Site Gallery - Frost Fair

This weekend Site Gallery will be holding their very first Christmas Frost Fair.  Local artists and craft makers will be putting up stalls and offering some special Christmas gifts that have been made with more love and festive cheer than a John Lewis commercial. What’s more, Closed Caption  have been asked to make a programme of Christmas films which will be screened in the Site Canteen to accompany the fair.

So why not pop in, wrap up in front of a Charlie Brown Christmas special and drink some mulled wine. Here are some of our selections for the day and some information about them:

Santa Claus (1898)

This little vignette of Christmas was a remarkable spectacle back in its day as it was the first example of parallel action coupled with double-exposure techniques. These effects are put to impressive use to tell the story of Santa’s annual ride down the chimney, and even if it’s been a few years since you last laid out your stocking, this groundbreaking work is sure to warm the cockles — more than one hundred years after its first release.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Woebegone at the best of times, the reason for the season seems to have deserted poor old Charlie Brown. Despite the excitement of everybody else in the neighbourhood, he simply can’t  shrug off the idea that Christmas is no more than an empty marketing ploy — and all attempts to cheer him up fall disastrously flat. Will Charlie Brown ever experience what Christmas is all about? Find out in this charming TV special featuring all the loveable characters from Peanuts.

Garfield Christmas (1987)

The world’s laziest feline gets a rude awakening when his owner’s family announce they are coming over for Christmas. With Grandma set on a path of chaos — spiking the gravy and forcing her version of carols on all in earshot — family tensions rise and the day looks set to be a turkey. That is, until Garfield makes a chance discovery in the barnyard. . .

National Lampoon’s Family Vacation (1989)

Everyone’s favourite all-American clan are back in this madcap Christmas adventure. In their mission to experience a “good, old-fashioned family Christmas”, the family soon discover that if you’re a Griswold, there’s no such thing as the traditional cosy holiday by the hearth. Instead, they find themselves plunged into a whirlwind of nuclear generators, jelly-fuelled feuds, explosions and flying reindeer — all overseen by the delightful lunacy of Chevy Chase.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Banish the thought of Jim Carrey running around in a green bodysuit and cast your sights back to this Sixties gem. Based on the classic children’s book by Dr. Seuss, the short film focuses on a bitter, cave-dwelling creature who is determined to undo all of Santa’s hard work — by embarking on a singular mission to remove Christmas from Whoville. Can the kindhearted Whos teach the Grinch the error of his ways?

The Night Before Christmas (1941)

Tom and Jerry return for a mistletoe-topped brawl in this short sequence from Hanna-Barbera. As ever, Tom, the put-upon puss, is driven into a fit of rage by Jerry’s never-ending series of pranks, but the pair (eventually) manage to put their differences aside, swapping gifts against an appropriately cheery backdrop of fairy lights and candy canes.

Toy Tinkers (1949)

Scrooge himself would crack a smile at this festive frolic, which features mischievous duo Chip’n'Dale in their quest to drive Donald Duck crackers. The naughty chipmunks take it upon themselves to break into his house and wreck the halls with a cavalcade of toys and gadgets — even firing Donald across the room out of a toy cannon. And all for the sake of stealing a few nuts.