December, all the decorations are out, there are lights in the streets, and there’s actually snow in London. During the holiday when I’m home I love to just sit back with some snacks, a nice beverage, in a warm living room with the snow falling just outside and watch a nice Christmas themed film or something I just watch each year because of tradition. So in this holiday spirit, I’d like to talk about some of my favorite films that I watch every Christmas. There are obviously a lot of other great Christmas classics, but these are the one's I've made a habit of watching
Mickey’s Christmas Carol
A surprisingly faithful adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens story. I’ve seen several iterations, but I must say that this one is my favorite. There are of course other really good adaptations, I personally have a weakness for the Muppet’s Christmas Carol, but the Disney version is perfect to watch on Christmas morning, I’ve watched it every Christmas my whole life. Running at about half an hour, you would think the story rather shallow, but it works really well, and manages to complete Scrooge’s story arc very effectively. The short is also beautifully animated, and it has a wonderful soundtrack and performances, particularly from the excellent Alan Young who does a great job as Scrooge.
It’s a Wonderful Life
I’ve made it a fairly new tradition to watch this every Christmas, but it is certainly a great Christmas film, really putting me in a happy mood. With a fantastic performance from James Steward and tight directing from Frank Capra, It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the all time Hollywood classics, and a film that is really worth watching again and again.
Gremlins
A somewhat more archaic holiday film, Gremlins is still packed with Christmas atmosphere and spirit, even if a whole town has to be blown to pieces to prove a point. While quite a crazy movie, it still has a lot of heart, mixed with great comedy and some fantastic gremlin ass-kicking. It might not be the standard classical fare, but there’s loads of entertainment here that will keep your mood right up during the holiday season.
The Nightmare before Christmas
A film that works both for Halloween and Christmas, the Nightmare before Christmas is a great animated musical that is just a bunch of fun. Jack Skellington has to learn the value of Christmas, but not before scaring the living daylight of every little boy and girl. The film is beautiful visually and has loads of great songs and performances that make it the holiday classic that it is.
Miracle on 34th Street
I’m talking about the 1947 original, not the 90s remake. Anyway, this is a great Christmas film, about a man who says he’s Santa Claus, and of course no one believes him. The issue is never really resolved, but rather remains ambiguous, and lets the audience themselves decide what they want to believe. A heartwarming film that doesn’t become sickly because of it and a great film to watch for Christmas.
Home Alone
Ok, I admit this is just down to pure nostalgia, but at the core of its head bashing there’s some real Christmas spirit and heart to this film. I do find it a bit harder to watch as I get older though, but sometimes the nostalgia just wins, and this is one of those cases.
Die Hard
I always watch Die Hard sometime during Christmas. It’s not strictly a Christmas movie, but it does take place during Christmas so what the hell. There’s not really much else to say about it, other than that it’s the greatest and most ass-kicking action film of all times. And it works for Christmas. Perfect!
I also enjoyed a lot of other shorts during Christmas, by favorite being Pluto’s Christmas and Santa’s Workshop, so here I present links to those excellent shorts that I watch every Christmas, hopefully you’ll enjoy them too.
Santa's Workshop
The Night Before Christmas
Mickey's Christmas Carol Part I
Part II
Part III
Happy Holidays!
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