A Special Christmas TV Review by the Author of The "Tis the Season TV" Encyclopedia

Buffy The Vampire Slayer “Amends,” the 1998 Christmas episode

A Review by Joanna Wilson

http://ChristmasTVhistory.com

In this monumental third season episode, Buffy is hoping for an uneventful Christmas break.  Unfortunately, Angel is being haunted by horrible nightmares and visions of former victims.  One nightmare is a flashback to Dublin, 1838 at Christmas but other visions are pushing him to hurt his former lover, Buffy. 

Buffy begins to understand his emotional struggle when she’s drawn into his nightmares and sees that Angel’s former victims are drawing him towards evil.  Trying to help, Buffy seeks the Bringers, the beings that may be behind Angel’s conflict.  She finds their location in Sunnydale by the tell-tale sign that no tree thrives in the Christmas tree lot above their underground dwelling. 

In the meantime, Buffy’s mother Joyce encourages her daughter to invite Faith, who lives alone, to join them for Christmas Eve despite the awkwardness. 

Xander camps out in a sleeping bag on his lawn in order to avoid his family’s drunken fights on Christmas Eve.  Though Willow is Jewish, she spends her Christmas Eve with her boyfriend Oz trying to convince him to trust her again after a past indiscretion.

The emotional heart of this 1998 episode is watching Angel being pushed by the visions to end his pain and guilt by committing vampire suicide in the early morning dawn of sunlight on Christmas morning.  We watch as the complex character Angel struggles with the all too familiar weaknesses of his humanity--not the monstrous evil that comes with being a demon. 

Other Christmas stories play off of the much anticipated sunrise on Christmas morning--daybreak is usually the time young children rush down from their bedrooms to discover what Santa Claus has left them under the Christmas tree.  However in this Christmas story, viewers may be surprised by their own depth of emotion in wishing that Angel’s self-destruction on Christmas morning never comes.  When the story resolution finally comes, it’s satisfying and in keeping with the holiday spirit.  Feeling sympathetic to hunky vampires is a fairly recent experience for most of us that has since become much more common place in films and television.  This Christmas episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the first time I remember feeling it as strongly as I ever would.  Re-watching this third season episode is nostalgia at its magical Christmasy best. 

About the book Tis the Season TV by Joanna Wilson


Tis the Season TV: The Encyclopedia of Christmas-Themed Episodes, Specials and Made-For-TV Movies, by Joanna Wilson, is the comprehensive guide to Christmas television programming. Spanning over 60 years of television history and containing more than 3,000 entries, Tis the Season TV is the first reference book to catalog information and synopses about episodes, specials, made-for-TV movies, and theatrical release movies that have gone on to wider viewership on television. Or, as Savannah Schroll Guz wrote for Library Journal, “Wilson’s compilation is the most comprehensive guide now available to Christmas-, Hanukkah-, Kwanzaa-, and New Year’s themed TV.” This nostalgic reference book places entries alphabetically at the reader’s fingertips in a wonderful easy-to-use resource for enjoying holiday-themed programming all year long. It covers everything from All in the Family to Ziggy’s Gift, and from Bob Hope’s Christmas Specials to Larry the Cable Guy. Wilson’s book contains an index of guest stars for further ease of use, and 17 sidebars which present informative lists of related programs such as different versions of The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol, as well as programs with a similar theme, such as Christmas and the Old West, and Television’s First Christmases. Tis the Season TV also includes listings from programming devoted to New Year’s, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa celebrations.

The complete Library Journal review:
In the works since 2002, Wilson's compilation is the most comprehensive guide now available to Christmas-, Hanukkah-, Kwanzaa-, and New Year's themed TV. The book appears to be a thematic expansion of her 2009 guide, The Christmas TV Companion, which surpassed Diane Werts's 2005 title, Christmas on Television. Here, entries are alphabetized first by program name, then by episode title. Each details year, director, and production staff, with a synopsis of program contents. Although it focuses solely on U.S. programming, it offers an engaging read for pop-culture enthusiasts and American television history buffs. ­Savannah Schroll Guz, formerly with Smithsonian Libs., Washington, DC --Library Journal

Check out the book's website for additional information:
http://TistheSeasonTV.com


The Publisher's website:
http://1701Press.com

Trick or Treat? Giveaway Hop

Welcome! Trick or Treat?

Don’t be scared! Come on in! I have Bri Clark, BK Walker, Jennifer Labelle and Joanna Wilson here with me, Kiki Howell. We have lots of goodies for one winner, tricks and treats! Thing is, with this blog hop, you won’t know what you’ve won until it is all over. Fun right? Maybe a little scary?!? Winner will be announced and Contacted on Oct. 11^th :)

But, if you want to get an idea of what you may win, then visit each of our blogs,  learn a little about us, and while you are there, follow the blog for extra entries.

All you have to do to enter is send an email to authorsbyauthors@gmail.com with the Subject Line of “Trick or Treat” Then list for me which of our blogs you’ve followed by simply listing in the body of the email the author’s name(s), one entry per follow. For example, for five entries, you would write “Bri, BK, Jennifer, Joanna and Kiki.”

Here’s the list of blogs and a bit about each of the wonderful authors I have with me today who have contributed to the wonderful pot of prizes to fill your virtual and physical trick or treat bags:

You are already on Authors By Authors,  http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com  owned by me, Kiki Howell. I’m an author of paranormal romances sold both in ebook and print. I like to write about witches mainly, but also vampires and ghosts and all manner of paranormal creatures. So, Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. Warning though, my heroes and heroines tend to roam into the graphically sexy part of town! You can learn more about my stories at http://www.kikihowell.com

Next, check out  Bri Clark at http://briclarkthebelleofboise.blogspot.com/ Bri is known as the Belle of Boise for her true southern accent, bold demeanor and hospitable nature. But don't let the blonde hair, blue eyes, and accent fool ya. She's as volatile as a wildfire on the prairie. 

Now onto, BK Walker at http://www.immortylcafe.com You can learn all about BK's books athttp://authorbkwalker.blogspot.com BK loves to write about the paranormal, her niche is vampires and werewolves. Her favorite holiday just happens to be Halloween because this is when her creative world can get the juices flowing with the energy brought with this holiday.

Next we have, Jennifer Labelle at http://labellebooks.blogspot.com Jennifer likes to write contemporary romances a little on the spicy side, and short kinky reads in her Leather and Pleasure series. She enjoys paranormal reads, and looks forward to Halloween with her kids. You can read all of Jennifer's books at http://www.jenniferlabelle.com

And last but not least, we have Joanna Wilson, the author/expert on Christmas-themed TV episodes, specials and movies.  But she has a trick up her sleeve as she frequently writes about filmed horror stories that overlap with the yuletide.  In her book, The Christmas TV Companion, she has an entire chapter devoted to Christmas horror stories!  Let's face it, Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without Charles Dickens' ghost story A Christmas Carol or Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, would it?  As a treat, check out her blog: http://ChristmasTVhistory.com