Phyllis Loves Classic Movies: Christmas with Bette Davis

Bette Davis may have had a reputation for being tough, but she also loved Christmas and even starred in two Christmas films: The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) and Pocketful of Miracles (1961). Being from New England, she sent cards, decorated the house in the traditional way, with a live tree, stockings, and greenery, listened to Bing Crosby, and wore a red Santa hat (source).

Some of Bette's ornaments that went up for auction.

In her autobiography The Lonely Life, Bette recalled her Christmas' as a child:

It was Daddy's favorite holiday. He personally decorated the tree every year. Christmas Eve was his night. He was our Santa Claus. What a thrill those Christmas mornings were. One would have thought the Magi had visited us from the shower of gifts that spilled into the hallway.

I remember receiving one skate from Uncle Myron and bravely hiding my disappointment. How could I wait a whole year for the other? I smiled bravely - and then the other skate was retrieved from its hiding place in the closet. How everyone roared! Christmas was the only time I remember the whole family's laughing together (21).

And of course, being Bette, her Christmas' could be dramatic, like the time played Santa at her school and caught on fire. She had to apply grease to her face every day to avoid scarring.

My first Christmas there I was Santa Claus. I had no idea that I would play him all my life. At Crestalban it was my role for three years. The third time was almost the last. The tree was lighted by real candles as there was no electricity at the school. That dates me! Under the tree were our gifts from the faculty and each other. I had been told not to go near the tree—my curiosity got the better of me and in an attempt to find my presents the cotton batting on the sleeve of my costume caught fire. I started shaking it to put it out and managed only to spread the flame to my beard. Suddenly I was on fire. I started screaming in terror. I heard voices, felt myself being wrapped in a rug—and then silence all around me. Everyone was quite naturally panicked. When the rug was taken off, I decided to keep my eyes closed. Ever the actress! I would make believe I was blind. "Her eyes!" A shudder of delight went through me. I was in complete command of the moment. I had never known such power.

I eventually opened my eyes to the relief of everyone. Bobby, who had been much impressed when she read The Little Match Girl, turned away with tears streaming down her face, expecting to find her sister a pile of ashes when she looked back at me. The Whiting sisters told me to be a good sport and not spoil the Christmas festivity (25).

Being a Hollywood Star, Bette participated in holiday-themed publicity, from switching on the lights for the 1936 Hollywood Christmas Parade, posing for holiday-themed publicty photos, or filming a pretend scene in 1942 to encouraging everyone to buy War Bonds as Christmas gifts.

Christmas at the Hollwood Canteen, which Bette had co-founded with John Garfield, could be emotional.

Watching the faces of the GIs trying so hard to be cheerful made all of us die a little. How homesick they all were. One Christmas Eve there was a knock at the kitchen door of the Canteen. I opened it up and there stood Bing Crosby and his three very young sons. He grinned at me and said, "I thought maybe we could help out tonight." They sag Christmas carols for the next hour. There was not a dry eye in the Canteen (This 'n That, 97).