Holiday Movie Roundup!

Hey everyone - and welcome new Patrons! I just wanted to do a little roundup of favourite Christmas movies to evoke some holiday spirit on here! (I’m a Hindu but my family is obsessed with Christmas lol). I'd love to hear what you favourite holiday movies are if you have any! 

1. A Christmas Story (1983)

I know some people scoff at it because of its blind nostalgia towards “golden age” America - but I just love this movie. I just really enjoy how it stings together this series of vignettes to create a sort of storybook/dreamlike narrative. It has so many quotable lines and moments (I’m still trying to find a re-creation of the leg lamp for my apartment) - and the performances are so lovely and memorable (particularly from Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon as Ralphie’s parents). Oh also Randy is the ideal Christmas movie child - a bit loopy and very cute (not precocious at all). My parents and I save this movie for Christmas day because it’s extra special.

2. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Unlike every other movie on this list, this one actually has no nostalgia factor for me. I watched It’s a Wonderful Life for the first time two years ago and it instantly became, not only one of my favourite Christmas movies, but one of my favourite movies of all time. I have zero criticisms of it. From the socialist message of community caregiving, to the romance between George and Mary, to the ending that makes me sob like a baby (any holiday movie that ends with “Auld Lang Syne” has my heart - i.e. When Harry Met Sally), this is just a perfect movie. I look at it like a bit of a reverse Christmas Carol - and I think its an incredibly nuanced and ideal portrayal of masculinity. George Bailey feels emasculated by the lack of glory and spectacular achievements in his life, only to be shown that his humble strength and generosity is what keeps his community together. Just a beautiful film all around.

3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Ugh! I love 80s Christmas movies. Half of my love for Christmas Vacation is purely aesthetic - Beverly D’Angelo’s hair and Juliette Lewis’s wardrobe keep me coming back to it every year. I also think this movie borrows from and updates It’s a Wonderful Life in a very interesting way - it’s in Clarke’s absurd race to be the ultimate patriarch that he loses sight of what Christmas is all about, a lesson he learns from his dad in the third act. Of course, it’s not National Lampoon without raunch and slapstick - but it’s all done so well! Another quotable movie that I have no trouble coming back to every year - although I’ll never forgive it for convincing me that Chevy Chase is loveable.

4. Scrooged (1988)

Again, I love 80s Christmas movies. And this one is particularly 80s. I’m personally a fan of macabre in my holiday films (see: the Grinch), and Scrooged is chalk full of it. They really go full throttle with the grotesque practical effects and absurdity, and I think the casting of the ghosts is so innovative. Bill Murray is a perfect scrooge - delivering all his lines with this twinge of self-awareness that makes him so much fun to watch. Carol Kane and Bobcat Goldthwait are insane in the best way. Karen Allen is the loveliest lady of all time. But I really think Alfre Woodard steals the show in a way with her portrayal of Grace (the Bob Crachit character), who invokes her with a wonderful mixture of sweet maternalism, and quiet resistance. Also - Scrooged wins the award for the cutest Tiny Tim of all time.

5. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

This was my introduction to classic films, and for being 74 years old I think it really withstands the test of time. It’s got everything - comedy, romance, intrigue - and it throws in a bit of procedural drama in there for all those law heads out there. I accept Natalie Wood as a precocious Christmas child because her precociousness is integral to the plot, and we see how it impedes her ability to live a fulfilling childhood. Santa is a bit gruff here and I’m not sure why he’s so aggro at time, but I appreciate his friendship with Mr. Gailey - we love a wholesome male friendship! It’s interesting to see how the movie somehow both critiques and redeems the hyper-capitalism of Macy’s. Overall it’s a fun time portal into a very different world from our own.

6. The Family Stone (2005)

Cringe: the movie. But seriously I have never felt more uncomfortable in my life than sitting through that Christmas eve dinner scene. I do think upon many re-watches, my allegiance to Diane Keaton and her family has waned over the years. Their initial treatment towards Meredith is just so unnecessary and smug, but it’s fun to see that everyone gets their comeuppance. There isn’t a single character in this movie whose behaviour isn’t complicated by some aspect of their life. For Meredith its her overwhelmingly insecurities. For Everett and his siblings its the ever-shortening time with their mother. For Sybil its her illness and her fears about what it will do to her children. The build-up of Meredith’s humiliation, and the release of all her frustration is so satisfying to watch. Impeccable performances, impeccable script, and impeccable set design (that wallpaper is amazing).

7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Like I said, I love me a macabre Christmas movie. I watched this with Hannah the other day expecting her to love it, and she was appalled by how they took a Dr. Seuss story and made it so dark and adult. But frankly I think this is in the only instance where it works. The weird adult jokes sprinkled here and there are easily missed when you’re a kid - and become weird little easter eggs when you re-watch as an adult. I love the hazy mist they cast over the film, and the de-saturated palliate. It shows that, in many ways, the whos aren’t so different from the Grinch. I might be in the minority in thinking that this is Jim Carrey at his comedic best - his Grinch has many faces, yet the loneliness shines through at all times. Also Taylor Momsen is adorable (although that song is awful I’m so sorry).

8. A Christmas Carol (1951)

This become a favourite just the other day. I was too scared to watch it to completion as a child - but now that I’m older I can appreciate this film’s ghostliness. Alastair Sim is regal as Scrooge, and he plays the horribleness so wonderfully that it makes his transformation that much more cathartic. The all-British cast is astonishing in their roles, and I think this might just be the best Christmas Carol adaptation out there (besides the many modern renditions). I love the atmosphere of Victorian London - and the the way this movie makes it feels as cold and claustrophobic as it probably was at the time. Dare I say, this movie is underrated?