Everyday Canvas

Movies, Christmas Trees, Presents

Gone with the Wind premiered on this day in history in 1939. It is the highest grossing movie in history. Did you see it? What is your favorite part of the movie? If you haven't seen it share with us your favorite movie and why.

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Yes, I’ve seen Gone with the Wind several times. Because the story is so well written and it reflects on the troubles of the time and how they weighed on the specific characters, it is a very good movie. Talking for me, I didn’t like the characters. The characterization was excellent, but I just didn’t like the main characters as much who were, in my opinion, spoiled brats.

I am not much for movies, lately. I’d rather read a book. But if I want to pick out a movie, I’d have to pick Casablanca. I liked Casablanca because all the characters in it were honorable people and they held higher ideals than their personal satisfaction. Also, I think the character change in Rick or rather the surfacing of his true character was done to perfection. As in good novels, character is the key for me.

That I picked Casablanca doesn’t mean the films that came after it were any worse. It is just that the ones I saw didn’t impress me as much. On the other hand, another person who has seen all the movies in the world may come up with a better pick.

Prompt: "The lights of the Christmas Tree rose higher and higher. She saw them as stars in Heaven." Hans Christian Anderson
What are your thoughts about a beautiful Christmas Tree?

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The most beautiful Christmas tree I have seen was knocked down by the family dog, which almost caused a fire.

Speaking for me, I don’t like the idea of cutting live trees for whatever reason. Therefore, I’ll have to go with the second best. The family we bought a house from in Long Island had planted a Christmas tree to commemorate the birth of their daughter, and it was that tree they decorated. When we got the house, we decorated that tree, also, but we had to be very careful with the outdoor lighting because of the winter weather.

Prompt: Most people have at least one memory of a present-given or received that continues to glow in the mind like a good story. What are some of the best presents you have ever received?

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I like presents when they are given at the spur of the moment and not like the gift-giver having to pay taxes on birthdays and special days; although I am civil enough to appreciate the effort and thank the people who give me gifts on special days.

Some of the most memorable gifts are: a hand-sized doll my uncle bought for me from a street vendor while we were walking by when I was seven; the antique ring my grandmother was wearing and she took if off her finger and put it on mine; the blue sapphire necklace and the ring set my husband bought when we had gone into a jewelry shop to have the batteries in our watches changed; a music box with lighted flowers one of my sons gave me, which plays “You light up my life”; a jade elephant necklace my younger son gave me when he was six, which he got from the gift vending machine; then, the orchids given to me by my daughter-in-law; marbling paintings given to me by a noted marbling artist from Turkey. None of these gifts have been for a birthday or any other special day, and I will forever cherish them and their memories.