Who doesn’t love a good cheesy Christmas film, eh? I LOVE them. Really I can’t emphasise enough how much I enjoy a feel good cinematic experience so Christmas movies really hit the spot for me. I remember when I was a young ‘un just how exciting it was to go through the Radio Times searching for when my favourite films were going to be shown and making sure I got up extra early to watch them (inevitably the ones I wanted to watch were all at the crack of dawn!).
Now it’s a lot easier to find the films I want to watch because I have most of them on DVD and the ones I don’t can be found on Amazon or Netflix. Still there are some films that I save up all year and only watch at Christmas because it’s become a tradition!
My Christmas Film Picks
Although this isn’t technically a Christmas film it was always shown on the TV near Christmas and it was the only time of year that I would definitely get to watch it. There is action, adventure, romance, and rodents of unusual size; what’s not to love?! This was the film I always pounced on the Radio Times to find and even now that I have the DVD I still mostly wait until Christmas to watch it. I think it might possibly be my favourite film ever and if you haven’t seen it go and watch it now! If my word isn’t good enough for you the good people at IMDb give it a rating of 8.1 and they know their movies!
James Stewart brings all the feels in this classic. George, a businessman fed up and disillusioned with life, meets Clarence the angel and he is shown what the world would be like if he’d never been born. Yes, it’s in black and white and can seem as a bit slow to start but persevere and I’m sure you’ll love it too. Makes me cry every time, in fact I’m getting a bit teary just thinking about it! It’s the perfect film to help put things in perspective and make you appreciate who and what you’ve got.
Home Alone (1990)Undoubtedly the film that made Macaulay Culkin famous (is that a good thing???) this was one of my childhood favourites although it can feel a bit dated now. Family on holiday, phone lines down, no way to contact they child they left behind? It definitely wouldn’t work today and I think some of the younger generation might be a bit bemused by the idea of people not being contactable 24/7 but thankfully the humour still works for my kids because they’re going to be subjected to it for years to come! There is some of the best slapstick humour ever as Culkin’s character Kevin protects his family home from a pair of persistent burglars.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Muppets take on Dickens’ classic story is a family favourite in this house. It’s one of my mum’s favourite films too and it wouldn’t be Christmas with a little reminder from the Muppets about the meaning of Christmas. With Michael Caine starring as Ebenezer Scrooge and an ensemble cast of Muppets in the other starring roles. This follows the Dickens story quite closely with the addition of some great songs and a smattering of typical Muppet humour.
Scrooged (1988)Yet another take on Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. It doesn’t follow the story as faithfully as The Muppet Christmas carol and sees Bill Murray in the “Scrooge” role as Frank Cross an unlikeable TV executive who is haunted by three spirits. This is definitely the film I put on to get the big beardy one in a Christmassy mood because he can be a bit Bah Humbug about the whole season!
Love Actually (2003)The most ridiculous film on my list, Love Actually comes from the creators of Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral. It has an all star cast and follows numerous different stories of people in love. All the stories eventually intertwine in some way or another. I love how silly this film is yet it does a brilliant job showing all the different loving relationships we can have as friends, couples, siblings and parents. It is just so nice that I feel happy just thinking about it and it might actually rival It’s a Wonderful Life for the feels!
Arthur Christmas (2011)This is another one I can actually persuade the big beardy one to watch and the kids love it too. A super animated adventure with a great cast of talented Brits including James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Bill Nighy. Santa’s job has been made a bit easier by a lot of hi-tech equipment, but mistakes can still happen! Santa’s clumsy son Arthur goes on a race against time to save Christmas for one small child whose present has been forgotten. I came across this film purely by accident as I hadn’t heard much about it before it came out. It’s become a firm favourite here and I now have to stick it on every Christmas Eve!
Elf (2003)Really, do I need to say much here? Will Ferrell at his best as Buddy the Elf who discovers he is really a human and not an elf as he had been brought up to believe. This is one of the great all round festive films and was practically an instant classic. Hard to believe this is the twelfth Christmas we’ll have been able to watch it!
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
I can’t decide if this is a Christmas film or a Halloween film so I watch it for both! Tim Burton’s is about Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king who grows weary of doing the same thing every year. He accidentally opens a portal to Christmas town and is enchanted by the bright and cheery atmosphere
Die Hard (1988)The Die Hard series is my favourite action movie collection of all time! Just in case you’ve been living in a cave or something and have managed to miss the whole franchise this initial instalment stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, an NYPD officer who ends up saving a building load of Christmas hostages, from terrorists. It’s another of my favourites and makes it onto this list purely because it happens to be Christmas in the film. That and it’s just super. I mean it has action, explosions, Bruce Willis in a grubby vest and a scary German terrorist played by the great Alan Rickman (an Englishman!). If you haven’t watched it you must! Yipee-ki-ay mofos!
I hope I’ve been able to point you in the direction of a film you might not have watched yet. I know I’m going to have a fun week or so making my way through them all when the Boy is off school and the big beardy one is off work. There will be mince pies, turkey sandwiches and Christmas cake a plenty! Am I missing anything you’d recommend?
