White Christmas

The holidays are always inundated with holiday movies...and many consider the granddaddy of them all to be the film White Christmas.  My mom never appreciated this holiday classic, so we never watched it when it was on TV.  I knew that Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney were in it, but I never viewed the film to make my own critique...until now.  I managed to watch it last Saturday night on TCM, and was truly excited to see a true classic holiday film.  Now many folks will probably bombard me with hateful comments, but this film fell below my expectations...I finally understand why my mom never cared for it!  It starts off during WWII.  The soldiers are making the best of their situation by singing Christmas songs in an effort to bring up the soldiers spirits.  Bing sings the title song to the soldiers and then they honor their General who is being re-assigned.  It is a touching and moving scene and gets the film to a great start.  Shortly afterwards, they are attacked, and Bing is saved by Danny Kaye during the ensuing battle.  Danny then makes a deal with Bing to be partners in song and dance and over the years they become famous performers and producers.  Danny is constantly trying to push one of the dancing dames onto Bing, but he is  not interested in any of those women.  Its not until they are duped into meeting a sister act which consists of Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen that Danny realizes that Bing is smitten with Rosemary.   

They manage to all end up at a Vermont Inn, through a series of ridiculous circumstances.  When they arrive at their destination, it curiously looks like springtime, because the leaves on the trees are still green, even though it is supposed to be December!  To be honest, the movie didn't really have that Holiday feeling about it until almost the end of the film.  Most of the songs in the film were NOT of the holiday variety...and I swear, if I hear that silly Sisters song ever again I'll jump out of a window!  So please, tell me why, of all the holiday films, is this one considered the best of the genre?