People are really trying to make fetch happen by designating Mean Girls as Christmas movie. The 2004 comedy, set in the Chicago’s north suburbs (the high school depicted is a thinly veiled, fictionalized New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL) is indeed a timeless classic.
It inspired a sequel, a Broadway play, a plethora of catch-phrases and the dumbest “official day” hashtag ever. Sorry, October 3rd is not Mean Girls Day, it’s actually German Unity Day, but the history and politics of that is far beyond the scope of this post.
They created October 3 as an official Mean Girls Day on social media simply to get it trending and sell merchandise related to the film and musical. The date refers to a meaningless, unmemorable throwaway line in the movie. But the fact that Mean Girls Day is in fall is interesting when you want to make a case that this work is a piece of Yuletide Cinema.
Why? Simply because of the scene, where The Plastics, under the moniker of Santa’s Little Helpers:
Regina George (Rachel McAdams), Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert), Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried) and Cady Haron (Lindsay Lohan) perform in the Winter Talent Show at North Shore High School?
According to a poll, conducted by an internet service provider named Bright Plans, 52% of survey participants said they don’t consider Mean Girls a Christmas movie. Which means that 48% do, making it a nearly 50-50 split.
The survey also found that Mean Girls is the second most googled alternative Christmas movie, with five states searching it more than any other.
Die Hard was the #1 (we covered that here) “alternative Christmas movie,” a category that also includes the likes of Ghostbusters II and Gremlins, among others.
That said, Mean Girls has as much Halloween in it as it does Christmas. It also takes place the rest of the calendar year as well.
If you’re going to claim it’s a Christmas movie, then you have to a label Mean Girls a Halloween movie too. Which it is not. Count me on the same page as that 52%
It’s a classic film, showcasing the comedic brilliance of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at their absolute best.
It’s an elite movie, but it’s not a Christmas thing, so quit trying to make fetch happen on this. It’s not going to happen.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.