Ritual Repeats

In her review for A Slip of the Keyboard, Carrie talks about how she reads Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather every December. I know a few people on Twitter have talked about books they re-read every year, and I know there’s folks who watch movies like Love, Actually every year.

I have a few yearly ritual repeats, too. By ritual repeats, I mean the things we read or watch, or re-experience, because of a specific event or season. For my ritual repeats, the trigger is almost always a change or a holiday, and the things I choose to re-experience have a purpose, either to adjust my perspective (especially if I’m grouchy) or to remind me of a framework with which to view that event or holiday.

For example, I sometimes re-watch the Yom Kippur episode of Northern Exposure around the high holidays, Shofar, So Good.  It’s from the otherwise crappy sixth season, but the blend of A Christmas Carol ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd )and Northern Exposure is a heady, brainful combination for me. Yom Kippur is a powerful and troublesome holiday for a lot of reasons, and I like this particular episode because it says, basically, “Look, dude, how you act and how you treat people is important. What you do has meaning and has an effect on everything around you.”

I also re-watch Babette’s Feast around Thanksgiving. I watch this by myself because it’s all subtitles and Danish, but I love this movie so much I kind of have to watch it alone. It has more of an impact that way, and I’m less distracted (or interrupted).

In the film, and I won’t spoil it if you haven’t seen it, food is something that must be plain and tasteless to be sufficiently holy, but it also becomes a truly glorious expression of love and reverence for beauty and holiness. I watch it at Thanksgiving to remind myself why cooking is meaningful – that preparing food for someone is meaningful because of the reason behind it, and not always just who it is you’re cooking for.

Here’s New York Times critic AO Scott discussing why he recommends this movie, too:

My ritual re-reads – specifically books – include Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) because it’s a novella, so it’s a quick read, and because it’s about as close to contemporary romance perfection as I’ve found. It’s set around Christmas, but it’s also about caring for the people you love in obvious and basic ways, like making sure they are safe and warm and able to toast bagels.

I asked the reviewing posse if they had ritual repeats or re-reads, too.

Amanda: 

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami ( A | Au | WorldCat ) – I don’t really have a season or anything; it’s just a book I make a point to read yearly. It’s not a romance and it contains graphic violence, but I remember when I first read it. I remember analyzing my friends, thinking about what I would do if I were put in the same situation as the protagonists.

My much-loved copy was passed around amongst my friends and family, and we all did the same amount of analyzing each other. It’s definitely a bit twisted, but fun, and has the makings of a good drinking game.

The Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas

I love, love, love this series so much. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite and I feel like it changes yearly. I’ll read at least one every summer, if not all of them. I’ve yet to meet a person who didn’t enjoy this series. Four different couples in one lovely historical setting.

Carrie: 

I love reading comfort stuff during the holidays!

For fun, comfort, and emotional bliss:

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson ( A | K | AB | Au | WorldCat )

Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | WorldCat )

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd | WorldCat ) (It never gets old!)

For ideas and inspiration:

 The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas, by John Matthews 

Circle Round, Raising Children in Goddess Traditions, by Diane Baker and Starhawk ( A | WorldCat )

RedHeadedGirl: 

Oh Thanksgiving, I rewatch the greatest Thanksgiving episodes of any TV show that ever happened- “Shibboleth” and “The Indians in the Lobby” from The West Wing.

How can you not be charmed by Sam and Toby coming up with a new prime time tv series about how the Pilgrims came to America to worship according to their own beliefs and also to fight crime? President Bartlet calling the Butterball Hotline to see if he’d accidentally kill his guests with oyster stuffing? (Not that that’s a dealbreaker, mind.)  Or Bartlet worrying about his reputation on being soft on turkeys?

Here, enjoy one of the scenes in question:

I also tend to reread at least one Little House book around Christmas. 

This year on my Christmas list is the annotated Pioneer Girl manuscript that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote and tried to sell before she was encouraged to try making them into children’s books.

Also the food she talks about, especially in Farmer Boy ( A | G )?  Good God.

What about you? Are there books, movies, shows or other pieces of entertainment that you make sure to re-experience at certain times? What are your ritual repeats?