My first ever published work was a short story found in the Austenesque anthology Then Comes Winter. My story, Becoming Fanny, is about a girl performing in a musical production of Holiday Inn over Christmas. Aside from performing, Blair likes to do quizzes. The story opens with her taking a quiz entitled: “Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?” Blair gets Fanny Price from Mansfield Park and she’s not impressed. The story is a mashup of Mansfield Park and Holiday Inn where Blair learns to find the merits of being a “Fanny” while maybe falling a little bit in love at the same time.
Holiday Inn isn’t the most Christmasy of Christmas movies, but it’s one of my faves. It came out in 1941 and takes place over all the holidays of the year, but it showcases two Christmases. It has some beautiful Irving Berlin musical numbers sung by Bing Crosby and an amazing tap dance by Fred Astaire (with the firecrackers). If you haven’t seen it, check out this trailer!
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I don’t really have any favourite Christmas films. Obviously the best film is P&P, then I like a number of others including Dirty Dancing, The Wedding Date, Sweet Home Alabama, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Serendipity etc so nothing about Christmas 😞.
I’m afraid my least favourite of Jane’s books is Mansfield Park but I did like your story in Then Comes Winter.
Thanks! Actually, Mansfield Park is my least favourite as well… 😉 Serendipity has ice skating in it so that sort of counts.
Let’s get another Bing movie on the list with White Christmas!
I love White Christmas! It makes me cry every time!
SNOW!
My favorite Christmas movie??
WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!
Last year we had 38 inches in 2 days and it is December!!!!
And now you tell me of a movie with Bing Crosby & Fred Astaire???!!! I gotta see it! And snow falling too would not hurt my feelings at all!
Ergh, snow. I love the look of it, but I’ve lived with it for so long that I’m sick of it now. Actually, it’s mostly the cold I’m sick of.
White Christmas is awesome, but this one is good too!
My favourite Christmas movie is the Home Alone and Home Alone 2. I try to watch it every year during Christmas season because it takes place during Christmas time. If I don’t get to watch it, I’ll go for any good romance movie.
I watched Home Alone for the first time since I was a kid last Christmas. It was fun to revisit that, but I definitely prefer the classics, even though they’re not that Christmasy most of the time.
Perhaps, my very favorite Christmas movie is Miracle
on 34th Street, because I grew up in NYC with the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and a trip to visit their
Santa with my dad. I also loved your book! Thank you for the giveaway and best wishes of the holidays
season to you…
Thank you! That’s so cool- getting to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. I’ve always loved that movie too. I used to think that scene where they’re on a date Christmas shopping and eating with the sax playing in the background was the height of romantic.
A Chhristmas Carol is my favorite and must watch each year. Second is the Grinch.
I kinda wish they’d do a new version of A Christmas Carol- not cartoony like Jim Carrey’s but with real people, because I also love that story.
Bonjour 🙂
J”adore les films et téléfilms de Noel !!! Mais je n’en citerais que 2 que je revois chaque année : Love Actualy et Les 4 Filles du Docteur March 🙂 Merci pour ce concours ! 🙂
Bonjour Maria! Moi aussi j’adore les films de Noel. Je n’ai pas vu Les 4 Filles du Docteur March- est-ce qu’il est en Englais? (Je m’excuse pour mon Francais- je suis tres out of practice!)
So many favorites….A Christmas Carol with George C Scott is my favorite movie
while Father Christmas is my favorite animated…
Thanks for hosting the giveaway.
I don’t think I’ve heard of Father Christmas- I’ll have to check it out!
My favorite holiday movie is “White Christmas” — and “It’s a Wonderful Life” — I love them both!
It’s a Wonderful Life is probably my top fave. Both of those make me cry every time I watch them.
the Muppets Christmas Carol!!!!! While I love White Christmas, Holiday Inn, the Polar Express, and It’s A Wonderful Life, the Muppets win hands down!
I think I saw the Muppets Christmas Carol as a kid, but not since then. Polar Express is another good one.
Oh I love Holiday Inn!! I have a favorites list and Holiday Inn is on it along with: Polar Express, White Christmas, The Holiday, Meet me in St. Louis, The Santa Claus and Christmas in Connecticut. I’m not a big movie person, but for some reason, this collection of movies call to me every holiday season!
Yes to Meet Me in St. Louis and Christmas in Connecticut! Christmas in Connecticut became a fave when I watched it for the first time a few years ago and now I have to watch it every year. As to Meet Me in St. Louis- I received it as a gift for my 16th birthday, on VHS unfortunately. So this year I finally asked for it on DVD. I hope I get it, because I miss watching it!
One Special Night ( James Garner & Julie Andrews),
Ooh, one I haven’t heard of! I’ll have to check it out!
I love all the Christmas movies mentioned above, but the only one I had to go out and buy was While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Boyle, Glynis John’s. I watch it at least once every Christmas season!
I looove While You Were Sleeping! Sandra Bullock is so adorable in that movie.
There is a lot of good films, but the required watching is 1951’s Scrooge (A Christmas Carol in the US), starring Alastair Sim. It’s not just the greatest Christmas movie; it’s one of the best movies, period. Sim’s performance is magnificent.
(BTW, keep me out of the drawing, please.)
