Ten Favorite Christmas Movies

There was some great feedback about last week's list of Ten of my Favorite Christmas Songs! I am back with another list of Ten Favorites for the holiday season. This time it is movies.

Christmas and movies go together like Santa Claus and cookies. Many movies use this joyous time of year to get their heartwarming message across, and still more have used Christmas simply as a setting for stories not otherwise holiday-related. Since I know it will come up, this is just a list of movies and will not include those that were originally shown as televised specials. No Charlie Brown, No Rudolph, No Snow Miser. I may just do that next week!

Again, in no particular order

You've Got Mail//Shop Around the Corner

So I realize that many of you are out there scratching your head going "WHAaaaaa...?!" I realize that both of these films aren't Christmasy per say but they both remind me of Christmas. Both adaptations of this story are based on the Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László. I love them both.

In Shop Around the Corner, the main characters' disdain for each other is fueled by the tension and stresses of working the Budapest gift shop during the holidays. Alfred Kralik (Stewart's character) finally confesses that he is Klara Novak's (Sullivan's character) penpal that she had been falling in love with on Christmas Eve.

You've Got Mail is less christmas based and spans almost a full year with plenty of scenes throughout all the seasons, but for some reason some of the scenes that stand out most to me are the Christmas scenes. Plus, those are some of the most pivotal ones! Like when Fox Books first opens, and ShopGirl  (meg Ryan) turns to NY152 (Tom Hanks) for help, and when they decide to meet and Kathleen Kelley does not realize NY152 is really her arch enemy Joe Fox. All scenes during the holiday season!

A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story is a Christmas classic! Oh Ralphie it just wouldn't be the same without you and your devotion for that Red Ryder BB Gun. Every child has a year or a few where they are entirely infatuated with one gift that they want from Santa. Except for me. I cannot think of a single year that I begged for one and only one item. My sister on the other hand had one special thing she longed for. She never wrote a Christmas list because "Santa knows..." and my parents would have to pry it out of her or read her "journals". Without fail the one gift she wanted would be the "IT" kids toy that every other little girl wanted. My parents would have to scour every toy store to try to find that one thing.

Anecdote aside, this movie is one of those films that just exude "The American Family" to me and is the utter representation of Christmas!

Batman Returns

Even the villains love to wreak havoc during the Christmas. And Heroes love that mistletoe! Just a note this will not be the only Tim Burton masterpiece on my list!

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse."

 That quote right there is the reason why this movie should be one EVERYONE'S list of favorite holiday movies! Also, John Hughes is a genius.

ELF

After watching this movie even the scroogiest of Scrooges can't deny the holiday cheer! Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) even got his old curmudgeon of a dad (James Caan) to get into the Christmas Spirit. Plus, it's Zooey Deschanel again, for the win!

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Considering that this movie gives every Christmas lover an excuse to watch a Christmas movie in October, who doesn't love this movie? Jack Skellington dreams of more than Halloween and earnestly tries to get the rest of HalloweenTown on board with the venture. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? Helping out mankind? Unfortunately, Jack Skellington's efforts end up scaring the poor humans! It's still heart-warming to me.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

We all have a favorite misanthropic friend whose heart swells three times during the holidays. Jim Carrey really brings this story to life and gives the ol Grinch some great flair! His evilness reigns up until he gets all discombobulated by the Who's singing instead of Christmas crying.

The Santa Clause

This movie is just chalk full of great moral lessons. Don't steal someone's vehicle or you'll end up stranded in some crazy snow covered town. Don't lie or you'll get warm soy milk. Don't hold strangers' kids on your lap or people will think you're a creep.  Don't forget to read the fine print or you'll end up in a lifelong commitment that you weren't prepared for and will get people thinking you're crazy!

Also please never forget David Krumholtz with pointy ears, dreads, and ridiculously festive clothing as Bernard the Christmas Elf!

Gremlins

What happens when you ask for something read odd for Christmas? A horde of malicious little devil creatures attack you and everyone you know during the "Hap, Hap, Happiest" time of the year! With the ordeal coming to head in a critter war in a department store with both sides bench testing Christmas goodies in ways the manufacturers never thought of.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Jim Henson + Sir Michael Cain + Christmas = MAGIC! The End.

What are your favorite Christmas movies? Do you have any movies you HAVE to watch during the holiday season?

 Stay tuned for next week's list!