1. Elf.
We watched this last night and I laughed just as much as I did the first and second and third and fourth time I saw it. Very funny.
2. Auntie Mame.
I guess technically this is not a Christmas movie (though there is a Christmas scene!) but it's one we watch every single year during Christmas break. One of our pastors referenced a line from this movie in a sermon last month and asked for a show of hands from those who had seen it. I was proud that all five of us had our hands in the air.
3. Miracle on 34th Street.
We like both the old and the newer version. I think the little girl in the new version is just adorable but then again, so was Natalie Wood.
4. The Nativity Story.
Beautiful.
5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
I actually bought this last year (because it's HILARIOUS) and watched it with the kids before previewing it. There's quite a bit of language that I'd forgotten about. I think it is one of the funniest Christmas movies around but wish there was a cleaner version for families.
6. A Christmas Story
This is another of the funniest movies around. And after watching our "VHS taped-from-television" movie for many years, I bought it on DVD only to realize that the television version had most of the language edited out. There's so many funny lines from it though. Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra. The last scene gets me every time.
7. The Polar Express
8. Holiday Inn
Years and years and years ago, a family friend told us about this movie and it was instant love for my mom, sister, and me. I've seen it dozens of times and I still adore it. The girls watched it with me last year and I believe we launched a new tradition.
9. It's A Wonderful Life
I cannot believe we don't have this movie on DVD. That must be remedied ASAP.
10. A Charlie Brown Christmas
I know, I know. It's not a full-length feature film but it's a MUST-SEE Christmas favorite around here. I always always always cry at the end when they sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
Runners-Up:
The Bishop's Wife
Bells of St. Mary's
The Family Stone
Love Actually
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
What are some of your favorites?
20 comments:
I love Elf! So many great lines!
It's a Wonderful Life & White Christmas top my list.
I love these. Elf is a new fave for us. I'm looking forward to watching The Nativity and It's a Wonderful Life. I have to have the house completely dark and quiet to watch The Nativity. I just think it's beautiful
Cotton-headed ninnymuggins!!
I would add How the Grinch Stole Christmas--the cartoon not the Jim Carrey version--and Christmas in Vermont.
Scrooge---the old musical version with Albert Finney, and The Muppet Christmas Carol are two of our musts. We own It's a Wonderful Life on video but since we only watch it once a year, it's in pretty good shape. It wouldn't be Christmas without Charlie Brown either.
It's hard to top Elf for us...I think we have it memorized, but Miracle on 34th has always been a favorite. We love most of your list...but I have never really gotten the Christmas Story. I may not have given it a fair shake. I should try it again. And, I've never seen Auntie Mame...will add that to my netflix queue.
I have several friends who love the muppet christmas carol. Haven't tried it yet, but we plan to.
If you haven't seen the original Christmas in Connecticut then you must remedy that now!
I saw Elf several times in the theater and I watch it year round. It's the best!!! I've never seen Holiday Inn but I just added to my netflix. I love, love The Family Stone. It's one of my top favorites of all time. Sounds funny but there's one called A Boyfriend for Christmas. Love!! There's also one that I've managed to catch on tv almost every year since I was probably 10 or so. It's something about having a night without Santa. A family lives in Alaska where they are drilling and Santa's workshop is under one of the drill sites. So they have to save him but no one believes that he's really there. I never remember the name and I always just have to hope that I catch it!
It is weird, because I rarely read classics as far as books go, but come Christmas time, it's all classic movies for me! My favorites are The Bishop's Wife, It's a Wonderful Life (always on Christmas Eve, and I always cry!), Holiday Inn, Christmas in Connecticut, etc. I love them all so much more than the newer ones. :)
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Grinch, Polar Express, and Charlie Brown are all top threes.
I have to confess I've never seen "It's a Wonderful Life".
We love Elf here and watch it several times over the Christmas season. Our girls also LOVE the Santa Clause movies (1 and 2 are my favorites). : ) White Christmas is my all-time favorite - I've already had one watching and am looking forward to a 2nd.
I forgot to mention the newest favorite to my kids...Ernest Saves Christmas, I think it's a Southern thing, not sure where they get that. :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE It's a Wonderful Life. And TOTALLY going to try Holiday Inn!
Charlie Brown's Christmas always makes me cry too, but at the beginning, because I just get all nostalgic when it comes on.
Love Holiday Inn as well.
Got Christmas Vacation to show my kids and, like you, had completely not realized all of the colorful language in that movie.
One of my yearly must-watch movies is Christmas with the Kranks. I just love Jamie Lee Curtis and it's such a cute movie.
Some that I love that you didn't already mention are Meet Me in St. Louis and You've Got Mail (which may be not-technically-Christmas). And there was an old movie I watched years ago and have never forgotten, but also have no idea what the name of it is! It was about a single mom comparison shopper and she brought a train home and her little boy thought it was for him. I really need to find out the title.
Oh, ELF! That movie is hard to top. We recommended it to my in-laws who did NOT get it. At all. Such a pity.
Speaking of not getting it, I've always felt a little out of the loop when people rave about "A Christmas Story." I think there are funny parts... but mostly, it's just not at the top of my list. Still friends?
Well, when I was younger we watched "A Smoky Mountain Christmas" starring... drum roll, please... Dolly Parton. I know! We recorded it on a fuzzy VHS tape and watched it til it wore out. My sisters and I loved it, and yet, I can't tell you very much what it was about. But last year, it was on TV! I tuned in and watched and still loved it, even though it was a little cheesy. (And again... Dolly Parton.) But if I see it's on again this year, you bet I'll tune in. :)
We love ElF! Great for the whole family. We also love the Santa Clause movies....recording all three on Sat! I'm going to try Holiday Inn.
I love watching all the Hallmark & Lifetime Christmas movies. Since I don't have Hallmark channel this year, I'll have to Netflix a couple I really like. The Christmas Card & It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year are good!
We always watch Charlie Brown & with little ones we watch Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas & Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. They are cartoons but Justin & I enjoy watching them!
Although some of the language isn't the best, we like Home Alone.
jennifer.ogle1@verizon.net
I wish there was a cleaner version of Love Actually. I really liked a lot of the story, but would've preferred the language and ahem, adult situations, to be toned-down.
i just blogged about this very thing yesterday; come on over and check it out!
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