Right now, there's probably about a kajillion kilowatt hours making lights blink. In just a few hours, a lot of children will be waking up & ripping presents open. A little later than that, families will gather over dinner. Some of my best memories are connected to Christmas. I remember this time of year holding so much magic as a child. There's nothing like waking up on Christmas morning to find Voltron waiting under the tree. Of course, those were the days when toys were made of die-cast aluminum instead of crappy plastic... but I digress. While I remember the presents, it's the "little things" that mother & father did to try to make things special that I remember the most.
So on this Christmas Eve, I thought I would lay this question on the table to pass the time: What is the best Christmas movie... ever?
To me, the best Christmas films are the ones that either capture the "charm" of Christmas, or the absurdities that surround it.
Let me get the ball rolling.....
['It's A Wonderful Life'] - (1946)
"A toast to my big brother George, the richest man in town."
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Let's start with the granddaddy of them all. This is arguably the definitive Christmas film, as well as one of the classics director Frank Capra is remembered for. Does the film's ending come together just a little too easy? Well... yeah. But by God does it work, and is probably one of the best endings in movie history. Almost every part of it (
Jimmy Stewart running down the street in happiness, the toast, the bell ringing, etc.) is iconic.
It's also interesting that, while the ending is a happy ending, Mr. Potter gets away with the theft (which is even more interesting considering it arguably violates the Hays Code Hollywood was operating under at the time).
['A Christmas Story'] - (1983)
"With as much dignity as he could muster, the Old Man gathered up the sad remains of his shattered Major Award. Later that night, alone in the backyard, he buried it next to the garage. Now I could never be sure, but I thought that I heard the sound of "Taps" being played. Gently."
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Probably no other movie captures what it's like to be a kid during Christmas, and wanting something for Christmas so bad & the wait, wonder, doubt ("
You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"), and amazement when you actually get it. It also gets a great many aspects of the family dynamics perfectly, as well as those God-awful gifts that Aunts send. I have spent Christmas Day with my Mother trying to find an open restaurant after a kitchen mishap, so the Chinese Christmas Dinner is especially great.
['A Charlie Brown Christmas'] - (1965)
"Charlie Brown, you're the only person I know that can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem. Maybe Lucy's right. Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Brownest."
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Charlie Brown, patron saint of endless optimism in the face of bad luck, is tasked with finding the "
perfect" Christmas tree for a play. Charlie Brown's blind love for a sad, little Christmas tree, and how it brings out the true meaning of Christmas in the other
Peanuts characters, has made this film a staple of Christmas for almost a half century.
['National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'] - (1989)
"Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your ass. Happy Hanukkah."
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If the
original 'Vacation' film perfectly satirizes what it's like to be in a cross-country family trip, this film gets what it's like trying to make everything "
perfect" for Christmas, while family & in-laws are coming in, and depending on that Christmas bonus to cover everything.
['Scrooged'] - (1988)
"Well, I'm sure Charles Dickens would have wanted to see her nipples."
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I could have chosen almost any of the films based on Charles Dickens'
A Christmas Carol, and there have been a lot of them. However, I'm a sucker for Bill Murray speeches in film (
his speech in 'Stripes' is my favorite).
['Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'] - (1977)
"Oh, "There Ain't No Hole in the Washtub!" That's what you call your basic 'keeping-warm-while-you're-rowing-home' kinda song."
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Muppets +
The Gift of Magi = Epic Win. Based on the children's storybook by Russell Hoban, this was a staple on HBO when I was a kid & is quite a touching story about the best damn jug band you'll ever hear.