All Stories are Similar

     As the holiday season is approaching, for me, this means Freeform's 25 days of Christmas and bad Hallmark holiday movies. While some argue to wait until after Thanksgiving,  I've already watched Home Alone twice. As I'm in the holiday mood, the articles questioning if all stories are the same led me to analyze Christmas movies.

    I've decided to focus on three movies: Elf, The Polar Express, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Beginning with Elf, the movie starts off with a conflict - not enough people are believing in Santa, therefore Christmas is in danger. Following with a funny, and emotional, story, the true meaning of Christmas is revealed when New York City comes together and Christmas is saved. 

    In the Polar Express, Santa is once again being questioned when the young boy can't hear the bells, then is taken by Tom Hanks on a train and some conflict arises. However, finally, he realizes that seeing isn't always believing and the true meaning of Christmas is once again revealed. 

    Finally, in National Lampoon's, there is quite a bit of conflict throughout the whole story and tensions are high. After many outbursts, the family finally comes together and Christmas is saved yet another time, resulting in the true meaning of Christmas revolving around family. 

    While all three of these stories have the same ending idea, they aren't necessarily the same. There's light-hearted conflict in all of them, and all three, being holiday-happy-feeling movies also happen to reveal this 'true meaning of Christmas' with a happy ending. But, they all get there in their own individual ways, and the meanings they depict are different. Elf shows that unity is what saves Christmas. The Polar Express touches on the fact that some of the most real things in the world are unable to be seen, and when you believe that, you can hear the bells. National Lampoon's teaches that perhaps family coming together is what makes Christmas.

    I don't truly think that all stories are the same, but rather all stories are similar. I'm fairly certain that all Christmas movies follow the same path, and no matter what holiday movie it is they are going to have some of the same characteristics. But I think this rather goes for all genres. No two movies created are going to be 100% completely different, with I'm sure a few exceptions out there. All stories I believe are destined to hold at least one of the same characteristics, major or minor. That doesn't make them identical, or the same, rather similar.