For Christmas: Leftovers

7/19/2016

It’s almost two years later and these questions are still haunting me…

It’s amazing how many times you can watch a film and simply take things at face value. But when I started watching For Christmas with an analytical eye, some questions started to stand out. Today, I tackle a few of them.

A “Bear-y” Sad Ending?

Shane specifically charges Oliver with the responsibility of making sure “Bear”-thazzar makes it back to the DLO before New Year’s---but have you seen him since? I know I sure haven’t! Critical viewing of preceding films fail to reveal whether or not Oliver, or any of our other POstables, ever retrieved him. So much for family?! I guess there’s always hope the camera could pan to his current location in One In A Million. Only time will tell!

Destination: Unknown

One thing that stood out to me is that everyone---Shane, Rita and even Oliver, seem to have semi-defined plans for the holiday. But when Norman gets into the Jag, one wonders where he’s going. One can assume the car was headed first to the airport, then to Albuquerque. Where was Norman going, though? In the end, it was clear they all ended up back at the DLO where they should have been, but it’s something I noticed, and therefore something I thought I would share. Perhaps that scene where Norman shares got edited out?

Mistle-No

Comedic relief twice in For Christmas, the use of mistletoe to cause temporary tension between Rita and Norman had me wondering---who hung it? In both locations the natural ceilings are far too high for the casual decorator to have placed them at such a convenient height, let alone without wasting yards and yards of cord to do so, causing a no doubt displeasing overall aesthetic. Clearly the work of camera magic! I wouldn’t be surprised if, in real life, there was someone simply holding it from a very high ladder, haha. Whatever works!

Miracles Public & Private

Perhaps the one question everyone has asked themselves from time to time is if Oliver ever told anyone about Jordan being an angel after that no doubt life-changing reveal in the hospital chapel? I am leaning towards he kept it to himself. But what responsibility might he have to tell Shane, “Hey, you both danced, and designed a set with, a heavenly being?”

For someone hesitant---or even fully unwilling---to believe in miracles, it seems this would have been the perfect argument for Oliver to present to Shane. Also, Jordan had been carrying that letter around for the better part of 25+ years, and she didn’t stop to ask questions about that? Seems pretty un-Shane like! Then again, if I was about to have 25+ years of pain redeemed, I don’t know that I would be asking those kinds of questions either!

Breached Protocol

Is it me, or did Oliver breach protocol not once----but twice---in For Christmas? As he has made known on multiple occasions, the opening of a letter is only to be done after the careful assessment of its outer envelope. The minute Jordan hands over Shane's letter to God, Oliver is opening and beginning to read it. Only when he goes to the Mailbox Grille the next day does Oliver begin assessing the partial address visible on the outside--clearly a breach of protocol.

The second breach occurs when he sneaks a peek inside the envelope supposedly containing Shane's "answer." Not only did she tell him to "toss it," making her intentions for the note clear, Oliver tries to read a response that wasn't meant for him. If the situation were reversed, he would have freaked---no question.

Those are my leftover questions/observations---what are yours? Share them with me in the comments!

Still Pondering,
~C

11 Comments

Stephanie Allen

7/19/2016 01:15:56 pm

I too have always wondered where Norman was going. Maybe to spend Christmas with one of his numerous cousins? Who knows.

Beth

7/21/2016 05:48:18 pm

I always figured he's going to spend the holidays with his Grandmother or his adoptive parents.

Jen Das

7/19/2016 02:42:13 pm

Why was it necessary to tear Shane's costume?

kathy

7/19/2016 05:48:48 pm

Where Norman was going also bothered me, but figured they were dropping him off on the way to DIA. Thanks to From the Heart we now know Norman doesn't own a car so he either walks to DLO or takes the bus. We also know that Denver Mercy Hospital isn't far from Oliver's church which is close to Washington Park. Remember Oliver gave his car keys to Shane to drive her & Norman back to DLO, and Oliver walked to church. Washington Park is about 5 to 6 blocks from Alameda & Downing where the DLO resides. Wondered if Shane walked to church so she could walk back with Oliver to the DLO, but that's for another day. Also, remember that Norman & Rita walked to Randilynn's house to give Phoebe that glass vase from the DLO. I'm thinking Denver is a city that's easy to get around. Sorry for the rambling.

Diane

7/19/2016 07:21:37 pm

I can't really speak to the bear situation since the only movie I've seen after "For Christmas" is "From Paris With Love."

I always wondered about Norman's plans too since they were never discussed. I just assumed he was celebrating Christmas with his "forever" family in the Denver area.

The miracle question - I think Oliver did explain it. Shane did ask him about the tree growing out of the rock that had appeared in the DLO. Oliver made some comment about getting to that later, but first there was dance lesson. I was just sorry we didn't get to see him tell that story.

Reading the letters - never thought of the fact that Oliver did just open the letter Shane wrote to God without first looking at the address. Especially since he and the rest of the team practically dissected the envelope, writing implement, age and sex of the writer, supposed paper the letter was written on, and the stamp on Hannah's letter.

As for looking at Shane's reply, I felt that her comment about already having the answer - what Oliver said to her and her response - left him wondering if he was indeed the answer. And I wonder what he did with it. Did he keep it ? How could he toss it ? And wonder if some day he will share it with Shane.

Kate link

7/19/2016 07:27:03 pm

I always thought that the answer in the envelope was more for Oliver than Shane. The empty envelope let him know that helping Shane helped him find the one person that would cure his lonliness. "Take good care of that little letter writer"

Claire link

8/21/2016 08:25:14 am

If Shane isn't ready for miracles, she wouldn't believe Oliver's explanation of Jordan. I think she would have tried to explain it in some other way.

I also think Norman was just going to spend time with his forever family in Denver.

The bear, I would like to believe is there we just haven't seen him.

I would think there would be some more O'Toole s around, surely they didn't all die or move. Why was Oliver all alone?

Diane

8/21/2016 09:42:54 am

We now know there is another O'Toole - Oliver's father, Joe. And we know that Oliver was alone that Christmas by his own choice, having cut his father out of his life for a number of years. We also know that his mother has died, as well as his biological father whom he never knew; and that he was an only child.

Sandy

11/24/2017 02:29:52 pm

I am preparing to lead a women's Bible study using SSD For Christmas. Therefore, I am reading through all the old posts about the movie. I watched the movie again last night and the question that occurred to me is "what happened to the sheepskin when Shane and Oliver transitioned upstairs?"

Chandel

11/24/2017 04:37:17 pm

If you watch carefully, you will see that Shane lays it down on the banister railing before she ascends the stairs. Hope that helps!

Heather Dreith

10/22/2020 12:29:40 pm

Bearthazzar was delivered at some point. I think it was in "From Paris With Love" when Norman is doing the "warm up" at the comedy club that he mentions delivering the bear. I could be wrong.

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