‘Tis the Season, for Crying?

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I don’t know if it’s the sentimental nature of the holiday season, but I’ve had tears streaming down my face three times this week.

I’ve written many times about how much I like TV commercials, particularly at this time of the year. Many companies are starting to release their holiday ads, and many of you may have seen the TV version of Apple’s new Christmas ad. It’s a great commercial, but to really experience it, I’d recommend the full three-minute version. It reminds me of an earlier ad that Apple had done, but that doesn’t make it any less heart-warming, or less likely that you’ll be in tears by the end. I’ll be featuring other Chrismas ads over the next few weeks, but this is a good one to start with.

I had written a few days ago about a great movie my wife and I had watched, Peanut Butter Falcon, which also had me sniffling and wiping my eyes. Highly recommend.

And the final tear jerker resulted from watching a documentary this morning, Dream/killer. Here’s a blurb from the movie’s web site:

Dream/killer tells the story of a father’s journey to free his best friend and son, Ryan Ferguson, from a 40-year prison sentence for a brutal murder based on somebody else’s dream.

The cast of characters reveals the very best and worst of the American judicial system. From the questionable district attorney-turned-judge Kevin Crane, to the high-powered Chicago attorney Kathleen Zellner; to the confused Chuck Erickson, who not only confesses to a murder based on a dream but also charges that his former classmate and friend, Ryan, was his co-conspirator; to Bill Ferguson, who uses his outlandish investigation skills and relentless creativity to give his son a shot at freedom.

The hero of the story is Ryan’s dad, Bill Ferguson. He’s clearly in the lead for “Father of the 21st Century” at this point. I would hope that I would be as strong and persistent as he was if anything happened to one of my kids.

I don’t want to say too much so that I end up giving away the outcome of the film, but it is another one that I highly recommend. It highlights many of the problems with our judicial system, but also the power of love. (At one point, the movie also highlights the power of books.)

The last few minutes had me in tears, and that’s when it struck me how weepy I have been this week.

Like I said, maybe it’s just something to do with the holiday season.

Or more likely, it just shows how powerful art can be in making us feel and express our emotions.

I’m all for STEM, but let’s not forget to add the A for STEAM.

*image from Tribeca Pediatrics

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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24 thoughts on “‘Tis the Season, for Crying?”

  1. I agree—the commercials are excellent. On the other hand, how lame are greeting cards? I like giving out cards for birthdays, weddings, graduations, get wells, friendships, etc., but so many are written with such little thought.

    By the way, I went looking for The Peanut Butter Falcon at my local theaters, but it was not there. Is this an old movie or a new release? I watched the trailer, and I was sold.

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  2. A sure sign we are getting older…we become more emotional like our women….makes us easier to get along with during retirement, I suppose. I’ll be passing through by your neck of the woods next week (regionally) as I have a meeting in Malvern on Tuesday morning.

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  5. I agree. Reuniting with family and friends this weekend definitely put me in a sentimental mood. Then watching the movie Harriet (high recommend and there are parallels with Peanut Butter Falcon) brought out a few tears in spite of my best efforts.

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  11. I am moved to tears a lot of times, doesn’t take much, especially as I get older. And this time of year definitely brings on more tears.
    Thanks for the movie suggestions.

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      1. You are welcome and thanks. Will be on the road most of the day, traveling back from my inlaws. As long as bad drivers stay away from us and traffic jams it should be a good day! 🙂

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