Just because Christmas is 2 days away, I figured I would share my top 10 Christmas movies (plus two honorable mentions). These are the movies, for the most part, that I watch every year.
1. The Muppet Christmas Carol – What’s better than Kermit as Bob Cratchett, Piggy as his wife, Michael Caine as Scrooge, and Waldorf and Statler as Jacob and Robert Marley? If it’s out there, I haven’t found it yet.
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas – Charlie Brown living through the holidays in his own melancholic way, and who can forget Linus’ monologue about the real meaning of Christmas.
3. It’s A Wonderful Life – Buffalo gals, won’t you come out tonight, George Bailey lassos the moon, and Jimmy Stewart scores a holiday win.
4. Elf – Will Ferrell doing what he does best, making us laugh and taking his place in the annals of holiday movies, and ticking off an angry elf.
5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Christmas Clark Griswold style. Cousin Eddie. Julia Louis Dreyfus. Snots the dog. Aunt Bethany’s grace. All I want for Christmas and a squirrel in a tree.
6. Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer – Sure, we see Santa and the other reindeer abusing poor Rudolph, but it all works out in the end for the little guy.
7. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town – Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney lend their voices to the story of how the guy in the red suit became the guy in the red suit.
8. A Christmas Story – Ralphie in the rabbit suit, Triple Dog Dare, and a Red Rider carbine action BB gun, wrapped up together with a provocative leg lamp. Make sure to label it FRAGILE.
9. Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol – The legally blind, accident prone, lovable little man takes on the holiday classic, with a side of razzleberry dressing.
10. The Polar Express – A children’s book that was magnified into a visually spectacular cinematographic display by Robert Zemeckis. Add a lot of Tom Hanks and dash of Aerosmith, and you’ve got a winning combination.
Honorable mention
March of the Wooden Soldiers – Laurel and Hardy take on “Babes in Toyland”
Frosty, the Snowman – The back story to the beloved song.
Confessions of a Recovering P.K. 