
Naturally these classic characters wouldn't listen to just anything, they would choose tracks that might not make it on the radio, just like you and I. Here are some selections that I feel my favorite holiday characters would enjoy as the soundtrack to their day-to-day lives.
George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life), "Lucky" by Radiohead
Poor George Bailey. If only he could just look on the bright side and realize that everything around him is more than enough to find happiness. Luckily for us - and for Clarence - Mr. Bailey had to take a journey through a parallel universe in which he was never born to discover that he has everything he needs, making for one inspiring movie filled with Christmas cheer. If George's story took place today, he'd likely be brooding about to the pennultimate track off OK Computer, a haunting melody that resolves to something beautiful in its swelling, wailing sound.
Like Bailey himself, "Lucky" wallows in its sadness, changing only when it builds up to the chorus. The verses alone could serve as the montage music for George's journey through a life without him, and the chorus almost begs for you to shout, "Merry Christmas you old Building and Loan!"
Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas), "I Felt Free" by Circa Survive
Our friend Jack was a victim of the old Rolling Stones adage, "you can't always get what you want." Stuck in Halloweentown, feeling bored in prepping for the same holiday every year, he leaves the only world he's ever known in search of something more fulfilling. Natrually, he comes across Christmas Town where he, well, feels free. If Jack were to find a song today that captured his joy in "What's This?" it would be this track off Circa Survive's 2010 release, Blue Sky Noise.
Anthony Green sings, "Nothing new to say/Nothing to report 'cause the future happened yesterday," which, in my mind, exemplifies Jack's longing to return to Christmas where his spirit felt alive again. The holiday is his love interest, whose arms he "fell apart" in (think of how much he freaks out when he first discovers this new town), and his excitement peaks much like Green's vocals do at the top of his range.
Scott Calvin (The Santa Clause), "How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy
The protagonist of this story is really on a roll. He's still feeling the effects of his divorce, his kid doesn't want to spend time with him, his Christmas dinner is at Denny's (where they've run out of everything including chocolate milk) and to top it off, he's scared the cookies out of Santa causing him to fall off the roof. Lucky for Scott, resolving this issue is as simple as slipping on the suit and letting the reindeer and Christmas magic do the rest. He's more than hesitant at first, refusing to believe he's the new Santa or the fact that he's been to the real North Pole, but over time he begins to embrace it, saving Christmas - and his family - from ruin.
As a toy designer and father in his pre-Santa days, Scott is evidently sub-par. Post-Santa, he's clearly improved his skills. If you happen to venture into the sequels, he's even a bit boastful about it. "How You Like Me Now?" has a strutting beat fit for someone that's high on life, which Scott seems to be when he fully commits to this whole Santa gig, and it's easy to imagine a more modern day Scott Calvin making his Christmas deliveries with a smirk while listening to this track.
Ralphie (A Christmas Story), "Gold Guns Girls" by Metric
Back in the 1940's, things were fairly simple. The largest obstacle on your walk to school was the kid with yellow eyes (so help me God yellow eyes), the most exciting part of the week was the Little Orphan Annie radio show accompanied by a glass of Ovaltine, and asking for a Red Rider BB Gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time seemed like a fairly normal request. That's all Ralphie really wanted, along with a cooler message to decode on his favorite radio show, and maybe something better than socks and a bunny suit as gifts. Come to think of it, Ralphie was actually pretty needy, which is why if he were a child in today's day and age, his theme song would be from Metric's 2009 release, Fantasties.
Despite the obvious reference to a gun in the song's title, Emily Haines sings about a guy who simply can't be satisfied. Based on what I've seen in the aisles of Target and Wal-Mart in the past month, I can safely say Ralphie would be on of those kids that screamed and cried until he got what he wanted. And when he did get it, he would probably react like the Nintendo 64 kid. Bottom line: it's never gonna be enough for Ralphie.
Kevin McCallister (Home Alone 1 & 2), "They Never Got You" by Spoon
When you're five years old and watching the Home Alone movies for the first time ever, Kevin McCallister is your hero. He's the epitome of cool. This kid rarely listened to his parents (landing him on the lower bunk beneath the cousin that was notorious for wetting the bed) and knew how to booby trap a house better than any world-class spy. He even took on the city of New York - including Central Park at night - and made it out alive. That's right, the world just couldn't hold Kevin McCallister down.
This choice off Spoon's Gimme Fiction reminds me a lot of Kevin in its sound. It's light-hearted just like him. Even when he was facing the Sticky Bandits face-to-face he grimaced and pull the next trick out of his metaphorical hat. The quick beat also reminds me of Kevin seamlessly creeping around his trapped-out domains as well as his laugh that was sure to ensue once his victims were caught. And of course, they literally never got him. It might not scream, "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal," but Spoon has inadvertently created Kevin McCallister in song.

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