Movie Night

"Seasons change, feelings change..." remember that song? 

About sums up Movie Night for me! Movie Night, one of those idealistic fresh parenting visions. From when you had the whole open road before you, you were going to set it ablaze in a new and world change-ing-ly beautiful way, full of vim and vigour and meaning and tradition and lessons and passion and energy. 

Movie Night started when Greta was old enough to watch a movie for the first time, maybe around 2? Cause in those days oh lordy lordy we would've shielded her very precious eyes from screens for as long as possible! Ahhhhh those days. The innocence! The discipline! The principles!

Yeah, so it's been going on for probably about 14, 15 years. Not the 16 I've been saying dramatically to the kids, but close enough. Loooooooooooooong Enough. Ha!

Does anyone else do a movie night? Like a weekly or regular tradition of some sort with special foods and all that? Special rules or guidelines to kind of shape it? Or is that just some weird Tradition vibe I got from my Scottish side where all the Traditions were made so explicity explicit? 

We've done this Movie Night thing for many years, complete with homemade pizza, stove popped popcorn, (sometimes homemade) ice cream too. And, Simon likes to add in chips full of weird chemical-ly toppings that are NOT suitable for an "ingredients household" but! Plus, maybe some candy or soda or some other sacrilege.  We, I mean, I, I get it all ready. The pizza, that is. The popcorn. If it's homemade, the ice cream. Some of us around here operate like Everything Has To Be PERFECT before the movie is then started, but some of us (me?) have grown weary of the Tradition and are like hey it's close enough let's get this show on the road turn it on the food'll be out soon you animals.

Cause for years I don't know if it's just me, or it's them, or it's just life, but honestly Movie Night has lost its original gusto pizazzz and energy. Movie Night has become a Drudged Tradition. 

Doesn't matter if Simon (or Therese! she makes pizza too sometimes!) contributes just as much to the food making. Maybe I don't even want them to cause the making of pizza is actually kind of relaxing. 

Doesn't matter if it's MY Move Night and I get to pick. Cause I'll just be watching it in between ups and downs and tidies and some people complaining. (I'm known for choosing musicals and surprise surprise they're not always a hit with the crowd! If it's not a musical I at least still want to watch it and hear it and enjoy it and no that's not possible when you're a mom and you're facilitating the Movie Night. Is it?) 

Gosh I really should have thought this through better 14-16 years ago. 

There's this month or two in the summer the last few years where I free-ing-ly declare: No Movie Night! Till fall! Cause it's light late and all that. I love it. The Light Late = No Movie Night thing.

I love not doing Movie Night.

I'm finding that the kids, though, they still...love having it? I mean, aside from the arguing and complaining about whoever's movie choice it is ("Ugh you ALWAYS choose that one!" "Ugh not one of those super hero ones..." "Ugh we've watched this a million times!") if I cancel it for some other non-summer-night reason they're...a bit forlorn. "What? We're not having movie night?"

Maybe it's the guaranteed ice cream, or something.

Or, it's something more, like some kind of anchor.

Ideally it was supposed to be a treat at the end of the week. Chilllllllll time. Hahahahahaha! What an idea! (I've come so far far far from where I began!)

It does bring everyone together, though.

Back when we were all younger, and they were all littler, it wasn't such a rarity to bring everyone together. It just happened. These days, though, with everyone's activities and social lives (and phones) and JOBS (Greta!) now...Simon's work often pulls him out in the evenings...it's harder to get everyone together. Movie Night, if it's happening, is kind of a requirement, though, a requirement to be a joiner for a couple hours. To be together.

I also instituted Movie Night cause, well, I guess I like movies! (I do???) And I like the idea of everyone getting to pick a movie--on a rotation--and share it with others. And we all have to just keep quiet and watch the frikkin movie for goodness sake! I mean......we all get a chance to appreciate someone else's taste in movies! For goodness sake.

I had dreams of showing them this or that movie along the way. Some of them have made it. Some I guess are still in the works? For that day when they're ready?

But see, Movie Night got more complicated with Joey. Once we were out of the woods nearly with kid-friendly-movies-only well...we got another kid here! 

Woody Allen movies? Probably not gonna be a hit with the 4 year old. 

Those amazing 90s ones I have such fun movie theatre memories of, probably not all that appropriate for the 4 year old. 

Hitchcock? Nope. 

Black and white beauties? Nope. 

Those movies I've sobbed at and would love to share with others near and dear to me. Yeah, nope. Not yet.

But but but! It shouldn't be all about meeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Was me the intention of Movie Night?

 

 

Oh. 

Nope.

 

 

See, this is why I'm writing this. Movie Night has been on my mind for awhile. It rears its ________ head every week, so it's hard not to notice, but also, it's been more and more and more a thorn in my side of late. Have I gotten that point across yet?

And then--of late--well, Movie Night actually suddenly became less the same.

Cause, Greta got a job. And she has to work on Friday nights (Movie Night!).

We've been minus one! And if she's not here well even more reason for Simon to just go ahead and work too so we've been minus two! I still go through the motions, though. Tradition! (Ha!)

And I realized, wow something that had been going on for so long in my mind, that seemed like it would never end but why would I want it to end wasn't I the one who wanted it to happen in the first place? Well, it suddenly kind of...had ended. In a way. 

Like I knew it might. I guess in its 14 year iteration--in that iteration it ended. (And wow you should've just ENJOYED it more look now it's slipping through your fingertips!!)

 

 

But, don't some things just run their course, in life? And, isn't that ok? What of all those years, were they for nothing? Did they not exist just because now the Tradition is changing?

The Tradition I have been fighting with. And the kids know. They know I have.

 

 

 

Anyway they're all here tonight, which they usually aren't--on a Saturday night. Hence, Friday night was always the Movie Night. But, Greta had to work last night.

So, guess what they asked this morning? 

"Can we do Movie Night tonight?"

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made pizza last night, in honour of it being Friday and That's What I Make so I don't have to think about "what to make?". But Greta had to work, and Hosea had some basketball--so, the pizza was unaccompanied by its usual Movie Nigh companion. "Can we do Movie Night when we get home, Mama?" the basketballer had asked. I'd laughed, almost horrified at the shock to my system--"Nope! It'll be too late when we get back." (Yes, that was it: too late!)

But tonight, tonight I guess...we can have a Movie Night. "But hey guys I'm not making pizza for it. I did that already. Eat dinner, then we can watch something and maybe you can have some snacks."

I. Just. CanNOT Do It!!!!!

My idea--this idea of movie only and no big schmorgasbord of serving this that and the other thing (that's how it feels in my mind), yes this revamp lifted a weight off of me.

Hey, the kids will be here Saturday nights from now on, cause of life changes. So...dare I say: this is our new Tradition? Pizza Friday. Movie Saturday. ?

And someday, will I remember all the work? Movie Night Original Version work? All the feelings of drudgery and up and down and slave-drivenness? (Hahahahahaha dramarama, me.)

I hope I do. Otherwise I will be a sorry sentimental disaster longing for the Movie Nights of yester-year. While I watch one of my choice in piece in quiet, catching all of the dialogue, having a good cry, and sitting through the whole thing.

Hopefully one of these animals will still join me for it here and there. I'll make ice cream.