Tradition, the foundation for this time of year. Sown into the very fabric of this country, our way of life, our way of doing things, dare I be political to utter the word, ‘culture’. If there are two groups of people that roam this earth, one set embrace tradition, convention, the establishment. While the rest reject it, to take their own path. I could never be anything but a creature of habit, routine and ultimate dependence. I have my reasons but then I am sure there are quire valid reasons for you dreading your path. Each to their own.

Yet, I find myself still longer to aspire to greater tradition than the reasonable standard that I have already set. One such aspect would be a seasonal visit to the cinema. Sure, I venture to the multiplex at the wrong time of year. With the summer heat striking down upon us, I am quite keen to catch the summer’s biggest blockbuster, rather than anything else. Last year, there was one film that I had to see. In my eagerness to I asked a close friend if they wanted to go with me. Their response was that it was not worth the visit to the cinema. Disheartened, I allowed the opinion of another to overpower my strong will, knowing also, that there was not much time left to catch a screening locally or even more closer to the actual setting. My only excuse is that there is never the time to fit in a trip to the cinema, even with the FilmWorks a stepping stone away. Too many other things going on and movies are much lower down the list of priorities. Particularly when there are so many things to organize and errands to run.

This year, in mid November I discovered that Sky Movies would be making the digital premiere of that very movie on Christmas Day. Joy filled my heart, hoping that this would be an opportunity for the entire family to sit down, in the evening and spend a few enjoyable hours with sugary entertainment. Did it happen? Well I am happy to report it did, actually. (Yes a very poor pun, but in the circumstances and considering the date, I hope you will be kind enough to forgive me.) Firstly, let me state that I can fully understand why people do not like this movie. Several months ago, Clive Bull had this discussion on his late night talk show on LBC and the negative feeling regarding the Curtis production was clearly evident. However, let me give my personal response. At this time of year, we seem to cocoon ourselves into our own little lives, surrounded by our family, friends and loved ones. We seem to forget how this can be the most difficult time of year for many others. The film tries to get this message across, and also establish the fact that not all love stories have a happy ending. Although, anything shot under the banner of the festive season has some poetic licence. Yes, this film does showcase the brilliance of London at this time of year and does this extremely well, proving that Britain can match some of the more traditional Christmas locations, such as New York, or exotic as Sydney. Sometimes we go to the cinema to be frightened, just like we jump onto a roller coaster to be pushed to the edges of our physical boundaries. I believe deep down inside all of us, there is a beating heart that wants to be warmed. This evening, my heart was gracefully warmed by the eight intertwined storylines of this movie. There is little need for substance, particularly when the image portrayed tells us so much about the human soul. Can feel good cinema get any better? Not really, but do you know the reason why? Christmas is the most magical time of year and sometimes, just sometimes dreams can come true.