The movie of my heart, to be watched every December 25th

There are movies that bring back family memories, whether of a grandfather or a grandmother, as in my case, when I was little my grandmother would make Christmas food with her usual grandmotherly smell, since she had a seasoning made by the gods and her characteristic special seasonings, they were her secrets, she was a true Christmas chef with her gourmet food.

The activity in my grandparents' house was the normal kind I knew; I didn't know how I knew it, but I knew it, from when I was a baby for sure, because at 8 years old you're in that stage of discovering everything you can and trying to remember how you know things that are normal for you, but you don't have that memory of how you know them, and it's because you were a baby, and now as an adult I understand that 8 years old was nothing, it was discovery.

My grandmother was always rushing around, getting everything ready long before the holidays arrived. Christmas food had to be prepared and put in the refrigerator, ready to be heated on the special day so we could celebrate with the whole family. My aunts were helping in the kitchen, others cleaning, and still others putting up the Christmas decorations and, of course, the tree.

We little ones did our bit, we put up the decorations and the lights, and by accident we would step on them and see the stars and constellations in a second, stepping on those lights was the most painful thing there is, and with bare feet because I really liked leaving my shoes anywhere and walking freely, a freedom that soiled the sheets and then came the scoldings later.

The house was always full of relatives, and when they weren't there, the joy and life of the house disappeared, and it looked sad inside and out. But that sadness didn't last long; we were all together again at Christmas because it was a promise that had to be kept.

The Christmas food smelled divine, unique, like a seal of quality, a grandmother's touch. And we all ate it with gusto and joy, going back for seconds; no one could go hungry. The music of "Silent Night" filled the air, and the games and laughter of us little ones gave my grandmother's house that lively, boisterous feel, while the adults harmoniously shared stories and chatted, punctuated by the occasional boisterous laugh from one of my aunts.

Everything was perfect on the 24th and on the 25th there was still the nostalgia of the 24th, but almost all of us had slept at my grandparents' house and we turned on the TV to see what was on and we ate the leftovers from the previous day for breakfast, which taste better the more days pass.

They showed the same old movies, the ones they show every year, but they become a part of you, part of the family, part of your memories—those memories that get under your skin and never fade. "Jingle All the Way," always seen again and again each year, but with that beautiful message of a father's love for his son, a love that makes him capable of anything to see him happy. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives a brilliant performance as Howard, that father so anguished by forgetting his promise to his young son, Jamie. Little did he know that he would be competing for that award against his rival, Sinbad, the actor who plays Miron, the postman who had also forgotten his son's gift.

The battle between the two fathers is over the trendy toy Turbo Man, a toy that all parents want and buy in stores as if it were food. It's a funny, comedic movie that, over time, has become a must-see because it fills you with that Christmas spirit and family memories. In my case, I watch it every 25th, with nostalgia and memories of my grandparents and family gatherings that have gradually faded away.

Everyone forms their own family, and grandparents die leaving behind that nostalgia and those wonderful memories that, without thinking about it, they left in their grandchildren and their whole family.

Jingle All the Way is linked to my family, my memories, my nostalgia. This movie is linked to my grandparents, although on the few occasions they were able to watch it with their grandchildren due to lack of time, I am sure they enjoyed it because all their grandchildren were around them watching the movie with interest, and when my grandparents accompanied us to see it, it was more fun, the movie became more interesting, because my grandmother would laugh or criticize Myron for being a thorn in the side of the other dad (Howard).

It made me laugh to see my grandmother criticizing Myron when he hung from a small iron tree on the roof of a building to get Jamie's toy out of the bag that was also hanging there to escape from him, and the anger she showed towards that crazy postman.

Jamie's desperate father had to quickly learn to operate the Turbo Man suit's booster rockets to save Jamie, and he succeeded with several mistakes, but then on the second try he saved his son, and Dementor was saved by the police by falling on top of a truck full of mattresses.

When I watched this movie, I appreciated and admired that father. I didn't know he was an actor; I just saw a father worried about his only son and the crazy and dangerous adventures he went through. I was 8 years old when I saw that movie repeated on a state channel on public television, but it stayed with me. That father was capable of doing anything; he was a hero. It didn't matter that he wasn't the real Turbo Man; in my mind, he truly was a hero.

Then one grows up and discovers the truth that they are actors and not heroes, he is not the child's father, and when that happens, they are already entering the alternate reality, the one of truth, the one of growth, and the magic of childhood is lost.

But the magic of cinema continues, only now with a new perspective. And following the film's narrative, everything was resolved in the end: Myron, aka Dementor, was imprisoned, and Myron kept the toy because Jamie Langston discovered that his father was the real Turbo Man. And Howard, according to his wife, looked great in that Turbo Man suit, and now that I'm an adult, I agree with Mrs. Langston.

This movie brings back so many memories. No matter how much time passes, I'll watch it every year as a reminder of my grandparents and that grandmother with her unique quirks that made her so special. I have many beloved Christmas movies, but this one, where parents do all sorts of crazy things to get the promised toy, will always hold a special place in my heart because it shaped me and became a part of my family.