I don’t know if I’ve seen that one- I’ve seen the 1938 version. I’ll definitely have to give the 1951 version a try.
I don’t remember ‘Holiday Inn’ but I loved your story in ‘Then Comes Winter’. It is certainly winter here now! As for a favourite, I’m going to go with two modern movies that I love “Love Actually’ and ‘The Holiday’.
I’ve never gotten on the Love Actually bandwagon, but I do love The Holiday! Kate Winslet’s story is so cute!
My favorite Christmas movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life”. It’s also my all-time favorite!
Definitely!
My favorite holiday movie is “White Christmas”. My sister and I used to watch it every year while decorating for the holidays.
That part where the surprise happens at the end and they all stand and applaud makes me cry every time. Plus I love “Sisters.”
My favorite classic Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life,and my favorite modern Christmas movie is The Holiday. I love Mansfield Park ; it’s my favorite of the Austen novels. I haven’t yet read your story, so I’d be thrilled with either the e-book or the Holiday Inn DVD.
Wishing you a joyous Christmastide,
Susanne 🙂
Mansfield Park isn’t usually people’s fave so that’s interesting to hear! I did that quiz- “Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You” and got Fanny Price and was so disappointed! Lol. But it led to the story so there you go!
Yes, on those quizzes I either get Fanny or Elinor Dashwood. Usually Fanny. And I admire her. She reminds me of my favorite literary heroine, Jane Eyre. Underneath her shyness, Fanny has a firm idea of what is right and what is not, and she stands up for her beliefs about Mr. Crawford against her uncle, even against her beloved Edmund. She allows herself to be returned to her family’s home with little complaint rather than accept Henry Crawford’s proposal. She knows something isn’t right with him, and although she begins to be swayed in his favor while at Portsmouth, she manages to stand firm and is vindicated in the end. I admire characters who remain true to themselves no matter the pressures they experience which is why I admire Fanny Price so much. I just wish that there were an accurate film depiction of Mansfield; all of them seem to miss the mark with Fanny’s character and try to make her more modern than she was.
That’s why Mansfield Park is my favorite Austen novel; I really admire Fanny and her quiet strength. And for the same reasons, Emma is my least favorite; I can’t stand her. She annoys me to no end. I do admire Emma’s care for her peevish father, but that’s about it.
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
Yes on everything you said about Fanny. In fact, I did some research on her when writing the short story and realized her many great qualities. She’s definitely underappreciated because she’s not witty or vivacious like some of Austen’s other heroines, but she sticks to her guns despite everyone telling her otherwise and I love that. That being said, she’s not my favorite- probably because I’m most like her. I love the heroines I aspire to be.
We used to go to a family friend’s house and help her decorate her tree on Christmas and then we watched Great Expectations. I know it is not a Christmas movie but it was the one which popped into my head when you mentioned Christmas Movies. Favorite: A Christmas Carol. A man who had memorized the story came to our school and quote it to us at Christmas one year. There are many good versions.
Disney’s with Jim Carrey is a favorite, which I own.
Someone memorized the whole book? I know it’s a short one, but WOW! I own the Jim Carrey version as well, but like I said above, I’d love to see it redone one day with real people.
My favorite Christmas movie is It’s a wonderful life although a White Christmas also holds a special place in my heart because it was my grandmother’s favorite. Doesn’t it have same plot as Holiday inn? That’s my recollection at least was that White Christmas was a bit of a remake although it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Holiday Inn so I might be mistaken.
Nope, not the same plot at all! I think the only similarity is Bing Crosby singing White Christmas. In Holiday Inn, Bing is entertainment partners with Fred Astaire, but he wants to leave the biz and move to a farm in Connecticut with his fiance. But she dumps him for Fred and so he goes off to the farm alone. Then realizes farming is way harder than show business and decides to turn the farm into an Inn, open only on Holidays. That’s the premise anyway, I don’t want to give spoilers away! 🙂
White Christmas and Holiday Inn are great movies — I’ve seen both and hope to share them with my kids at some point. Miracle on 34th Street is one of my favorites along with It’s A Wonderful Life. I’m also a fan of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Thanks for holding the drawing. I think I’d like your book.
I haven’t seen A Charlie Brown Christmas in forever but I love that one!
The Bishops Wife,Cary Grant is an angel sent to help David Niven’s bishop only he falls in love with the bishop’s wife Loretta Young. Set at Christmas with a lovely (and a bit silly) ice skating scene and lots more perfect/funny sequences. Give it a try if you haven’t seen it already.
I don’t think I’ve seen that one but I’ve seen the remake with Whitney Houston- The Preacher’s Wife. Also a good movie.
Oh, I love The Bishop’s Wife!! Such a delightful film!!
~Susanne 🙂
Thanks for everyone’s comments! It makes me want to do nothing but watch Christmas movies all day. After putting names in a hat, the winner is Susanne Barrett! Happy Holidays everyone!
Home Alone! My children and I would watch this together every Christmas. We would laugh over the antics of the boy and how he always outsmarted the criminals, and, there is such love when the mother returns home. It became a family tradition and it isn’t Christmas without watching it.
I don’t have a all time favorite but love watching as many as i can through the season.
Polar express. It’s so weird and beautiful!