I love Christmas. You should just know that before you get further into this post. If it's about Christmas, I am there… with bells on. When the 12 Blogs of Christmas idea popped up I just knew I had to be a part of it and showcasing the movies of the holiday was an obvious choice for me. If there's a holiday movie out there, either about the holidays or taking place during, chances are I've seen it ad nausuem.
But when it comes to picking my favorite I can't pick just one! Thankfully my tribe mates picked some of the best movies out there and thanks to Marie Patchen and her 12 Cartoon Classics post, there is even more holiday movie goodness for us to feast on.
Before I get into our 12 recommendations I need to give a shout out to three very special Christmas movies that didn't make the list but are must-sees for my Christmas holiday to be complete.
The first one being, [amazon-product text=”A Christmas Story” type=”text”]B000VBIGCW[/amazon-product].
This one has a special place in my heart thanks to TNT. Yep, TNT has been playing 24 hours of this new classic every Christmas Eve for some time now. That night is my family's “formal” dinner at my grandmother's house. (If you want to know why I put formal in quotes check out Justin's post on the 12 Christmas Faux Pas.) While we open presents and exchange small talk this little movie that could plays in the background.
Next comes, [amazon-product text=”ELF” type=”text”]B0002F6BRE[/amazon-product].
I can't tell you how many times I've watched this and found myself in a heap of giggly goofiness. I remember seeing this in the movie theatre with my brother and I swore we'd get kicked out because he was laughing so hard. I can't even begin to pick a favorite line or part because whenever I start, I just end up reciting the whole darn film. “I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite” 🙂
And last but definitely not least is [amazon-product text=”Christmas Vacation” type=”text”]B000VBIGD6[/amazon-product].
Just call me the female Clark Griswold. We both share a love of Christmas to the point where we almost expect too much from it. Oh, and we have this unhealthy need to decorate and light up every single inch of our home. 🙂
Now on to the 12 Christmas movie recommendations from my fellow bloggers…
Raine Thomas – [amazon-product text=”Its a Wonderful Life” type=”text”]B000HEWEJO[/amazon-product]
My family and I decorate our Christmas tree every year while watching It's a Wonderful Life. The message behind the movie is so timeless and important. If I had to pick a favorite classic Christmas movie, this would definitely be it! My favorite scene is the phone scene where George and Mary see each other again when she returns home from college. The tension in the scene is palpable! The viewer is rooting for Mary to win George over, and just when he starts to stalk away, the phone rings. And then there are those magical words, issued in a whisper, that break through George's defenses: “He says it's the chance of lifetime.”
DC McMillen – [amazon-product text=”Bad(der) Santa” type=”text”]B004SEUJPU[/amazon-product]
I have always had a love/hate relationship with Christmas. Part of me gets caught up in all of the lights and cookies while the other part wants to shove tinsel down the throat of non-spiked eggnog pushers in tacky sweaters. It is for this reason that I have decided Bad(der) Santa is my favourite holiday movie. This is the vilest anti-Christmas Christmas movie and I feel actual guilt for loving it so much. But if you are like me in that you consider your holiday a true success only if you managed to maintain a light alcohol induced buzz from December 24th right through to January 2nd, then Bad(der) is the movie for you, too. After all, shit happens when you party naked.
Amberr Meadows – [amazon-product text=”The Nightmare Before Christmas” type=”text”]B003SI9WYG[/amazon-product]
The best Christmas movie ever is The Nightmare Before Christmas. Call us strange or morbid, but it is one of the least cheesy Christmas movie alternatives, and we have a fondness for all things Tim Burton, anyway. Plus, I love the soundtrack and used to play it during playtime when my daughter was little, and now we have both memorized most of the words of each song. We have the regular traditions, of course, but there is one night during the holidays set aside for popcorn and The Night Before Christmas. I've watched it every year since I was 16, and the holidays wouldn't be complete without it. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Erica Lucke Dean – [amazon-product text=”Die Hard” type=”text”]B000O77SRC/[/amazon-product]
My “must see” Christmas movie is Die Hard. I mean, what could be more festive than watching John McClane save Nakatomi plaza on Christmas Eve? Yippee-ki-yay, motherf*cker!
