It's Christmas Movie time

Holiday movies really get me in the Christmas spirit. Maybe it goes back to my deprived childhood, when my family owned a simple television with antennae because cable hadn't been invented yet -- and neither had DVD or even videotape players -- and the only time to watch holiday movies like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman was whenever the networks decided to air them. (I can imagine the future conversation with Fly: "But why can't I have a DVD player in the car?" "When I was your age, we had to watch fuzzy shows, on the floor of the living room, at the mercy of scheduled programming, once a year only, and we were grateful for it!")

I can also thank my childhood for fond memories of Winnie the Pooh. I had a well-loved Pooh teddy bear and a Pooh-themed room until I was 12. (My stepmother wasn't into changing decor frequently.)

Just like TV, Pooh has changed a lot since then, and so have the rest of his friends. Christopher Robin doesn't exist anymore; he seems to have been replaced by a spunky red-haired girl named Darby. This might be sacrilege, but the much-improved animation and catchy new songs make up for it. I know all this because Fly and I watched the latest Pooh movie, the My Friends Tigger & Pooh Super Sleuth Christmas Movie.

In the movie (just as in the Disney series), Pooh, Tigger and Darby form the Super Sleuths, who solve mysteries and try to figure out strange things that happen in the Hundred-Acre Wood. This time, it's Christmas Eve, and a young reindeer named Holly gets lost trying to find Santa's magic bag full of gifts, which was dropped during a practice run with all the reindeer and sleigh. If Santa doesn't get back his magic bag, Christmas present delivery will be canceled! The Super Sleuths (along with the other Pooh characters Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Roo and Lumpy, and Darby's dog, Buster) have to find Santa's bag and take it to the North Pole in time for him to deliver Christmas presents. Along the way, some of Pooh's friends are able to get their Christmas wishes come true.

The DVD also comes with two episodes of My Friends Tigger & Pooh -- one for winter and one for spring -- and a game.

The Disney folks who provided the DVD for me to review also gave me one to give away! I'll randomly give away one copy of the My Friends Tigger & Pooh Super Sleuth Christmas Movie the day after my birthday to anyone who leaves a comment here about their favorite holiday movie. Update: Congratulations to Groovy Old Lady of Groovy's Ruminations for being the random winner!