Must See Christmas Movies

I don’t know about you, but along with shopping, baking, and decorating; movie watching is an important part of my Christmas traditions. There are a certain amount of movies that I simply must watch each and every Christmas. They are just as much a part of my yearly celebration as my mom’s sugar cookies and sipping cocoa in front of the tree.

Here is my list of must-see Christmas movies:

Charlie Brown is a permanent fixture in Americana. His classic Christmas movie was the first prime time television special created by Charles M. Schulz. In twenty-five minutes Charlie Brown manages- as only he can- to shake loose his disenchantment with the commercialism surrounding Christmas and, with a little help from Linus, bring himself and his friends back to the true meaning of Christmas.

A hilarious Christmas tale starring Will Ferrell as a man raised by elves at the North Pole who leaves to New York to find his real- human- father. However, his elf personality and customs don’t fit in so well in the real world, much less New York City and the movie resounds with laughter as hilarity ensues. Buddy the Elf's giving heart and innocence end up affecting a whole city and Christmas itself.

While this is not necessarily a “Christmas movie”, it has nonetheless become a movie that is played on cable annually during the Christmas season, and a favorite of my husband’s and mine. A very creative and modern rendering along the lines of A Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life, you walk away from this movie with a renewed sense of gratitude for the blessings we often overlook.

The movie that made Macaulay Culkin famous is now a modern Christmas tradition. The unlikely tale of a young boy accidentally left home alone when his family heads to France for vacation ends with him outsmarting a couple of bumbling crooks trying to rob his house while it’s (supposedly) empty. In the midst of his adventures, Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin, develops and great appreciation for his parents and extended family and even develops a little chutzpah.

Jimmy Stewart’s most beloved role as George Bailey lends his character the extraordinary opportunity to see how the world would have been different had he not been in it. A cinematic masterpiece, It’s a Wonderful Life has become a part of pop culture lending us such wisdom as, “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it’s wings!” A movie that will truly warm your heart.

Once again, A Christmas Carol will ever be retold, and it’s a story worth taking in again and again. In Disney’s retelling of the tale, Mickey Mouse and friends are the stars of the show. Ebenezer Scrooge is played by Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck is his nephew, Fred; and the whole gang makes their own appearance in this sweet rendition of a Christmas standard.

Little Susan, wise beyond her years, discovers that despite her doubts, there really is a Santa Clause. Although some may prefer the older version of this Christmas movie, I adore the modern remake starring Richard Attenborough, who is an extremely lovable- and believable- Santa Claus. When a store-employed Santa Claus is put on trial as to his reality, a whole city comes to believe in Old Saint Nick! You’ll find yourself believing right along with them.

Of course, A Christmas Carol is a classic Christmas tale that will be told over and over through many decades, even centuries, to come in a variety of venues. Amongst all the versions of A Christmas Carol is have read, watched onscreen, or seen acted out on a stage, the Muppets rendering remains my absolute favorite. Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and the three ghosts of Christmas are all included, but in a uniquely Muppet way.

Here’s one you may not have heard of. A young mother (Mary Steenburgen) is stressed when her family falls on hard times during the Christmas season, which only brings out her bitterness toward the holiday even more. When her world comes crashing down around her, can an angel named Gideon and her young daughter, Abbie, succeed in drawing her back to the love and joy that Christmas is really about? A touching movie that should be on your Christmas watching list.

Another movie that is not necessarily about Christmas, but centered around the Christmas season, with wonderful messages to share about community, family, and gratitude. (And also akin to Miracle on 34^th Street in that it is a newer version of the old classic The Bishop’s Wife.) An angel named Dudley, played by Denzel Washington, comes to help a minister whose family and church is struggling. A bonus to an enjoyable movie is several solos by the unmatchable Whitney Houston, who stars as the minister’s wife.

Of course, I can’t leave off those wonderful children’s classics that we all look forward to seeing on TV when Christmas rolls around. Rudolph is undoubtedly one of the best. Though the stop motion animation is now outdated, and some scenes are incredibly corny, it seems to only add to the movie’s charm. This one is a yearly must-see for the whole family.

The creative tale, starring Tim Allen as an unwilling Santa-in-training, was an instant classic upon its release. Scott Calvin, a toy designer by trade, whose initials- not coincidentally are also S.C., is a divorced father who has grown out of touch with his son and disenchanted with Christmas. When he accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall off his roof on Christmas Eve, he inadvertently steps into the jolly man’s boots.

Like Rudolph, another children’s Christmas movie that is bound to show up on network television every December. Fred Astaire voices the narrator in the legend of how Santa Claus became, well, Santa Claus. The movie manages to put a story behind all Santa’s familiar qualities, from why he sports a beard to why he puts toys in stockings. Fun stories accompanied by fun music.

This movie is set during the Christmas season and stars Sandra Bullock as Lucy Moderatz who is the nice girl, often forgotten and unnoticed, and very much alone in the world. After rescuing a handsome businessman she fell in love with from her subway token booth, she is mistaken by his family as his fiancée and finds herself suddenly a part of their lives. A great movie filled with humor about family and love in unexpected places.

A quintessential Christmas musical from the golden age of Hollywood starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Judy Haynes in which a successful pair of performers (Crosby and Kaye) and former Army privates happen upon their former commander running a hard-pressed inn. Along the way the meet and help two sisters (Clooney and Haynes) revive their musical career- and their love lives. Moments of comedy are interspersed in all things Christmas.