Friday Night Movie Rentals

When I was a kid, there was a family-owned video store less than a mile from our house and right on the way home from school. My sister and I would stop by the store on our way home from school on Friday afternoons and pick which movies we wanted to rent that night. Then, after dinner, our mom would take us down there and we'd rent a big stack for the weekend, usually for 99 cents each. We would probably get 1 or 2 new releases, and then 3 or 4 "favorites." Our favorites generally consisted of The Money Pit, Troop Beverly Hills, Shag, Steel Magnolias, Splash, The Great Outdoors, Christmas Vacation, The Parent Trap, etc.



Now it's completely different. Most movie rental places are big chains and renting movies cost 3 x's as much, so we don't do it very often. There are still plenty to choose from, but I want my boys to also enjoy some of the movies of my childhood, so last night we rented Ghostbusters and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. We started the movies after dinner, put a fire in the fire place, got our pj's on, made some popcorn, and cuddled up on the couch under a soft blanket. Aside from the boys asking 200 questions during the course of the movie, we had a great time, and it warmed my heart seeing them enjoy the same movies I did when I was their age. It brought back so many memories of watching these movies with my mom and sister and it was a great family night.

I wonder, in this age of individualism, with all of the texting, video games, and IMing, if other families out there are still making an effort to come together on Friday nights to rent movies. I am hoping to make this a tradition my boys will look back on fondly, and carry on to their children as well.