What Are Your Favorite Holiday Movies?
by Broke Grad on November 21, 2008
The holidays are almost here, and if I recall correctly, that means college students will soon be cramming for exams to make up for all the time they spent procrastinating up till now. Fortunately, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is the holiday break. What better way to prepare for it than to kick back and enjoy some holiday movies? Here are five great holiday movies to get you started.
A Christmas Story
Without a doubt, A Christmas Story is one of America’s favorite holiday films. If there were a Holiday Movie Hall of Fame, this classic would be the first inductee. How many other holiday movies are aired twelve times in a row over a 24 hour period beginning on Christmas Eve? It’s practically impossible to make it through the holidays without seeing at least part of this movie. Watching it once is enough for me, but I triple-dog dare you to watch all twelve.
Elf
Will Farrell stars in this modern holiday classic, or so I’ve heard. To tell you the truth, I haven’t watched Elf, and I even own the DVD. It got great reviews when it came out back in 2003. Some critics even called it an instant holiday classic, and I’ve only heard good things about it from my friends. Well, I think it’s finally time to open up my four-year-old DVD to see if it lives up to all of the four-year-old hype.
Love Actually
The holidays aren’t complete without a romantic comedy that takes place during the holidays. Love Actually delivers that and much, much more. Following the stories of eight very different couples dealing with their love lives in various loose and interrelated tales, this movie is a romantic comedy on steroids. While this movie has “chick flick” written all over it, don’t forget that men enjoy romantic comedies almost as much as women do.
Home Alone
Don’t tell me you wouldn’t be able to recognize this face from a mile away. Home Alone is the most successful holiday classic from my childhood, and I also think that’s the last time I saw it. I remember really enjoying the movie as a kid. Sometimes keeping it simple and stupid is the way to go, because it doesn’t take much to entertain kids (and their parents). Who knows how many times I watched this movie as a kid? Sometimes I wonder if I’d still find it as entertaining if I watched it again today.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Here’s another holiday classic that I haven’t seen yet, but I do know one thing. Muppets = awesome. Actually, any story told through puppets should be awesome if done correctly. (Has anyone seen Avenue Q?) In The Muppet Christmas Carol, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, and company come together to retell Charles Dickens’ timeless classic, A Christmas Carol. Looks like I have another holiday movie to add to my “Movies To Watch” list.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I love Elf. I saw it when it first came out, and I’ve probably seen it ten times since then. Definitely watch it.
Those are all great, but don’t forget Christmas Vacation!
Maybe it’s just because I grew up as the movie came out but Home Alone will always be an all-time favorite. I love that movie and any time it is on I always have to sit down and watch. It isn’t the holiday season without watching it.
Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com
There are a handful of films that always remind me of Christmas. My favorite is a musical version of A Christmas Carol; it’s called Scrooge and stars Albert Finney. It’s not as well-known as the ones you listed, but I dare anyone to watch it and not be merrily singing “I Hate People” (yes that really is a song from the movie) the next day.
Well, this post does beg the question what is YOUR favorite??
I love muppets, too, and their christmas carol is awesome. You’ve gotta watch it. That said, my hands-down favorite Christmas movie will always, always be “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Gets me every time.
Christmas Story and ELF are my favorites!
Well, it appears I have a lot of catching up to do on Christmas movies.
GG: You caught me red-handed. I didn’t even answer my own question. Maybe I was just doing it subconsciously, because my favorite Christmas movie is A Christmas Story. It’s timeless, funny, and you’ll shoot your eye out!
Elf surprised the hell out of me! I seriously thought it was going to be horrible, but i was sooooooooo pleased after watching it
def. a fun one.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is my favorite Christmas movie.