Christmas Movies hold an enduring appeal, evoking nostalgia, fostering connections, and providing a sense of peace during a hectic season. They resonate differently with viewers, depending on personal experiences and enthusiasm for traditions. Themes of family, unity, and personal transformation are central to their charm, offering a chance to reflect on meaningful relationships and values.

Some individuals may dislike these films due to emotional triggers, materialism, or differing tastes. The overarching sentiment is that holiday movies create moments of joy and connection, serving as a respite from life’s demands. Whether lighthearted or deeply emotional, these films capture the spirit of togetherness that defines the season.

Highlights of the Podcast

00:01 – Introduction

00:45 – Why People Love or Hate Christmas Movies

02:11 – Popular Christmas Movies

02:54 – Reasons Some Dislike Christmas Movies

04:19 – Themes and Emotional Connections in Christmas Movies

07:12 – The Peaceful Nature of Christmas Day

10:34 – Closing

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:00:00] It is Christmas time. Today’s the third. So it’s 22 days till Christmas and all of us will watch some Christmas movies, I assume, between now and the big day, the 25th of December. With us is Dr. Matt Chalmers that you’re going to tell us. Why does some people love Christmas movies and other people hate Christmas movies? You’re not a psychologist. You’re a healthy living expert and a chiropractor. So I’m very interested as to how you developed this this perspective or this knowledge. How are you tonight?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:00:35] I’m doing very well. It’s lots and lots of years of study.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:00:39] Okay.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:00:40] So you live in a. So. Yeah. Go ahead.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:00:45] No, no, I’m I sort of leave it as an open ended question that my friend would love to know would start off with the big question. Why do some people love them and other people hate them? I, I happen to have a favorite Christmas movie. I’m kind of a sentimental sort of guy, but I love Bad Santa.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:01:03] That’s It is a fantastic movie. It is. Really? Yes. It gives a great little twist. You got to love Billy Bob. He’s he’s fantastic.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:01:10] Well, I just don’t know why he didn’t win the Oscar that year, which which baffles me, to be honest with you.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:01:17] You know, it is one of those things where sometimes it’s not artsy enough and it’s not irritating enough to to win Oscars.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:01:24] So I thought I thought it was a tour de force, in all honesty. And I’m not a movie expert. One of my predecessors was a absolute movie expert. But anyway, so I want to learn from you. I was half joking with you. But I bet since it’s a funny body flick, I go right ahead. I’m sorry.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:01:47] Well, typically what we’re seeing is that it depends on how. How into the Festival of Christmas you are. You mean really religious? You can be, you know, really love the presents, but it’s how. How much into the festivities, the Festival of Christmas are you? Because if you’re really into the decorations and the trees, you’re also going to be in the movies because that’s part of the culture of Christmas. That’s really, really where the love of the Christmas movie comes from.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:02:11] So give us the movie that in your opinion, are some must be universally loved? It’s A Wonderful Life. Is that a universe? I think of that as a Christmas movie.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:02:24] Yeah. A Wonderful Life, A Christmas carol. Those are universal. A lot of the newer ones that everybody loves is Elf. Also, some of the easier new classics that everybody loves. Yeah.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:02:35] Yeah, absolutely. Will Ferrell is as is the Elf, if I recall correctly. Again, I’m not a movie aficionado, but I know I know enough about this stuff just to be dangerous. Why do people dislike I mean, how can you dislike a Christmas movie? That’s I don’t understand that.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:02:54] Well, there’s there’s lots of little reasons, you know, like, obviously, if it was something you watch, your parents, your parents are gone. You know, you have a little bit of, you know, that’s really emotional for you. So you don’t want to be in that area, you know. And then, you know, if you’re if you realize that the, you know, movies are making everything more materialistic and so you have an issue with that, that’s also going to be part of it. But if you’re not really into the festivities of it, some of those movies aren’t great, which is kind of why, if you look at any holiday movie trend, Die Hard is always in the top three movies because there’s a lot of people who are like, look, I want to be this is like my peace offering to agreeableness. I would like to watch a movie with you. I’d like to be festive, but most of them are not very good movies. If your count Die Hard as a Christmas movie, I will watch that with you.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:03:40] Can you count a No Country for Old Men?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:03:46] I don’t know that I’ve ever on the list, but, you know, if we were to see four, you know, if it counts for the festivities and, you know, great.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:03:54] I guess of that I TV Australia. I think that some of the old movies are really great. I also enjoyed the Home Alone movie Macaulay Culkin. My kids were kind of that age when the movies came out and I could see losing them on an airplane or at an airport. I mean, I guess these things that you connect to as well, correct? Correct.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:04:19] Absolutely. So one of the themes of the Christmas movies are reuniting of the family. So, you know, in Home Alone case, it was the family was fractionated. And, you know, the little boy sort of he didn’t he didn’t fit in. And then afterwards, they became a tighter knit family and they show the love. And that’s really what everybody was looking for in that movie. Was was the family coming back together for the Christmas present?

