I'm not entirely sold on the idea of movie theaters being open on Christmas day. Sure, there are a lot of other holidays going on this season—but why aren't any other businesses open on this day? Why the heck do these poor people at the movie theater have to work on a day of rest and for some, celebration?

Many movie studios choose to release their more big-hype, big-budget films on Christmas Day, including Universal Pictures' Les Miserables, The Weinstein Company's Django Unchained, and 20th Century Fox's comedy Parental Guidance. Although all three movies have piqued my interest this season, I still feel no desire to see any of them on a day generally reserved for staying at home.

Quite a few people, however, disagree with my worldview. Box office records are broken constantly when films are released on Christmas Day—studios make millions of dollars off of people who either don't celebrate Christmas, are starting new family traditions or are just looking for something to do after the parties. Now, I'm not saying that it's strange to see a movie on Christmas Day, because a lot of people do not celebrate this particular holiday. However, I do find it strange that on a day when most stores, restaurants and clubs are closed, the only establishment that is still open is the movie theater. 

Why is it that studios make so much money on Christmas Day in particular? If movie theaters can make money while staying open, why don't other businesses follow suit? Wouldn't it be convenient for Meijer to be open on the holiday, as well? 

Watching movies at the movie theater is a new tradition being brought to America's family table, so it makes sense that movie studios would release family-friendly material like Parental Guidance or the musical sensation Les Miserables. It's anyone's guess on who let Django Unchained into the Christmas release date, though—after all, nothing says have a holly jolly Christmas like a homicidal ex-slave assassin. Kudos to Quentin Tarentino for seeing past holiday cheer and giving audiences what they really wanted to see during this season: Jamie Foxx shooting people while Leonardo DiCaprio applauds in the background, allowing himself to be the only person in the room who doesn't realize that he's aging worse than Lindsay Lohan's acting career. All right, that was a little harsh — Hilary Duff's singing career.

Anyway, I do find it kind of upsetting that these poor teenage kids have to keep refilling my popcorn on Christmas, when all a lot of them want to do is go home and spend time with their families. Sure, it may be a tradition to see a movie with your family on Christmas, but I really don't think a lot of those kids want to be waiting on your every ticket stub and soda refill—no one likes to start the tradition of working every Christmas. That is why, good people of Geneva, I will try my absolute hardest to never work in a movie theater—despite my self-proclaimed love for the cinema, it's just not worth the free movie passes (I'm operating on the assumption of perks to this job) to work on major holidays instead of spending time with my family.

So this year, if you start or have been going to the movies every year for Christmas, make sure to give those poor Christmas shift workers a big tip, or at least make their lives a little easier. They want to see their families just as much as everyone else, so it's better to make their Christmases as happy as possible. But hey, I don't know the inner workings of movie theaters; maybe they get paid more for holidays. Enjoy future holiday classic Django Unchained, and make sure, no matter what holiday you celebrate, that you show how thankful you are to live in a place where you can celebrate your holidays any way you choose, whether it be eating dinner at home or spending your day double-featuring at the movies.