Ciara Ballintyne – [amazon-product text=”The Santa Clause” type=”text”]B000068TQV[/amazon-product]
I don't watch a lot of Christmas movies so I turned to the Christmas guru in my family for this one. Yes, my Mum. When I asked her why this is her favourite the conversation went like this:
Mum: Because it's funny.
Me: Is that all?
Mum: And I like Tim Allen
Me: That's short. I need this for a blog. Can you make it longer?
Mum: Tim Allen is spunky. And I like the Rose Suchak Ladder Co. And Santa Claus got pushed.
Dad: Santa wasn't pushed
Mum: Am I being interviewed?
What can I say? My Mum was a real Home Improvement fan owing to the fact there are plenty of opportunities to laugh at someone else in pain (something she doesn't reserve solely for TV). I'd guess that's why she liked Santa Claus getting pushed (er…falling?) off the roof.
Natalie Kenney – [amazon-product text=”Home for the Holidays” type=”text”]B00005LOKR[/amazon-product]
Home for the Holidays is what my life is like from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Okay, so Robert Downey Jr. isn't my brother. And I don't live in Chicago. Or have a teenage daughter who's trying to lose her virginity. But the dysfunctional family antics and ridiculous events that befall the main character? That's completely my life. If you haven't seen the movie, maybe this will convince you it's worth the watch. Happy Holidays! And remember to keep a camera around for when the turkey falls in someone's lap.
Melody-Ann Jones Kauffmann – [amazon-product text=”The Year Without a Santa Clause” type=”text”]B000S0PLGA[/amazon-product]
The Year Without a Santa Claus is easily my favorite Christmas movie. When I was a kid I loved the idea that all of us kids could be kind enough to give poor over worked Santa Claus a holiday. As an adult I have to admit I still watch it – I love the way it presents the concept of not taking things for granted in such a perfectly fun yet clear way. Also, Snow miser & Heat miser are ridiculously cute siblings. Personally, I like Snow miser best – just so you know 😉
Justin Bogdanovitch – [amazon-product text=”Ordinary People” type=”text”]B000055ZFA[/amazon-product]
Karen: Conrad. Let's have a great Christmas. Let's have… a great year. Let's have the best year of our whole lives. We can, you know… this could be the best one ever.
Robert Redford's Best Picture Oscar film, Ordinary People, was based on Judith Guest's family drama and Redford said he wanted to direct it because the story's family reminded him of his own in the way it talked around issues. The holidays are very much that way for so many people. There is hope too. Mary Tyler Moore played the ultimate unemotional, nervy, and distraught center of her family; she stole the movie whenever her character entered the frame. Timothy Hutton also won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the one son who survives a tragic boating accident.
Kelly Gamble – [amazon-product text=”This Christmas” type=”text”]B000YAF4Q6[/amazon-product]
This Christmas is the story of a family whose eldest son comes home unexpectedly for the first time in several years. Not for young kids, it's funny, yet has several very serious and adult subtexts in play. It features and all star cast and the music is amazing, with songs by Aaron Neville, Chris Brown, Jordin Sparks and Luther Vandross, just to name a few. My favorite line: “Santa ate all Kelly's cookies….”
Marie Patchen – [amazon-product text=”Disneys A Christmas Carol” type=”text”]B003ZVJFFM[/amazon-product]
Who doesn't love the classic Dickens story, A Christmas Carol? It is one of those timeless pieces that we all know and love by heart, and has been done and redone many times over the years, both on the big screen and on television. In 2009, Walt Disney Studios put a new twist on this enduring tale by giving us A Christmas Carol in 3D, starring Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge. It was, by far, the creepiest version of A Christmas Carol I've ever seen, and I've yet to figure out if it was the fact that it was in 3D, or it was the fact that it was a dark, twisted ride through the haunting night that Scrooge experienced. I think it was a little bit of both. In any case, I wouldn't have wanted to be Scrooge, and this movie still gives me nightmares, thanks to the creepy candle ghost in this very scene.
