Dare I say
this might actually be a more contentious topic than politics or religion?
Like most
people, I have very strong feelings on the subject. And just to clarify, I am considering
full-length movies as well as all of those half-hour tv shows including
animated and Claymation.
The best
Christmas movie, for me, is one that truly embodies the Christmas spirit and takes place during the Christmas
season. If the movie has only one of
these qualifications and not the other, it is a non-starter. Period.
For example, Ghostbusters has
a scene during the Christmas holiday, but has absolutely nothing to do with the
Christmas spirit. Conversely, one might say that Mr. Holland’s Opus displays a “Christmas” spirit, but has nothing
to do with the holiday. So keep that in
mind for later.
I limited
myself to ten which took some discipline.
Here they are in chronological order:
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946): Every time a bell rings, an angel
gets its wings. A great movie to watch
both as a child and then again as an adult.
Miracle on 34th Street
(1947): Santa and
Christmas are put on trial and the Christmas spirit saves the day. Check, check.
The Bishop’s Wife (1948): A guardian angel, a saved marriage,
and trees that decorate themselves. What
more could you ask for?
Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964): Burl Ives is reason enough to put
Rudolf on the short list. Throw in the
classic children’s song and an acceptance story and I am all ears.
Frosty the Snowman (1969): Who among us as children did not
root for Frosty to make it?
The Year without a Santa Claus (1974): The Heat Miser and the Snow Miser
are the BEST. And my kids love it, too,
so that rules out my preference being a generational thing.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000): I realize the animated version came
way before the live action version, but Jim Carrey rocks the Grinch part.
The Polar Express (2004): It seems that everybody wants to
make a “Christmas movie” these days – in hopes that they will score that great
song that stands the test of time or dvd/download sales year after year. Polar Express nails it – it has truly
classic, beautiful Christmas music and a sweet story that I never grow tired of
watching.
Elf (2003): A human man raised as an elf
seeking his real father’s acceptance.
Heartwarming and nice to get an elf story for a change.
A Christmas Carol (2009): I know there are so many good
versions of this story, so I picked the one with the most current
technology. A story with a message still
relevant 173 years after it was written!
Here is the
controversial part: I really didn’t
love Love Actually. I know there are a lot of fans out
there. Yes, I guess it meets the
criteria, but I just didn’t think it was anything special. Just another rom com that happens to be set
at Christmas-time.
And one more
while I am at it: Die Hard is not a
Christmas movie, people! Terrorists in
December does not a Christmas classic make!
For fun, I
asked my family members what their favorites were. Both my husband and my son said Polar Express and my daughter said both Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Since these are movies I included as well, I think this gives my list
street cred!
So there you
have it, my list of Christmas favorites.
What is on your short list? Are
there any on my list that you haven’t seen that you now may look to see? Are you freaking out about my opinions on Love Actually or Die Hard? Let me know! Perhaps I can be persuaded…
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