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:04:43] Okay. So there’s there’s also a sub question here. And I don’t know if if you said this to us, the five reasons why Christmas movies make us feel good according to science. Are you familiar that did you send us that piece?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:04:56] It’s I didn’t, but I’ve seen things similar to it.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:04:59] Yeah. So so give us a I mean, obviously Christmas is a wonderful time for most people. You know, if your family is together, I mean, you know that no one’s off, you know, fighting in a war halfway around the world. You know, no one’s estranged. It’s it’s a good family feeling. It’s one time of year we sort of, like all kind of get off the treadmill of life, as I call it. So that’s one of the reasons. Give me a couple of the other reasons why, in your opinion and probably others, why they why Christmas movies make us feel good above and apart from the the wonderful season that Christmas is and what it represents?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:05:43] Well, I think that’s kind of the whole the whole not of it is the is the regeneration of of closeness. So like in A Christmas Carol, you had the great hero’s journey of, you know, the character who was, you know, very anti-social and didn’t really like people. And then through this, his his journey, he starts to figure out that, you know, maybe he does need to be more conscientious and we’re kind to people around him. And so he becomes a whole new person and the same type of thing, I guess, with a family unit where a lot of Christmas movies are, you know, estranged husband, wife, estranged family, family, that’s not really close. And then through this, the ordeals they go through through the movie, they end up becoming closer as a family unit. And people really want that connection, that closeness, that community feeling. And so bringing that up, the ability for that to happen back to people in a fantasy realm is really appealing to a lot of people.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:06:38] But I really like about Christmas, you know, besides the familial relationships and all of that. But I really enjoy the idea of just the peace and quiet of the 25th of December, whether you’re just taking a walk in the woods or you’re going to church to, you know, to to to celebrate religiously, it just seems to be peaceful. And there’s so many days during the year when we don’t have peace. Is that a factor that you’ve seen or am I imagining? Something.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:07:12] No, you’re exactly right. Like, there’s. There’s a big part of that. Our world is so fast and so crazy and so stressful right now. The idea that, like you said, first you take a step off the treadmill of life and just kind of take a breath and be with people who we care about, whether they’re friends or family or even if it’s just your dog. Like, be able to just take a step back and just kind of relax. It’s really important. And we all know we need to do it. And so we just that’s the day we remind ourselves to do it.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:07:37] Yeah. In my in my case, especially the dog, because the dog, the one member of the family that never argues with you, all he wants to do is kind of hang around and maybe take a walk and get fed. You know, I probably never didn’t coined the phrase, but I like the phrase the treadmill of life, because life and I don’t want to be a downer, but life can be such a treadmill even when you’re doing something that you enjoy, which I like doing what I enjoy. And I remember the morning that I put my son on the bus the first day to kindergarten as he sort of, you know, pulled himself up onto the bus. I said very quietly under my breath, but so he could kind of hear me. I said, Welcome to the treadmill of life, because once you start kindergarten made, it doesn’t stop you for a long, long time. And except for those Christmas Day. So, Mark, is there a way people can get in touch with you? Are you doing this out of the goodness of your heart or is there a website? Most folks who come on the show have a website or a book that they like to plug and I like to give. Even someone like yourself, I don’t see anything here on my notes that says Mark has written this book about Christmas movies. Tell us if there’s anything that we can help you deal with because you’ve been a really fun guest.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:08:56] Well, one of the things I really work on a lot is stress. And so one of the things we’re doing to help everybody is on X and Facebook and Instagram. I’m doing a how to choose your health care providers, dentists, doctors, you know, therapists, that sort of thing. I’m Dr. Chalmers one. So just the social media. Dr. Chalmers The number one, we’re doing a whole presentation on how to find those who will in your area be the idea of just getting out and giving, you know, physiological information. Helping people get better is really kind of where it is for me. So, you know, that’s kind of my thing.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:09:26] So. Dr. Chalmers And it’s all there’s no it’s d r c h a l MERS and the numeral one.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:09:36] Yes, sir.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:09:37] That’s great. You know, I’ll tell you, just finding a doctor these days, you know, here in Massachusetts, we like to think of ourselves as sort of the medical capital of the world. We have, you know, Lahey Clinic, Mass General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, great hospitals here, you know, Baptist at this great hospitals. But try to find a a doctor just a PCP not I don’t want to say just but simple doctor you know who you can go to your primary care physician. It’s impossible. Now, Mark and William, we’re going to talk about that in the next in the next segment, because there’s a Massachusetts just passed a physician pathway Act, so maybe we should have you back and talk about what you do and how difficult it is to find that health care provider close to where you live. So you’re not driving 300 miles to go to an annual physical.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:10:34] Absolutely. No, it’s it’s especially when you’re trying to find somebody who works on a physiological basis, you know, like Gary Breck has stopped since they’re going out to. Do you figure out the actual root problems in fiction in that way? It’s very, very difficult to find that level of functional medicine type of doctors.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Host [00:10:50] Well, hopefully some of my listeners have have written it down. Doctor Chalmers d r c h a l mers the numeral one. Appreciate it very, very much, Matt. Doctor Chalmers, it’s been a pleasure to talk to you. When I watch Bad Santa this year, I’ll think about it. Okay.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:11:09] This fabulous figure, sir. Good talking to you.

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Dr. Matt Chalmers

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