Saturday, December 15

my 12 favorite christmas movies

"You'll shoot your eye out" card from feb10design on Etsy

12. A Christmas Story
I had never watched A Christmas Story until I started dating Mr. Q and spending Christmas Eve with his extended family - they watch it together every year before opening gifts.  OH FUDGE!

11. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
I'm talking the animated, 1960's, Boris Karloff version; I try to pretend the Jim Carrey version never happened.  This one has become a renewed favorite of mine since I started teaching; my department has a whole mini-unit where we have the kids analyze the text for figurative language and literary devices, then put the Grinch on trial using persuasive techniques.


10. White Christmas
Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen in a Christmas classic about WWII veterans turned producers who help save their General's Vermont bed and breakfast by putting on a show with a sister act.  The songs are so catchy, the colors are so bright, and the comedy-of-errors story is definitely from a simpler time.


9. The Muppet Christmas Carol
True story:  I played Mrs. Cratchit in a fifth-grade production of A Christmas Carol.  Forget about being loyal to Dickens; the Muppet version is the one that comes closest to that elementary school play.

8. A Charlie Brown Christmas
When the Cha Cha Slide says, "Charlie Brown," I dance like the kids in this movie.  Is that what you're supposed to do?

7. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
My friend Susie's #1 favorite movie.  I think my favorite character is Yukon Cornelius.

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6. Elf
You'd have to be a cotton-headed ninnymuggins to not enjoy the tale of Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrel), a human adopted and raised by the elves in Santa's workshop who decides to travel to New York to find his real dad.  I love Elf because it's adult-funny but family-friendly, and takes on Christmas movie tropes (claymation animals, saving Christmas by believing in Santa) in an affectionate way.

"All I want for Christmas is you" banner from hawhorneave on Etsy

5. Love, Actually
Practically all of my favorite British actors and actresses - Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley - explore what it means to be in love at Christmas in a set of intertwined storylines all set in London.


4. The Santa Clause
It's cute, it's funny, it's heartwarming.  I love that the elves are played by kids.  I love the magical snow globe.  I love the line, "that's okay, Neil, you were just denying your inner child."  I watch this one every year and it never gets old- I think it was a classic as soon as it came out.


3. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
My dad's favorite Christmas movie.  Every time my parents decided I was old enough to watch one of the National Lampoon movies, I would realize just a little bit more that we were the Griswolds, right down to the Christmas trees too big to fit into the house.

2. The Holiday
"Hello, big dollop!"  I think this is my favorite movie, period.  My favorite chick flick, at least.

1. It's a Wonderful Life
My favorite Christmas movie.  One of my fondest memories is begging all my friends to go see the late-night showing at the college theater and ending up going with a bunch of guys - and my friend Travis basically saving my life when I slipped on an icy set of brick steps.  Much like George Bailey pulling his brother out of the icy pond.

2 comments:

  1. I love me a good Christmas movie! Like Elf, or The Holiday. Love them! And I've nominated you for a Liebster Blog Award. Check out more details here: http://theturquoisehome.blogspot.com/2012/12/liebster-blog-award.html

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  2. Love Actually has to be my favorite Xmas movie. Although I really love A Muppets Christmas Carol, and It's a Wonderful is what I'd want to want on Christmas Eve itself.

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