I think I could watch Christmas movies all year round! I have even started to appreciate the formulaic Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. But my absolute favorites are the oldies. White Christmas (1954) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947) will forever be at the top of my list. And yes, I do always cry.
Other favorites include:
- Home Alone (1990) is a must-see for me. Macaulay Culkin is absolutely adorable. It has a bit of every emotion going on including suspense, sadness, action, heart warming and funny.
- It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) A classic for all.
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) Reminds me of childhood since it was on TV every year.
- Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Another classic from childhood.
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) And another childhood favorite. Who can forget Little Cindy Lou Who.
- A Christmas Story (1983) This isn’t my favorite of the holiday classics, but I think for Christmas movie literacy it must be watched.
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) Hilarious!
Although they are not holiday movies, the networks do tend to run them as a marathon around the holidays and those are the Bond movies. I love to watch them at the holidays; my favorite is Skyfall, which I watched with the boys at Thanksgiving. Didn’t new James Bond movies used to get released around the holidays?
My final holiday must-see is the Downton Abbey Christmas Special (okay, the entire series would be perfect for the holidays) and Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (which I watched over the weekend). Both of these create a feeling of warmth and must be watched in a dark room with a hot tea or chocolate.
I guess I had better get started watching all the shows and movies on my list because it looks like I have several hours of movies to see between now and the end of the month. I may not have enough popcorn to string, as I will have eaten it all during the movie marathons.
What are your favorite Christmas movies?
