The holidays are coming and there’s no denying that! Black Friday has come and gone, Christmas tree farms are advertising, carolers are knocking at your door and what better way to ingore them than with a classic Christmas movie! I pride myself on being one of the most chipper and spirited of people when it comes to the holiday season and I have chosen five all-time favorite holiday movies of mine that should definitely be viewed this season. Who knows, maybe you Grinches will have a change of heart. (Dare I say growth of heart?) My all-time favorite Christmas movie would be, hands down, “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” If you don’t like the Muppets, you most likely don’t have a soul, so this is a movie everyone can enjoy – from your youngest sibling to your oldest relative. The humor is conducive to all ages and the timeless moral can bring out some Christmas cheer in any Scrooge you might happen to know. The story is exactly the same as Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” only with the likes of Gonzo, Kermit, Miss Piggy and the ever-impressive Michael Caine. Delightful songs are heard throughout the film as the Jim Henson group produces one of their most touching and elaborate Muppet movies to date. If it doesn’t get you in the spirit, it will at least put a smile on your face! Next on my list would be “A Christmas Story.”
No one has any excuse not to have seen this film, seeing as how TBS plays it non-stop, 24 hours, all Christmas day. The story of a young boy named Ralphie in a dysfunctional family with the idea in his head that Christmas can mean only one thing: a Red Rider BB gun. Despite obstacles such as the leg-lamp from France, a pink nightmare and the relentless nagging phrase “You’ll shoot your eye out!”, Ralphie discovers that there must be more to the holiday season. This holiday comedy never gets old, even after the 6th hour of watching it. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a claymation classic!Sam the Snowman narrates as a poor reindeer named Rudolph is kicked out of reindeer games due to his unusual nose deformity. Feeling down and out, our red-nosed friend finds an elf named Hermey who’s tired of making toys and wishes to be a dentist. Somehow Yukon Cornelius comes into play – probably egging on nave Hermey that dentists have a lot to do with “silver and gold” – and gets them into a tiff with the Abominable Snowman.
After a good fight, the misfit toys appear in need of happy homes with loving children. It’s up to Rudolph, on the eve of Christmas, to find them homes. He knows the man to go to is Santa Claus. It’s so muggy on Christmas Eve: how will Santa ever guide his sleigh to pick up the love-starved toys and deliver them to children? I wouldn’t want to ruin the ending. Originally aired on television, the claymation movie of Rudolph has become a family favorite across the country. It’s short and sweet and without a doubt will bring out that festive cheer in eachand every one of us. More important than gifts or wishes at Christmas time is family. I can’t think of a better holiday movie that represents the importance of family than that of “Home Alone.” (Well I can, but do I really have to mention that “It’s a Wonderful Life” needs to be on this list?) An 8-year-old Macaulay Culkin, plays Kevin McAllister, and is left behind from a holiday family trip after he wishes he never had to deal with his family again. After the novelty of being 8 and having the power of the house wears off, Kevin runs into trouble with some less-than-expert burglars, Harry and Marv. Hilarity ensues as Kevin finds devious and mischievous ways of hurting Harry and Marv and also keeping them out of his house. The family realizes in the meantime that they’ve left their son in Chicago and they were too hard on him even though he could be a brat at times, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without him. Kevin understands this, too. Maybe it was the old man salting the sidewalk or the thought of Christmas without Mom and Dad, but magic happens, or should I say a polka band with a van happens, and Kevin and the McAllister family are reunited. A heart-warming comedy about the true meaning of Christmas and how important family really is. Last, but certainly not least, is “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”
The Grinch, a green monster with a pet dog hates the village of Whos who live below him. Their favorite time of year is Christmas, and when it rolls around, the celebrating never ends. An evil plan to ruin their Christmas by stealing all their toys and decorations crosses the Grinch’s mind and he does not hesitate to put it into action. Disguised as Santa on Christmas Eve, the Grinch goes into Whoville to enact his demonic scheme. As the Whos rise to what seems to be a stolen Christmas, though they are upset, they still embody the true spirit of Christmas because they have not lost one another. The Grinch sees this and feels as though he’s been a unfair and cruel monster. With an increased heart size of three, and a single shed tear from the Grinch’s eye, the Whoos invite the Grinch to celebrate Christmas and he returns everything he stole and perhaps the biggest gift given to him that year was the understanding of how magical Christmas time really is. This one will get the bahumbug out of even the grumpiest of Scrooges. There you have it. These movies can be all caught on television, I assure you, at some time or another between now and Christmas day. But if you simply can’t wait to get festive, rent or buy these wonderful Christmas classics that you can enjoy each and every year. Merry Christmas!