I was driving to a friend’s house the other day and discovered this very irreverent and creative Christmas decoration. I laughed out loud, alone in my car. Cousin Eddie has moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania!
When Christmas comes around, the need to engage in comforting and celebratory traditions increases exponentially. My family has a few traditions we hold dear. Some are very meaningful to our faith and the spiritual experience of the holiday. Others are strictly for fun and we repeat them because they were an enjoyable experience the first time around and we want to relive the good feelings associated with them again and again. Watching Christmas movies falls in the that latter category for us; it’s a time to relax and be together during the otherwise nutsy weeks before the Big Day.
The movies we watch every year:
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo (1989). It’s the ultimate dysfunctional family gathering that still makes me belly laugh. The kids didn’t start watching this movie with us until they were teenagers; language and innuendo are definitely not for little ones. We watched this movie this evening and we’ll be quoting lines from it for weeks. Check out IMDb for a full review.
White Christmas starring Bing Crosby, starring Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen (1954). Lots of singing, dancing and fancy costumes with a perfectly sentimental and happy ending. So much nostalgic fun! We’ll be watching this one closer to Christmas. IMDb.
The Muppet Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine and a very large cast of muppets (1992). A fun and surprisingly moving retelling of the classic Charles Dickens story in a musical format. The only thing complaint I have is that when the movie was produced in DVD format, one of the songs was removed (“The Love is Gone”) Why?? It was a lovely part of the movie and I miss it. IMDb.
A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott (1984). What can I say? This is our favorite secular Christmas story and, as much as we love the Muppet version, it feels appropriate to watch a realistic interpretation more in line with Dickens’ writing. Because some scenes can be scary, it’s probably not the best choice for small children or early elementary aged kiddos. IMDb.
Although we have movies we watch every year, there are many others we like to watch if we get the chance: Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas… The list could go on and on, really.
If you are interested in starting your own Christmas movie traditions or want to know where your favorits fall in the greatest Christmas movies of all time lists, take a look at Fansided, New Media Rockstars, or Ranker.
What are your favorite Christmas movies? I’d love to hear about them.
Whimsey Pie 