The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

I love holiday traditions.

Every Thanksgiving, I cook up a storm on Tuesday evening, Wednesday afternoon/evening, and Thanksgiving Day morning/early afternoon.

Rebecca always decorates and sets the table. She takes pride in making it look special.

Then we all enjoy the same exact dinner every year: appetizers of fresh veggies and dips, my cheese ball and crackers, roasted turkey, herbed stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, baked whole sweet potatoes, lemon-pepper green beans, cranberry-orange relish, fresh hot rolls, pumpkin pie, rhubarb pie, cranberry spritzer, and big glasses of milk. For the past couple of years, a really good white wine also graces the table. (One of the many perks of having adult children!)

Mark and Sam take care of all the clean up.

Then, for the rest of the weekend, Mama don't cook no more. It's everyone help yourself to all the bounty in the fridge whenever hunger strikes. Just remember to seal the lids on all that tupperware, and put your dirty dishes in the sink. Someone will load the dishwasher later.

Then, on Saturday night, we choose a first-run movie to go see. This is a treat because all year we patiently wait for those great movies to hit the dollar theatres, or to be among the offerings at the Red Box rental kiosk.

This year, it was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Rebecca and I had both read the book last summer.

(We also both read Twilight, but there was no way we would even think to ask the men to sit through all that teen-aged hype and hysteria. Besides, we knew their comments would probably ruin our perfectly good fantasies of being bitten by Edward.)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a must-see. Be warned: it's not a "feel-good" movie. Rather, it so painfully displays the horror of a Nazi "work camp" through the eyes of innocent childhood.

Bruno, a fun and imaginative 8-year-old who reads adventure books and loves to go exploring, is the son of a recently-promoted soldier. "The Fury" comes to dinner at his house, and all of a sudden Bruno's dad is a big shot and the family must move to some place called "Out-With" where his dad will be called Herr Comandant.

Bruno is not happy, but tries to make the best of things. From his new bedroom window, out in the distance he sees what he thinks is a farm, and all the farmers get to wear their pajamas all day. The children, too. He sees lots of children, and wishes he could go over to play with them. He has no one to play with at this new house in Out-With, and he misses his friends back in Berlin.

One afternoon, Bruno sneaks through a garden gate that was mistakenly left open and goes exploring.

I won't spoil the rest of the story by giving any more details. Just know that it's the kind of movie which causes the audience to sit absolutely silent while the end credits roll.