Approximately every two weeks, my sister and I declare a “Movie Day!”

We might go to a theatre on the rare occasion there’s actually something of interest to us playing. But usually she comes to my house, arriving mid- to late morning. Which brings me to the first rule of Movie Day. WE ARE NOT REQUIRED TO GET UP EARLY! In fact, we may not actually start our movie(s) before lunch, depending on how late a start we get, how much catching up we need to do first, and how long it takes us to decide what we’re going to watch.

Movie selection is critical, of course. Unless I have a DVD borrowed from the library for us to watch, we normally pick something from my personal collection (which is separate and distinct from my husband’s collection, btw). The question is, what are we in the mood for? Rom-com (i.e. While You Were Sleeping, You’ve Got Mail). Period drama (Jane Austen Adaptations top the list, naturally). Something quirky and fun (like Strictly Ballroom). A musical we can sing along with (The Sound of Music, Mama Mia). It doesn’t matter that we’ve seen some of them a dozen+ times before.

The only overriding principle when choosing is that the MOVIE MUST HAVE A CLASSICLY HAPPY ENDING! This is something my sister is especially adamant about. I can accept an ambiguous ending occasionally, if it’s well done (I Capture the Castle, Before We Go) but she cannot. If in doubt about an intended film, I pre-watch it to be sure it will measure up. That’s part of my job description as movie day hostess.

The other part of our arrangement is that I provide A GORMET LUNCH, INCLUDING DESSERT. She does the driving; I do the cooking. That’s the deal. Quiche is preferred, but panini, tuna/chicken melts, or taco salad are some other acceptable choices.

Since it was my sister’s birthday the last time we had a movie day, I went all out: Quiche Lorraine, served with crisp and juicy grapes on the side, and chocolate cake with Grandma Jensen’s white fluffy frosting. (Not surprisingly, the guest of honor claimed all leftovers as part of her birthday booty to take home for later.) Our movie was also something special: Pride and Prejudice 1980, which she hadn’t seen before. So it was all I could do to prevent myself from constantly adding helpful annotative comments (“That line is taken directly from the book. That one too!”)

Which brings me to our final rule. THE MOVIE IS TOTALLY INTERRUPTABLE, for lunch and dessert, of course, but also for a myriad of other and sundry excuses. We’ll be going along nicely, and then one of us says, “Pause!” Need to check a newly arrived text. Need to ask a question or tell the other person something before we forget. Time for a bathroom break. Or one of us (actually, always my sister) has drifted off to sleep.

This is when the advantage of selecting movies we’ve seen before becomes apparent; full concentration isn’t necessary. Because in the end, despite the name, our “movie days” aren’t primarily about the movies. It’s just a good excuse for us to get together. I guess we should really change the name to “Sister Day!”

Do you have a similar tradition with your sister(s) or best friend? What are your “rules” – the same as ours or different? What’s the last movie you watched with somebody other than your spouse?

A week or ten days rolled quietly away after this visit before any new bustle arose to interrupt even for half a day the tranquil and affectionate intercourse of the two sisters, whose mutual regard was increasing with the intimate knowledge of each other which such intercourse produced. (The Watsons)