My Top 12 Christmas Movies
I think Christmas might be my favorite genre of movie. You can get mad at me for that if you want. I don’t care. I think the most wonderful time of the year produces some of the most joyful, fun films there are. Some honorable mentions I’d like to honorably mention include: ‘Klaus,’ ‘The Santa Clause’ trilogy,’ ‘Rise of the Guardians,’ both ‘The Grinch’ & ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas,’ & ironically, ‘Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.’ Now why did I do top 12? Two reasons. The 12 days of Christmas of course! And because I really didn’t want to cut anymore of these.
Arthur Christmas- These films are listed in alphabetical order, but ‘Arthur Christmas’ does happen to be my all-time favorite as well. I absolutely adore it & don’t think a single other film can make me feel the same way this one does. It’s funny, heartwarming, & inspiring. It’s one of my top 10 favorite movies in general & the voice cast all play their roles so well. For those unfamiliar, the story follows the Claus family as the man currently holding the title of Santa (Jim Broadbent) nears the end of his career. We see Santa’s intellectual son, Steve (Hugh Laurie) ready to take the mantle, his elderly father, Grandsanta (Bill Nighy), the supportive Mrs. Claus (Imelda Staunton), an ambitious elf, Bryony (Ashley Jensen), all centered around Santa’s clumsy but well meaning son, Arthur (James McAvoy) who just wants every child to experience Christmas magic.
Die Hard- Yes it is a Christmas movie. Go read my article in ‘Other Stuff’ explaining why I believe this, so I don’t have to get into it here. I believe this is the best action movie there is, perfecting the formula needed. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is exactly what is needed in an action hero, cool, funny, & grounded. Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) is an all-time movie villain and Rickman’s film debut. I am going to compare this film to LeBron James. I already loved LeBron, but having to constantly defend my take of him as the GOAT made me even more partial to & fond of him, just as defending my take on ‘Die Hard’ made me love it more.
Elf- My second favorite Christmas film, and based on the results of my survey, easily the most popular and beloved, I feel like I don’t need to talk too much about ‘Elf.’ I’m sure you love it too. Will Ferrell gives what I would consider the greatest comedic performance in any film, to the extent that every single line he delivers & movement he makes is iconic.
Four Christmases- Let’s hit a back to back Vince Vaughn run here. Here he teams up with Reese Witherspoon as a couple trying to avoid their families on Christmas. A rewatch for my wife & I every year the film also stars Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Tim McGraw, & Sissy Spacek as Vaughn’s family, Mary Steenburgen, Kristin Chenoweth, & Jon Voight as Witherspoon’s family, & Dwight Yoakam as Pastor Phil. This film features two scenes oft quoted in my household, the nativity play scene (specifically ‘This child is a blessing to the both of us.’) and the scene in which Vaughn’s character wrestles his nephews (specifically ‘Google me *****. You might want to look me up sometime Barbara.’).
Fred Claus- Vince Vaughn Round 2, this film stars Vaughn as the older brother as Santa who is granted immortality when his brothers gains sainthood. The film stars Paul Giamatti as Santa in one my favorite takes on the jolly man & also features Miranda Richardson, Kathy Bates, Rachel Weisz, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Spacey, & Ludacris. This is a movie I loved watching with my brother due to its central focus on the relationship between brothers.
The Holdovers- The newest addition to the list, now we have a back to back Giamatti special. This is one I’m incredibly excited to watch this year with my wife. I first watched it during last awards season during my Oscars watch, as it was nominated for Best Picture, Actor (Giamatti), & won Best Supporting Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). The trio of Giamatti, Randolph, & the young Dominic Sessa are an unlikely group, but so fun nonetheless. If you haven’t watched it, I would highly recommend you do so & I’m sure it’ll be added to your yearly rotation.
The Holiday- Another rom com, ‘The Holiday’ stars Kate Winslet & Cameron Diaz as women who switch homes for the holiday season and fall in love with Jack Black & Jude Law, respectively. The story is very heartwarming & relatable with both romances being appealing in their own ways. I love Jude Law’s character in this film so much & its my favorite of his roles.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York- This is a hot take, but I prefer the second ‘Home Alone’ to the first, because I think the big city setting is incredibly fun. I like that Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) has the whole city as his playground against Harry & Marv (Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern). Also returning are Catherine O’Hara & John Heard as Kevin’s forgetful parents, with newcomers like Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Eddie Bracken, Rob Schneider, & Dana Ivey joining the fray.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas- I would assume this is the least known film on this list. This 1998 film stars Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a young man trying to make it home in time for Christmas to keep a promise to his estranged father. Featuring Jessica Biel as his girlfriend, this film combines the Christmas & road trip genres for a wild ride. My brother & I loved quoting the the random side character of Nolan who delivers an array of funny lines.
Love Actually- One of the most stacked ensemble casts out there, this film follows a variety of intertwined stories and characters to display all the different kinds of love people feel around the holidays. It would take up a good chunk of this article to list out the cast so I won’t do so, but if you’re unfamiliar just look it up. Star after star each in a very memorable role, my personal favorite being Hugh Grant as David, the new Prime Minister.
Miracle on 34th Street- I’m talking about the original film from 1947 starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, & Edmund Gween as Santa in an Oscar-winning performance. I’ll admit that older films have to be pretty timeless for me to enjoy them and this one checks that box. Though it has been remade, I don’t think this was necessary because the first film has held up extremely well, whether you choose to watch the black and white or colorized version.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation- Let’s finish it off here with another one of the most beloved Christmas films. Chevy Chase stars as neurotic father Clark Griswold, who just wants to make a special Christmas for his family, with said family being filled out by Beverly D’Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E. G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, & Randy Quaid as the beloved Cousin Eddie, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nicholas Guest, & Brian Doyle-Murray also appearing. This film is more of a sequence of gags and works brilliantly.
Merry Christmas to you dear reader! Thanks for reading!
