I don’t know about the next person but there is only one film I associate with the holiday season. That is the 1984 Cris Columbus film Gremlins.
The film centres on a boy that is given a cute little furry creature that comes with a few rules. Never expose it to water, never expose it to sunlight and whatever you do, never, ever feed it after midnight. Of course, the main protagonist does all of these and the result is a pack of green, slimy monsters that wreak havoc in the small US town on Christmas Eve.
While most of the film has an overall scary feel to it, there is one part of the film I remember terrified me when I saw it. That is the scene in which the main female character, Kate, relays a story about how she found out there is no Santa Claus. This scene comes out of the blue and catches you off guard. It overshadows the horror of the creatures with just one little monologue. It is gone as quick as it came and it is never brought up again, but this story will stick with you forever.
For me, what makes it so scary is the fact that it could actually happen. Not the little green monsters that go crazy if they have a midnight snack, but the story told by the girl. It’s just one of those things that when you hear it, your blood runs cold.
So, what is this story? Well, if you don’t mind the spoiler, here’s Kate, explaining it herself: