I’ve got a sick kid at home from school today and so she’s been camped out on our couch watching a marathon of Christmas movies between cat-naps and sniffles.
Our favorites (for kids):
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer;
How the Grinch Stole Christmas the cartoon, not the recent bad movie;
Santa Claus is Coming to Town;
A Charlie Brown Christmas;
and my all time favorite kids Christmas movie, The Year Without a Santa Claus (and NOT that disaster made for TV last night, but the original Rankin/Bass one from the 70s.)
For one and all:
Any decent version of A Christmas Carol;
Miracle on 34th Street the original Natalie Wood version; A Christmas Story; Holiday Inn (much better than White Christmas);
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation because you can’t take anything--even Christmas--too seriously; and my all time favorite movie, period It’s a Wonderful Life
Attack or add at will!
The three best Christmas movies of all time:
1. Die Hard - Captures the idea of what’s most important at the holidays: killing terrorists to save your family.
2. Bad Santa - After watching "It’s a Wonderful Life" for the 50th time or "White Christmas" (and Julie’s right, it is overrated), and putting the kids to bed, watch the movie that reminds us what’s important about Christmas by completely undermining everything sacred about it. HI-larious!!!
3. Die Hard 2 - As moving as "Die Hard" but with more exploding airplanes.
Merry Christmas!!!
LOL Moaner. That’s a good one. Get into the spirit of the season by whacking wrongdoers, exploding evildoers, destroying dirtballs.
That’s a good one.
Julie,
No "Christmas Story?" Ralphie, the scandalous leg, having ones toungue stuck to a flag pole. Any young person needs this movie (or be able to quote from it) to truly appreciate the 20th c. history of an American Christmas.
For the adults let me add Trading Places, a WASP masterpiece.
Many New Year and Don’t shoot your eyes out!
thanks for mentioning holiday inn. it’s rarely ever broadcast anymore and you will never see bing or astaire any better. and the incredibly tasteless ted turner left it in black and white.
if you want gore for christmas, though, forget diehard. go for three kings.
Read it again, Brass. She did include it.
Holiday Inn, the Ralphie Christmas Story, the National Lampoon movie--with Randy Quaid’s great performance, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Bad Santa are all good, each in its own way. Most Christmas movies aren’t. Well, I like the Will Farrell elf movie too.
The best movies are escapist fare, so for me the best Christmas movies don’t relate to the holiday at all. WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFE, anyone?
Growing up, I watched every possible Christmas Special I could, and some favorites that have slipped between the cracks (although some for good reason) include:
Pinnky & the Brain’s Christmas, which I think is one of the greatest Christmas cartoons ever. This is only available as part of Pinky and the Brain DVD set Vol 1
I always loved (and still force my family to watch) Christmas Comes to Pac Land, an 80’s Pacman cartoon. Yes I know its terribly written, but it has that innocent nostalgic feel. It appeals to that sugar cereal eating 8-year-old in me. Sadly its not available on DVD, but your TIVO can usually find it on Cartoon Network or Boomerang
My wife’s favorite is the Garfield Christmas Special She especially enjoys the oooooohhh when the light up the tree. We probably have to watch that scene 10 times a viewing...
Finally, I give The Tick Christmas Special my highest recomendation. The Tick fights a villian named Multiple Santa. Needless to say, hilarity ensues. Again, not avaialable on DVD, but can be found this season on Toon Disney
Hope these oddball Christmas picks find their way into soneone’s home this year...
Thank you, Rich, for making me feel very, very old! PacMan? Pinky and the Brain? You were a kid when those things were around? Geeesh!
No Christmas goes by without my family watching a couple of renditions of Dickens’ classic "A Christmas Carol." My all-time favorite versions are 1) the Muppets’ Christmas Carol, and 2) the Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott as Scrooge. You can’t be that.
Of course, we also watch "A Christmas Story," "It’s a Wonderful Life,", and something almost impossible to find -- "The Gathering" with Ed Asner. Luckily, we still have a fading VHS tape of that one...but it won’t last many more years.
How about "Three Godfathers," by John Ford, based, I think, on a story by Damon Runyon?