The cinema of the festive season has blazed a trail through the world of film-making for more than a century, ranging from silent movies to the latest CGI features. From the author of The Christmas Movie Book, this new text explores the different narrative themes which emerged in the genre over the course of the 1980s, considering the developments which have helped to make the Christmas films of that decade amongst the most fascinating and engaging motion pictures in the history of festive movie production.
Released against the backdrop of a turbulent and rapidly-changing world, the Christmas films of the 1980s celebrated traditions and challenged assumptions in equal measure. With warm nostalgia colliding with aggressive modernity as never before, the eighties saw the movies of the holiday season being deconstructed and reconfigured to remain relevant in an age of cynicism and innovation.
Whether exploring comedy, drama, horror or fantasy, Christmas cinema has an unparalleled capacity to attract and inspire audiences. With a discussion ranging from the best-known titles to some of the most obscure, A Righteously Awesome Eighties Christmas examines the ways in which the Christmas motion pictures of the 1980s fit into the wider context of this captivating and ever-evolving genre.

Dr Thomas A. Christie is a Scottish author with research interests in popular culture, literary analysis, interactive fiction and modern cinema. He has many years of experience as a literary and publishing professional, working in collaboration with several publishing companies on both sides of the Atlantic including Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Applause Books, Crescent Moon Publishing and Robert Greene Publishing. His full-length works to date have focused upon subjects such as cinema history and literary criticism, as well as the production of original prose fiction.His work has featured at international venues including at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as part of a major exhibition focusing on the filmography of award-winning director Richard Linklater in December 2019, and in conjunction with the Banco do Brasil Cultural Centre in Rio de Janeiro relating to an extensive exhibition on the life and films of cinematic polymath Mel Brooks in February 2020. He and his books have featured in many publications including The Smithsonian Magazine, The Digital Bits, Dwell, The Media Education Journal, History Scotland and Retro Gamer.A passionate advocate of the written word and literary arts, Tom was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2018. Fellowship to this learned society is only awarded to those who can demonstrate that they have made significant contributions to social change, progress and development, and who support the RSA's mission to find practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA Fellowship is a community of leaders in the fields of art, literature, journalism and business who have made noteworthy contributions to society, culture or the arts.Tom is also a member of the Royal Society of Literature, the Society of Authors, the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society and the Federation of Writers Scotland. Over the years he has produced original writing for respected organisations such as the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum and the Dementia Services Development Centre, a leading independent higher education research unit based at the University of Stirling. Additionally, he is regularly involved in public speaking events and has delivered guest lectures and presentations about his work at many locations around the United Kingdom.Tom holds a PhD in English Studies, on the subject of Scottish Literature, from the University of Stirling. He has also been awarded a first-class Honours degree in Literature and a Master's degree in Humanities, specialising with distinction in British cinema history, from the Open University in Milton Keynes. He is currently an associate lecturer with Forth Valley College in Stirling.