Holidays on Blu Ray
It will be a season of classic movies on Blu Ray for Christmas 2009.
Three classic must-have/gotta-own Christmas movies — National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street and Homealone Lost in New York — will all come available in October.
The biggest splash is sure to be made by the 20th Anniversary Edition of Christmas Vacation. The box set will be released on both, DVD and Blu-ray, on October 27. Extras will include commentary with Randy Quaid, Beverly D’Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Miriam Flynn, director Jerimiah Chechnik, and producer Matty Simmons. Each collector’s set also comes with a bunch of collectables, including a Griswold Santa Hat, a box of fake snow, a set of coasters with images and famous lines from the movie and a button which says, “I survived a Griswold Family Christmas; as a bonus gift for those who purchase the Blu-ray version, included is a replica moose drinking glass from the movie.
Extras for the release of Miracle on 34th Street and Home Alone Lost in New York have not been announced yet but both are expected to have never-available-before features.
Christmas Creep Starts Online
How long will it be before you see mass mounds of Christmas products in stores? The common complaint is that it gets earlier and earlier every year.
This year seems to be setting a new standard. Kmart and Sears — that merged entity of retailing mediocrity — has already launched their Christmas Lane, an online offering of all things Christmas we’re sure to see in their stores in the coming months.
The move has garnered lots of publicity — but it is doubtful that sales have spiked as a result.
Hallmark seems to get a pass on the criticism about early Christmas in stores. Every year during the second weekend in July they hold a much anticipated sales event to kick off their collectible ornament offerings.
Despite the criticism, there is good reason for retailers to bet on Christmas sales during the heat of summer. Die-hard fanatics have reported on Christmas communities online of product widely available on shelves of some Hobby Lobby and Michael’s locations.
