Quentin Tarantino explains the true meaning of Christmas
Christmas time seems to be invariably associated with the history of cinema. Not only are firelit homes filled with all the usual seasonal offerings of Santa-heavy movies, but there’s also a chance to watch works of film outside the festive genre, and the films of Quentin Tarantino always seem like a good prospect when the children have gone to bed.
While Tarantino might not be the first director we think of when it comes to Christmas cheer, when he appeared on live television in an interview with Tom Snyder, he was asked by a caller about his opinions of Christmas and to explain what it means to him. The results were rather moving by every stretch of how we perceive the legendary filmmaker.
“I tend to do it almost every year,” Tarantino began. “I kind of have an attitude of – because I don’t come from a big, huge family and everything like that – I have an attitude of like, ‘Oh, you know, I’m not going to get into Christmas much this year. Don’t buy me anything. I’m not going to buy you anything, and we’re just gonna call it quits this year. Next year, I’ll take care of you.’”
So far, so cheery for the director, but it was at that point that he began to explain how, as Christmas actually approaches, his mindset towards the holidays begins to change. “Invariably, it happens that three days before Christmas, I’ll get bit by the Christmas bug, and I’ll go out, and I’m buying presents for all my friends and think, ‘Well, next year, I’m gonna really think about it and get something for everybody and put some time in.’”
Even someone as dour about the Christmas spirit like Tarantino can’t help but come around into festival cheer once the day is upon him. The caller who asked Tarantino the question explained at the time that she appreciated the time she was able to spend with her family as she’d recently been told that she had a terrible illness.
The spirit of Christmas was said to be about giving to those less fortunate than oneself by the caller, and Tarantino took her comments in all earnestness, noting, “I can completely agree with that.” So the director essentially points out that even though there might be a deep temptation to ignore Christmas as a mere capitalist venture for people to buy more things, there’s a more important part of it.
Tarantino, even with his festive scepticism, feels that the “most wonderful time of the year” is there for giving, not receiving, so with that in mind, it’s time once again to think of our loved ones and act in the name of the iconic Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs director and give freely this year.
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