until a boxing ring decked with garland starts to feel like a better symbol of the season than a manger. Yet there’s something a little odd about treating the words “Merry Christmas” as a ...

Some rare bits of Christmas mythology are even stranger still—like the one that claims that at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, animals gain ... ‘I gave Him my manger for His head ...

What's often forgotten amid the shenanigans, however, is what the film has to say about the importance of family. And don't forget: Have a merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.

animals aren't used at all. People, however, do dress the parts — Mary, Joseph, the wise men, etc. The volunteers stand shivering at a manger on the church lawn in a silent tribute to Christmas.