“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” So declares Ebenezer Scrooge at the emotive conclusion to A Christmas Carol. It’s an earnest sentiment and one that’s declared from the heart. We haven’t been able to celebrate like we usually would this year, but that didn’t stop us celebrating completely. We took the downtime to toast to the season with three times phones have spread the festive spirit in Christmas movies (and one time they didn’t) as a way to remind ourselves just how valued communication can be. If you fancy indulging in new tech that enables you to do just that, we’ve got plenty of winter offers to help you save money on handsets and tariffs this festive season.
Sleepless In Seattle
Fair warning, this Christmas movie is a tearjerker. When eight-year-old Jonah calls a radio talk show on Christmas Eve to persuade his father, Sam, to talk about his grief for his late wife, all he wants is for him to be happy again. The phone call turns out to be not only the conversation the two need to bridge the distance between them but also the thing that sets Sam on the path to finding love again. Feeling alone is hard at any time of year, but here we see the strength and the beauty of communication in all of its seasonal splendour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koHEMhRc0MM
The Holiday
Sometimes spreading cheer isn’t about goodwill or emotion. Sometimes it’s just plain funny. Like this scene from The Holiday, in which switching between phone calls on hold has wildly brilliant (for us watching, at least) results. It might be mortifying for the characters involved, but it’s definitely the kind of thing they’d laugh about fondly later. And by the time we get to the conclusion of the film, all’s well that ends well, right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqcVURuRVwk
Elf
Okay, so we’re playing pretty fast and loose with our interpretation of ‘phones spreading the Christmas cheer’ when we include this Christmas movie. When his dad’s work phone rings, Buddy dives to answer it with the delightful greeting “Buddy the Elf. What’s your favourite colour?” Whoever’s on the other end of the line hangs up a little too quickly to be thought of as ‘cheered’ by the interaction. But how much joy does this movie moment bring you when you watch it? This scene is so iconic, in fact, that it has been commemorated with its own annual celebration: Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day (18th December, for anyone wondering). If we take into account real-life cheer, there likely isn’t a film phone call that continues to spread quite as much cheer as this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW98U9RH8cw
Last Christmas
After charming each other on a walk around London, Tom asks Kate if she’d like to see him again. She answers by asking for his number – which would be great if he had a phone. Alas, no Christmas cheer is spread via phone in this movie. Of course, this isn’t the last the characters see of each other (what kind of a Christmas film would this be if it all ended there?). They get by fine without calling or texting. But this anecdotal moment shines a light on how easy it can be to stay in touch. Sure, sometimes that can feel like more of a nuisance than a need, but when we want it, the option is right there in the palm of our hands. And for those few times we don’t want that, we can always lock our phone in a cupboard. Smooth, Tom. Smooth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psEglVHxbCA
Christmas might not have been the usual sociable affair this year, but there have never been more ways to communicate and feel connected – and we’ve got plenty of offers to help you save money doing exactly that. We’ve got discounts on iPhones, Samsung phones, Google phones, and Three SIM only contracts. For our full range of festive deals, visit our Winter Offers page.
