A Tragic Family Passing Makes Me Appreciate ‘A Christmas Story’ More

I haven't really spoken or written about this much.  Contrary to popular opinion, radio personalities are more private people than we let on.  Either that, or it's just that what is truly our private, personal lives, we guard sacredly.  Anyway, in the late summer, my brother-in-law, Peyton Smith took his life.  Wow.  There it is.  I finally was able to write that sentence.  A part of me will always be racked with guilt over not recognizing his pain and not being able to do or say anything that would have made a difference.  That's normal, I guess.

Not long after his passing, my wife and I took a long-planned trip to Aruba.  A particular moment and view made me think of Peyton.  I'll save you the trouble of struggling to read the caption.  Normally struggling for words is not an issue with me (those that know me well can testify to this <g>), but I admit I’ve been at a loss. “Peyton was an integral part of my life for more than thirty years.” That’s as far as I got until this morning. Then, this view spoke to me. My brother-in-law was a master traveler, tour guide, international foodie, prospector of craft cocktail bars and the greatest host of all time, wherever he was. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than to share the fabulous little things that make life amazing. Settings like this one would have had him on fire to share and experience with family and friends. Vaya con Dios, my brother. Every time I have an adventure or experience that makes me say, “Isn’t this great?!” I will think of you. And maybe it’s you putting the words in my head to begin with. Like now.

My self-perceived failure has been hard to live with.  As such, I've tried not to think about Peyton.  No one likes to be reminded of his shortcomings (real or imagined).  However, life has other ideas.  Little things pop up and memories can't be contained.  For example, he LOVED "The Lost Kitchen."  Google it.  Chef Erin French's Maine restaurant is the hardest dinner reservation in America.  Peyton and my wife were obsessed with getting one.  So, out of the clouds, who should be on "The Today Show" a couple of days ago?  You guessed it, Erin French.  It made me smile thinking how he probably would have called to ask if we'd just seen the segment.

Everyone has a favorite Christmas movie.  For some it's "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."  For others, "It's A Wonderful Life."  In our house, it's "Four Christmases" (although I MUST watch a version of "A Christmas Carol" on Christmas Eve).  Peyton Smith couldn't get enough of "A Christmas Story."  Some years, certain networks will run it non-stop for 24 hours.  It was not uncommon for Peyton to just turn to that channel and leave it on.  Honest disclosure time.  I (nor my wife) have ever been a big fan.  For us, it's just okay.  I would have never said that around Peyton.  He was a very successful attorney (and therefore stunningly persuasive) and within minutes would have had me swearing I'd been wrong in my assessment.  Again, no one likes to be reminded of his shortcomings (real or imagined).

Here comes that life reminder thing again.  Today I read that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of "A Christmas Story."  This holiday season will be hard for all who loved Peyton.  No doubt the ubiquitous nature of his favorite Christmas movie will be a not-so-welcome reminder for some.  However, that's not how I'm going to look at it.  There was a reason I saw this anniversary fact today.  Maybe I need to watch it again.  Maybe I'm looking for some way to honor Peyton's memory this year somehow.

Or maybe someone somewhere is trying to tell me to let go of what I ridiculously feel I should have done, and instead is telling me what I can do.  Celebrate my brother-in-law's life with a viewing of his favorite holiday movie.  Maybe at the end I'll be persuaded to swear I've been wrong all these years in my assessment of "A Christmas Story."  Should that occur, I have no doubt where that notion came from.

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie or not? Well, America has decided! In a new study of 100 of the U.S.’s top Christmas movies, including new releases, PlayStar has determined that the 1988 Bruce Willis flick is not only a Christmas movie but America's favorite Christmas movie!

During their study, Playstar noted that as an overall trend, Americans tend to love seeing their own state in a wintery wonderland. Washington loves Sleepless in Seattle, Illinois hearts Home Alone (set in Chicago), Connecticut favors Christmas in Connecticut, Missouri unsurprisingly is enthused about Meet Me in St. Louis, and Minnesota goes for Jingle All the Way (filmed in the Twin Cities area).

Perhaps your state doesn’t have its own Christmas movie. You may subconsciously favor one that’s in the same region. For example, Vermont was also a big fan of Jingle All the Way. Several Southern states like Nevada, Texas, and Arizona loved Edward Scissorhands, which was filmed in Florida. What seems to separate northern or southern Christmas favorites seems to consider the climates related to your hometown. However, there were a few wildcard states whose favorite Christmas movies had nothing to do with the climate. For example, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were lovers of Jack Frost (which takes place in Colorado), while Florida's top pick was Die Hard (which takes place in Los Angeles). There were several individual favorites by different states, such as Scrooged, Nightmare Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and It’s a Wonderful Life! If anything, this research shows how many great movies are out there to love at Christmas time.