Maureen Hovermale – [amazon-product text=”The Shop Around the Corner” type=”text”]B00006FDCV[/amazon-product]
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) isn't on very many people's Christmas movies list, but it should be, the ending coming to a very romantic Christmas climax.
Watching this movie, it may remind you of You've Got Mail. It should because this is the movie that the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks version used to create their own blockbuster. Even in all the bed-head glory of the modern version, it doesn't quite measure up to the chemistry of Margaret Sullaven and Jimmy Stewart.
Two coworkers who can't stand each other in Budapest; both unaware that they correspond regularly under anonymous conditions to post office box 237: Classic!
MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE IS… *drum roll please*….
[amazon-product text=”White Christmas” type=”text”]B002MU4NN6[/amazon-product]
That's right, people, my pick is White Christmas. I can not go a Christmas holiday without watching this movie at least a dozen times. I picked the song White Christmas as my favorite holiday song over on Raine's blog so if you've been there this shouldn't be a surprise. A couple of years ago a nearby theatre used to play this movie for free right after Thanksgiving. I can't describe how cool it was to see this classic on the big screen and Crosby's velvet voice gave me the chills… but in a good way; man, can he sing. It's always my wish to have a white Christmas, even if the weatherman is predicting temps in the 60's.
Oh, I also went to Twitter for more recommendations… here's what I got:
Mike Pallante and Steve Umstead both agree with Erica and picked Die Hard while Janelle Jensen joined me with White Christmas.
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was Charlie Cole, Candice Green and Allie Sanders choice.
Allie also picked Alvin and the Chipmunks while Candice added Christmas Vacation to her list.
Both Tera Terillo and Reginald Golding have been giving Elf some air time in their homes.
At first J. Wayne Williams said that is this the perfect time to see the world in peril and watches Armageddon. However the holidays bring out the softer side in everyone and he changed his choice Scrooged saying its the best version of Scrooge because its funny yet very emotional.
I don't know if Rob Kennedy was joking or not but he picked Death Takes a Holiday. 🙂
GS Jonston likes to watch Tootsie this time of year while J. Landon Cocks and Tracy Greenlee agreed with Raine and chose It's a Wonderful Life.
Prudence MacLeod couldn't decide between The Fef and the original Scrooge and Taylor Lunsford put Love Actually and The Muppet's Christmas Carol as her choices.
So, there ya have it friends, our recommendations for holiday movies. So grab your favorite person, a bucket of popcorn and snuggle under the blankets and have your own movie fest!
And while you're doing that, check out our other holiday recommendations! Just click on the blogger's name to go to their site to read their 12 Blogs of Holiday Cheer posts…
Raine Thomas – 12 Christmas Songs
DC McMillen – 12 Alcoholic Drinks
Amberr Meadows – 12 Tasty Traditions
Erica Lucke Dean – 12 Christmas Memories
Ciara Ballintyne – 12 Christmas Decorations
Natalie Kenney – 12 Yummy Cookies
Melody-Ann Jones Kauffmann – 12 Christmas Toys
Justin Bogdanovitch – 12 Christmas Faux Pas
Kelly Gamble – 12 Christmas Books
Marie Patchen – 12 Cartoon Classics
Maureen Hovermale – 12 Articles of Clothing in a Christmas Clauset
Enjoy and I wish everyone a happy, healthy and snowy holiday season!!! Slainte!
25 responses to “12 Blogs of Christmas: Favorite Holiday Movies”
Yes, White Christmas is definitely my favorite. But I just thought of another one. It doesn't have a Christmas theme, per se, but culminates on Christmas Eve. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in An Affair To Remember. Can you tell I was born in the wrong generation? I love the older classics!! Cary Grant and Bing Crosby? *swoon*
Great post, Karen! Gosh, why didn't I think of “Die Hard?” Seriously, Erica always picks the best ones…
Merry Christmas!
