There are some movies and shows that I just love to watch each year to get me in the Christmas mood. I know some of my choices may not be ones that everyone else loves and I’ve forgotten a few, so let me know your favorites!
10. Holiday Inn
This Irving Berlin great includes great music (including “White Christmas”) and great dancing. With Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, how could you go wrong? Each Christmas season, I long to be Marjorie Reynolds having those two fighting over me.
9. A Charlie Brown Christmas
I hope younger generations will love this show as much as my generation does. Sometimes the Peanuts shows seem a bit dated, but if you want a television show that talks about the true meaning of Christmas, this is the one.
8. Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer
When I was growing up, I so associated Burl Ives with this television show, I had no idea he had done anything else. I love the whole story about the misfit reindeer who hooks up with other misfits and they all discover it is okay to be different.
7. It’s a Wonderful Life
This is one of those movies that I just assume that everyone in the world has seen. But, did you know that when it was initially released, it was not a box-office hit. It did however receive five Academy Award nominations. Some critics hate it for being sappy and sentimental, but no other movie makes me really stop and appreciate all I have each year.
6. Frosty the Snowman
I love this television classic, although I used to cry each year when Frosty melted!
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
“You’re a foul one, Mr. Grinch / You’re a nasty, wasty skunk” but we still let you in our household each year. And how perfect is it that horror great Boris Karloff is the voice of the Grinch?
4. Christmas Vacation
I know this one isn’t that old (1989), but every since it came out on DVD, my family watches it at Thanksgiving to kinda kick off the Christmas season. I love how it shows that no matter how crazy your family drives you, you still love and appreciate them.
3. Elf
I didn’t see this one until last Christmas season, but after the first viewing, I knew it would become one of my favorites. Will Ferrell is excellent as Buddy the Elf, looking for his real dad. The soundtrack is wonderful as well!
2. Miracle on 34th Street
This has been a family favorite of mine for years. Of course, I am speaking of the 1947 version with a young Natalie Wood as Susan Walker. Don’t even bother watching any other versions.
1. A Christmas Carol
I am very particular about this one. It has to be the 1938 version. It can’t be the more popular 1951 with Alastair Sim, no siree, to me, there is no Scrooge other than Reginald Owen. This version played every Christmas even on our local CBS station and I realize now, maybe they were too cheap to pay for the more popular version (or maybe they couldn’t get it), but that’s okay. This version is a little bit darker, but still my all time favorite Christmas show.