As for the famous jolly faces of the holiday season, actors playing Santa fill big boots and even bigger beards to bring these beloved characters to life on the silver screen. By using data based on IMDB ratings, Google Trends, box office revenue, audience reviews, and net worth, the site ranked the most famous Santas. Tom Hanks took the top spot for his role in the much-debated animated Christmas film The Polar Express. Every year, folks argue online about how they either hate or love the 2004 movie. Despite how you personally feel about the film, it is impressive that Hanks voiced six different characters. Coming in second is Tim Allen's role as Scott Calvin in The Santa Clause saga. David Harbour and Billy Bob Thornton tied for third place, for their respective roles in Violent Night and Bad Santa.

See below the top 10 festive films, using data from Google trends basing the rankings per the viewer and critic ratings sourced from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

IMDB Rating: 5.4
Favorite in 2 states: New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Rotten Tomatoes score: 19%

The film starred Michael Keaton as the titular character. As a touring musician clinging to dreams of stardom, the aging rocker (Keaton) never had much time for his wife, Gabby (Kelly Preston), and young son, Charlie (Joseph Cross). A year after his tragic death in a car accident on Christmas Day, Charlie plays a mournful tune on his father's harmonica. Much to his surprise, Jack Frost is magically brought to life as a snowman on the family lawn.

IMDB Rating: 5.7
Favorite in 2 states: Vermont and Minnesota
Rotten Tomatoes score: 20%

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this 1996 comedy film as workaholic Howard Langston. He wants to make things up to his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd), and wife, Liz (Rita Wilson). He promises to get Jamie the hottest toy of the season, Turbo-Man -- even though it's Christmas Eve and the toy is practically sold out. As Langston hunts down the elusive gift, he runs into mailman Myron (Sinbad), another father on the same quest.

IMDB Rating: 6.9
Favorite in 2 states: Massachusetts, Washington, D.C.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%

This 2006 rom-com stars Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black. Dumped and depressed, Iris (Winslet) agrees to swap homes with similarly unlucky-in-love Amanda (Diaz) for a much-needed break. Iris finds herself in a palatial Hollywood mansion while Amanda navigates the lanes of a picture-perfect English village. Soon enough, both lovelorn ladies bump into local lads perfect for a romantic pick-me-up.

IMDB Rating: 6.5
Favorite in 2 states: Indiana, Tennessee
Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%

The 1994 film follows the story of divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen), who has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa's place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he's dreaming, but over the next several months, he gains weight and grows a big white beard.

IMDB Rating: 5.4
Favorite in 3 states: South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky
Rotten Tomatoes score: 5%

Allen stars in another Christmas-themed film ten years after The Santa Clause. This time, he stars as Luther Krank, joined by his wife Nora Krank (Jamie Lee Curtis), who plans to skip the Christmas traditions and take a cruise in the Caribbean instead. This doesn't sit well with their Christmas-obsessed neighbors Vic Frohmeyer (Dan Aykroyd) and Walt Scheel (M. Emmet Walsh), who are determined to win the annual "best decorated street" competition, and the Kranks soon find themselves social outcasts because of their lack of Christmas spirit.

IMDB Rating: 7.1
Favorite in 3 states: Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

In 2003, Will Ferrell set himself apart from all other live-action Christmas movies with a starring role as an elf. Ferrell plays Buddy, who was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. His real father is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.

IMDB Rating: 7.6
Favorite in 3 states: Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin
Rotten Tomatoes score: 77%

This 1954 musical comedy stars Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye), who join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. There, they run into General Waverly (Dean Jagger), the boys' commander in World War II, who they learn is having financial difficulties; his quaint country inn is failing. The foursome teams up to perform a yuletide miracle to get his business back with a fun-filled musical extravaganza.

IMDB Rating: 7.9
Favorite in 4 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Tim Burton's 1990 fantasy romance film kicks off the top three. This film is another source of debates on whether it qualifies as a Christmas film. The last third of the movie centers around Peg’s (Diane West) annual Christmas party. One of the most memorable moments is when Winona Ryder’s Kim goes out into the backyard to find Edward making an angel ice sculpture, which creates a beautiful sprinkling of “snow.”

IMDB Rating: 7.7
Favorite in 4 states: New York, North Carolina, Illinois, Michigan
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

The 1990 classic that put Macaulay Culkin on the map as one of the most iconic childhood actors in history takes the no. 2 spot on the list. What is so charming about this first installment is how Culkin's bratty Kevin McCallister learns how much he loves his family, and how ingeniously he adapts to oncoming danger to protect his family home from con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) robbing the place.

IMDB Rating: 8.2
Favorite in 8 states: North Dakota, Idaho, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Virginia, Maryland
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

Bruce Willis became a massive movie star with this 1988 action-thriller. Starring as New York City policeman John McClane, he joins his estranged wife at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. McClane realizes that only he can save the hostages.