Movie Monday 12/6

Happy Monday!  Wow, we had a busy weekend.  It was supposed to be even busier, but we had to ditch a few activities.  All three of us were stretched to our limits, but we had a lot of fun.

On Saturday, we made our annual trek to the tree farm to cut down a Christmas tree.  It was a much happier occasion this year - last year, Jamie was too sick to come along (first time one of us ever missed out) - so we were in high spirits to all be out there together again.  On our way there, we stopped by a local Unitarian church for their annual pancake breakfast, along with the two families who are our closest friends.  It was great to see everyone, and I especially enjoyed the social interaction after a week of being mostly stuck at home.

We had planned (I know, what were we thinking??) of going out to dinner Saturday night, then to see the latest Harry Potter movie.  I was worn out from the tree farm but thought I could manage it, but Jamie was feeling really exhausted.  He hasn't been sleeping well the last few nights, and it's taking a toll.  So, instead, Ken and Craig went to the grocery store for frozen lasagna and to the library for DVDs.  That's one thing CFS has taught us all, to stay flexible and roll with the punches.

On Sunday, we put the tree up and decorated it, which turned out to be an all-day project, but it's one of our favorite parts of the holiday season.  So, now the house is a total mess, but there's a beautiful Christmas tree in the middle of the chaos!

So, here are the movies we watched Saturday night:

• With the kids, we watched Ocean's Twelve, just the kind of light-hearted fun we needed!  We just watched Ocean's Eleven a few weeks ago, and the kids were eager to see the sequel.  We all enjoyed the star-studded movie with its clever, unexpected plot twists.
• Ken and I watched a holiday-themed movie, Midnight Clear.  It's one of those movies where a bunch of seemingly disparate story lines eventually come together.  It's about several different people whose lives are all at a low point, for various reasons, who inadvertently touch each others' lives and make a difference...and it all takes place on Christmas Eve.  It's a small, independent film that won a bunch of awards at various film festivals.  We both really enjoyed it.  There's not a lot of action; it's a somewhat quiet, gentle movie.  Things look pretty grim for some of these people during the movie, but it has an uplifting, hopeful tone to it by the end. 

Another very good, though lighter, holiday movie is The Holiday starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, which we watched last year.  I also love The Family Stone, which made me both laugh and cry.   And, of course, I have to watch It's a Wonderful Life at least once during the season and cry my eyes out at the end!

Have you seen any good movies lately?  Do you have any favorite holiday-themed movies?

(If you are also interested in what we have been reading this week, check out my Monday update on my book blog).