[…] 11. Pierogies “Every year my extended family gets together at my Grandmother’s house for Christmas Eve dinner. My mom’s parents are both Polish so we have some traditional Polish food there such as Kapusta (kinda like sauerkraut) but the one that fills everyone’s plates are the pierogies. For those of you who don’t know, pierogies are a potato based filling inside a pocket of unleveled dough. They are supposed to be a side dish to the fish, but for most of us, our meal centers around the pierogie. It is because of these little pockets of yumminess that last year my cousins started a tradition of seeing who can eat the most and result in the most weight gain. I kid you not, they actually weighed themselves afterward, it was quite impressive… and a little disgusting.”~~Karen DeLabar Go here to visit Karen and read 12 Blogs of Christmas Movies. […]
[…] Go here to visit Karen and read 12 Blogs of Christmas Movies. […]
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Of course, Badder Santa! Love the list, something for everyone, no doubt!
[…] Karen DeLabar‘s blog, where she will be listing the best Christmas movies […]
I almost picked White Christmas. Kid you not. 🙂
I'm a movie nut — and all of these films rock the reindeer!
I love all these movies…especially Die Hard! Oh yeah, I said that already. What a fun post! Great idea hitting the Twitter stream for more ideas.
[…] 12 Blogs of Christmas: Favorite Holiday Movies « Writing on the Rocks Related Posts:movies Valentine's Day – Some cringe and some smile as the holiday sneaks […]
I can't believe National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation didn't make this list! Lol! Great selection here, and of course, I wouldn't have thought of Die Hard, either, but then, that's why I love Erica so much. 🙂
I always torn between White Christmas and It's a Womderful Life. Either way, I definitely lean toward the classics at Christmas. And I totally agree with you on Bing Crosby's voice!!
Great choices! I too love Disney's newest version of A Christmas Carol. Bill Murray's version, Scrooged! is another favourite!
My wife and I, being slightly twisted of mind, now traditionally sit and watch Bad Santa on Christmas Night. I don't know what this says about us but we love it. I possibly injured myself the first time I saw it I laughed so hard and to this day I maintain that no one curses as well as Billy Bob in this movie.
Of course, I love Elf and you can't go a Christmas Season without Die Hard. I can also be found watching Scrooged which is still surprisingly entertaining. However, I'm dismayed that THE SNOWMAN got no mentions. This wonderful book, turned into an animated movie has no speaking in it but conveys the joy of Christmas and the winter wonderland around us. The scene where the Snowman and the young boy take off and start flying, with the song “Walking in the Air” in the background, evokes powerful childhood memories for me and the bittersweet ending is perfect. A huge recommendation for the whole family. Magical.
Super cool list. Hmmm, now where's that dang remote? Netflix must have a few of these.
“My favorite is the 1970 British musical “Scrooge” with the excellent Albert Finney in the title role. Has some clever, catchy songs and, of course, ghosts. Dame Edith Evans, with her wonderful voice is the ghost of Christmas past. This version has Scrooge visiting Marley in Hell. Goofy special effects by today's standards, but a great telling of the Dickens story.
I loved the movie line-up. I never would have thought Die Hard, but that's cool, too. Have a great holiday, Karen. I had a lot of fun doing the hop.
I thought for sure that someone would've chosen National Lampoons! Great movies line up. I feel a marathon coming on.
Shout out for “Transformers?” Anyone?
Nah, I picked “It's a Wonderful Life.”
Excellent idea, Karen, wonderful posts all around!
I totally need to have a movie marathon now. I love the mix of movies on this list. Such a wonderful way to spend the holidays… booze, dancing, cartoons, and the infamous yippiee-ki-yay!
We just watched Elf and I died laughing. That movie never gets old. The next time I answer the phone I'm going to say “Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?” Lol!
[…] Karen says: He was dubbed Potato Fest Champion – oh my family! Please visit Karen at http://writingontherocks.com/2011/12/17/12-blogs-favorite-movies to read about the 12 Blogs of Christmas: Favorite Holiday Movies – where, among several […]
Cant Pick A Favorite Holiday…
[…] create their own blockbuster. Even in all the bed-head glory of the modern versi […]…
Cant Pick A Favorite Holiday…
[…] may remind you of You've Got Mail. It should because this is the movie that th […]…