up throughout generations,” I exclaim.
“I think they enjoyed it. At least, they enjoyed watching you choke on popcorn kernels while you laughed,” Willa says.
“Next week, we tryHome Alone. Written by John Hughes, directed by Chris Columbus, and starring an adorable ten-year-old Macaulay Culkin. I bet they’ll appreciate that holiday classic,” I state.
“Ah, I loveHome Alone, and dare I say,Home Alone 2:Lost in New Yorkwas even better than the original,” Hannah says.
I gasp. “You take that back.”
“No. It’s true. The second film has a much more heartfelt story. Kevin isn’t just protecting his house from thieves because he has to; he chooses to protect the toy store and the money meant for the local children’s hospital. The musical score is better, and it takes place all over New York City and not just the family’s little home in Chicago.”
