Elizabeth-Daily Movie Reviews

The question the video We Wish You a Merry Christmas sets out to answer isn't exactly on the order of the chicken and the egg in terms of head-scratchers, but it's a worthy one nonetheless. And because it's put to the audience by the country singer Travis Tritt, it'll be that much more compelling for some viewers. "How did Christmas carols come to be?" asks the twangy crooner, disguised as a sleighbell-bejeweled cartoon reindeer who moonlights as a Christmas-special host. Don't sweat it if you're stumped--who would have guessed that, instead of spiraling from age-old spirituals, it all started with three hapless orphans in the tiny, make-believe town of Harmony? Ollie, Ted, and Cindy, down on themselves for forever being on the receiving end of Christmas exchanges, are intent on giving something back to their harried but good-hearted fellow townspeople--but what, given their nearly resourceless scenario? Cindy taps out a tune on a found xylophone, her two compatriots noodle around with some accidental lyrics, and voilà--their gift is a wrap. Folks, at first reluctantly, forget about the holiday frenzy and, through the magic of music, let the true spirit of the season flood in. This pat, predictable video is perfectly acceptable for all ages--essentially light, take-it-or-leave-it holiday fare. In the end, one wishes a different mystery, one that's dogged singers of the title tune for generations, had been explained: What's all the figgy pudding business about? -Tammy La Gorce