Admittedly, I've had a tough time getting into the Christmas spirit this year but, hey, the month is young. Today I'll haul my tree out of it's battered up box, wrestle it into place in my living room and by the time I throw all the ornaments up (and of course sigh a little) I'll be moving toward full-blown holiday mode. Over the years, we've had a number of traditions in my family. Some have gone by the wayside as the kids became adults and others? Well, they stick around. One of them that has never died (and probably never will) is sitting around with mugs of hot chocolate to watch the assorted holiday movies. Like you guys, I have some all-time favorites that I insist on seeing every year. They vary from zany...National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story to emotional and moving...A Christmas Carol. Animated stuff is fun too and brings back lots of fun moments of having little ones at home during the season.
You're a Mean One, Misssster Grinch! And let's not forget downright SAPPY.
White Christmas (starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney) is one of the sappier and also one of my favorites. I have a younger sister and when we were teens we happened to be up late one night and took in this particular sugar-coated Christmas musical that featured singing, dancing, sisters (of course) and a Vermont Inn that desperately needed a little (okay...a LOT) of snow. We loved it and a new tradition was born. Every holiday season, my sister and I sat bundled in bathrobes (on the floor) with hot chocolate, cookies and/or popcorn and watched this one. Don't remember how many years in a row we did this but, as the world continued to turn and we were grown women with kids of our own we still managed to say, even long distance..Hey, guess what's on tonight? Are you watching it? I have the dvd version now purchased for the low, low price of five bucks. Think I'll pull it out in a week or so, put it on and remember.
What are some of YOUR favorite holiday movies?
24 comments:
The Grinch and Rudolph are my two holiday staples. It's going to be a crazy hard Christmas this year, as I lost my grandfather, who I was very close to, early last year. I keep thinking, "I'm going to walk into Grandma's house on Christmas morning and he's going to be there in his stupid elf hat," and then trying to train myself out of that thinking. I think the only thing that's going to get me through are the Christmas movies. 24 hours of A Christmas Story, here we come!
Honey, I have been where you are. I actually lost my Dad during the holiday season about 15 years ago. There isn't a day that goes by when I don't miss him and it's especially tough during this time of year. That being said, the pain doesn't go away but it lessons to become a bittersweet kind of thing and eventually we can deal with it. Getting 'into' the cheery stuff will help a bit, I hope.
White Christmas is one of my all-time faves and I just watched it with my daughter and husband. Next on the list is HOLIDAY INN. I always cry at the ending. And don't forget IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. And I'm a big fan of The Grinch Stole Christmas. And being a GLEEK, I also loved Glee's last year's Christmas special where Coach Sylvester dressed up as the Grinch! Priceless!
I just saw one last night. It was called A Princess for Christmas--one of the Hallmark Christmas series. It was utterly formulaic and predictable. But I loved it. Oh well. Sometimes the formula is a formula for a reason. It works.
Oh I'm a GLEEK too, Myla. Sue as the Grinch was hysterical (and very clever).
I agree Ash. We already KNOW the ending will be mooshy, gooshy and happy and that's what we want at Christmas.
I remember the first time I saw White Christmas. I was sick with a head cold and my grandmother, who was a nurse, gave me a shot while we were watching the movie on Christmas Eve night.
My favorite has got to be Bad Santa. I love Billy Bob and love him even more when he's bad!
They've been doing a LOT of stuff on the Hallmark Channel. I think I need to watch some of those.
Isn't it funny how those movies bring back such vivid memories, Debra?
Ok, for me.. it's got to be the OLD Black and Whites.
Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby, Fred Astair
The 193? Christmas Carol with Alister Sims
And for todays.. I just saw Most Wonderful time of the year.. It has Henry Winkler and he is just toooo funny..
yea it's a romance. It was either on ABC family or Hallmark.. so .. Yea.. I'm a geek..
I actually have a week in July where I used to play all the Christmas Movies.. cuz hell I had them.. and the girls grew up knowing that one week in the middle of summer.. I would bake all the "Christmas stuff" .. hey, we had great A/C… It never got THAT hot.. we all "well 3 out of 4 of us " loved it.. the ex thought the Christmas tree was a little over the top.. but hey we had to REALLY get in the spirit..
Sherry
Sherry, that's so damn funny. We used to put on National Lampoon's Christmas Vaction in July! Maybe it's because we were just so HOT here in Texas that anything that reminded us of cooler weather rang all our bells.
I love some of the oldies too. It's a Wonderful Life. Oooooh. Love that one. Miracle on 34th Street. Another one.
The original Miracle on 34th Street. Y'all have a wonderful Christmas season!
Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, Elf, and Charlie Brown Christmas.
christinebails@yahoo.com
Die Hard and Gremlins. All good cautionary Christmas tales! With weaponry.
Love that one, Anny. It doesn't get much better than Maureen O'Hara and beautiful little Natalie Wood.
Chrisbails, one of my earliest Christmas memories was of watching A Charlie Brown Christmas at my grandparents house.
You're cracking me up, Billy. I never thought of Die Hard as a Christmas movie. LOL. Remember the old Chuck Norris movie where the Russians came and blew up all the neighborhood Christmas decorations at the beginning of the movie?? HA. I need to try to remember the name of that one. Chuck kicked butt of course and saved Christmas but it was too late for all those yard decorations.
Nice post! My favorites are Mixed Nuts, Love Actually, White Christmas, A Christmas Carol and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. I also like some holiday episodes of my favorite old TV shows.
I love Grinch, Rudolf, Charlie Browns Christmas and White Christmas too.
It just doesn't seem like Christmas with out watching these old classics.
Janice~
Love Actually....sigh. There are lots of modern Christmas stories out these days but this is one of my favorites.
Janice, there's just such a good selection out there. You know I think rather than do marathons of the same movie over and over they should spread the love a little bit because there's something good in all of these.
Original Miracle on 34th St; Prancer; Nester; Little Drummer Boy; and Muppet Christmas Carol are some of my faves...and Sherry, that Scrooge movie with Alistair Sims is one of my faves of Christmas Carol:)
Ok, first of all, y'all already know I am nuts. So, that said: My fave holiday movie is Nightmare Before Christmas. That and Little Drummer Boy, the one done way back when I was an itty bitty. Tho, The Year Without a Santa Clause is a close third, with Snow Miser and Heat Miser. I even have those dolls!!!
Stacy Wilson
dragn_lady at yahoo dot com
I love the Christmas shows. WHITE CHRISTMAS is one of my favs. Dh got me watching that one and it's a tradition now. I also enjoy LOVE ACTUALLY and the old CHRISTMAS CAROLE.
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