Top Christmas/Holiday Movies...
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In the U.S. we have a holiday this week known as Thanksgiving. This holiday is widely viewed as the "official" beginning of the holiday season here. This when shopping begins in earnest, decorations go up, and kids begin deciding what they want for the holidays. One of the traditions we have at our house is that we begin watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music starting this week. So, with that in mind I thought I would share with you my top holiday movies, and ask you about yours as well. Here are mine...
1. Miracle on 34th Street - I love this holiday movie above all others. It makes me feel good, and the story is great. And a young Natalie Wood making her fim debut. I remember the first time I saw this as a young boy, I was convinced that Ed Gwenn was really Santa Claus. Oh, and don't bother with the remake, it really sucked.
2. A Christmas Story - This movie still makes me laugh out loud. It reminds me so much of my childhood, and in fact I had a Red Rider BB Gun very similar to the one Ralphie covets in the movie - and I heard over and over, "You'll shoot your eye out!" The "Chinese Turkey" Christmas dinner with the waiters singing still cracks me up.
3. The Santa Clause - For quite some time I thought that a good, wholesome, timeless holiday movie was out of Hollywood's grasp anymore. Then along came this movie. My kids think that the way the "Santa" mythology is presented in this movie is very plausible, and they are convinced that this documents how Santa can live forever. BTW, I liked The Santa Clause 2, but not nearly as much as this one.
4. The Stop-Action Animation shorts - this includes Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. My chorus teacher in high school, Brand Krantz, looked exactly like the "dentist elf" in Rudolph, and who doesn't enjoy saying "Burgermeister Meisterburger" from Santa Clause is Coming to Town?
5. The Animated shorts - this includes Frosty the Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas. These are timeless classics from my childhood that I still love. For Frosty, I love singing the song and listening to Jimmy Durante narrate, for Charlie Brown I love Linus' reading of the Christmas story, and for the Grinch I love Boris Karloff's narration and Chuck Jones' artistry.
6. It's a Wonderful Life - Yeah, it is down on my list. I mean, it is a classic, but it isn't as high on my list as others, obviously.
Now I am going to throw a couple of new ones out there for you. First, I recommend you get the DVD of Elf starring Will Farrell that just came out. It is really silly and funny, and is fun to watch with your family. My kids are now running around the house calling each other "cottonheaded ninnymuggins", and that's worth it alone ;)
The second new one I recommend is going to be a family field trip, and I have blogged about it already - The Polar Express. It is a wonderful holiday movie, and if you can take your own kids or go with someone else's, because that is where you truly see the magic of this movie. There is also an I-MAX 3D version out - we may go check that out in a matinee as well.
What movies do you consider manditory holiday viewing? I would love to find some new ones for my list.
Oh, and I used that pic with this post just because it made me laugh, in an evil sort of way ;>
Rock
**How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a barbecue?
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Comments
Posted by Nathan T. Freeman At 01:18:16 PM On 11/22/2004 | - Website - |
My only addition to movies is "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Everytime I watch it I notice something new. Some people classify this as a Halloween film, but it's most definitely a Yuletide flick.
And for Animated Shorts, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" tops my list followed by "A Charlie Brown Christmas", and "The Year Without a Santa Claus". I still walk around singing the "Heat Miser" and "Cold Miser" songs to this day.
And now for something completely different, here's what to avoid:
Posted by Bill At 03:13:20 PM On 11/22/2004 | - Website - |
Posted by Gregg Eldred At 02:55:22 PM On 11/24/2004 | - Website - |
Posted by KJ At 01:08:44 PM On 12/10/2004 | - Website - |
Yeah, sappy, I know...
Rock
Posted by Rock At 09:56:45 AM On 11/26/2004 | - Website - |
Posted by Ben Poole At 02:57:40 PM On 11/23/2004 | - Website - |
Then, too, there is "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story", the movie that led to the Waltons. Again, there's a lot more gritty realism than one usually expects. The characters, though mostly played by children, are very real -- and the Depression setting gives one pause over one's own complaints in life.
Sorry -- nobody gets blowed up real good or anything. It's all about the skillful jerking of tears.
Posted by Stan Rogers At 04:59:27 PM On 11/25/2004 | - Website - |
Posted by Ben Langhinrichs At 01:55:38 PM On 11/22/2004 | - Website - |
"The lime and lemon taste of Sprite
joins the celebration.
The taste of limon mixes right
on holiday oacaisions.
Sprite makes brighter holidays!
Limon is the reason.
Sprite goes well so many ways
to bring good cheer this Sea-ea-son!"
Man, I need to get a life.
-Devin.
Posted by Devin Olson At 05:01:41 PM On 12/20/2004 | - Website - |
-Devin.
Posted by Devin Olson At 04:02:44 PM On 11/23/2004 | - Website - |
...What?
Just kidding.
Really- I am kidding...no- really, I am!
I do love that movie, though.
With my kids, I love Charlie Brown's Christmas and A Christmas Story. We watch it about 5 times between Christmas eve and Christmas day on USA or whatever channel runs it for 24 hours. It's always on at whoever's house we're at.
I remember having the same thoughts about coming home one day blind or maimed or something from all the horrors my parents inflicted on me seeing their overwhelming grief at my demise.
So, I went home and all, but the grief just wasn't there. Not sure what happened.
As for music, I have the soundtrack to Charlie Brown's Christmas special. You can't beat the Vince Guaraldi Trio. They made those Charlie Brown specials. I miss not having the old Peter Paul commercials on, though.
"Whenever I bite into a York Peppermint Patty, I feel like I'm climbing Mount Everest....blah blah blah"
And how 'bout that SPECIAL intro that they always did with that cool rhythm (cool because you knew a great show was coming on) as "SPECIAL" twirled into the background...
Yeah, I'm a walking 70's useless kid trivia treasure chest.
Posted by Tom At 02:00:18 PM On 11/23/2004 | - Website - |
Maybe it was fate telling me to keep my addictions to Christmas ads in the closet.
Posted by Jess Stratton At 01:17:20 PM On 11/24/2004 | - Website - |
Devin brought up Christmas ads...
My four ads that I will never forget:
1. The Folger's coffee ad, where the kid comes home from college laden with beautifully wrapped gifts, and shushes his little sister coming down the stairs, and then puts on a pot of coffee. Yeah right! When I came home from college, I only had one thing - laundry, and lots of it. Gifts? What college kid has money for THAT?
2. The kid ice skating with Ronald McDonald, doing figure eights or something. It was downright hokey and campy, but it definately signified Chrismas.
3. The Coca-Cola ad where everyone rushes out of their house to see all the trucks lit up with Christmas lights, and the anticipatory music playing in the background, "the holidays are coming"...
4. The Coca-Cola polar bears. 'Nuff said.
Posted by At 01:15:47 PM On 11/24/2004 | - Website - |
How about "Santa Clause Conquers the Martians"
http://www.scifimovies.com/movies/mov0227.shtml
and don't leave off the original "The Bishops Wife", "Holiday Inn", "The Bells of St Mary's" and my all time favorite "The March of the Wooden Soldiers":
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/march_of_the_wooden_soldiers/about.php
Posted by Christopher Byrne At 01:45:00 PM On 11/22/2004 | - Website - |
Posted by Jess Stratton At 03:46:44 PM On 11/22/2004 | - Website - |
John
Posted by John Coolidge At 12:52:55 PM On 11/22/2004 | - Website - |
Posted by lily At 05:49:15 PM On 11/22/2004 | - Website - |
Posted by Kevin At 02:40:18 PM On 11/22/2004 | - Website - |