I decided that I would put together a list of great Christmas movies, but I quickly realized that I have some serious deficiencies in my knowledge of Christmas movies. So, I decided to make a list of my top 10 favorite Christmas movies. I did not include animated films or specials except for The Polar Express (which did not make my top 10 anyway). After the top ten, I included a list of other Christmas movies that I have seen (most of which I actually like), and finally I included a list of Christmas movies that I have not seen, but probably should see. This Christmas season, I will make an effort to see several of the movies that I have somehow missed in my life, and see if they deserve to crack the top 10.
10. Muppet Family Christmas- The Muppets just seem to go with Christmas.
9. The Nativity Story- This movie makes it because it is important to remember the reason for the season, and it was not a bad attempt to tell the story.
8. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation- Perhaps the most underrated of the live action Christmas movies with the most enjoyable appearance by the Griswold family since the original. I really enjoyed it.
7. Elf- Underrated as a Christmas movie and a Wil Farrell film, this is a very enjoyable Christmas tale.
6. The Grinch- This film could easily have been a disappointment. It would have been hard to improve upon the original animated version of the Dr. Suess classic. However, Jim Carey is great as the Grinch, and he carries the film very well.
5. White Christmas- This deserves to be in the top 10 if only for the title song which is the best Christmas song of all time even though it is not the first time it was sung on film.
4. Miracle on 34th Street- A nice Christmas classic about believing in Santa Claus. Greatness.
3. A Christmas Carol- There are a host of versions of the great Dickens tale out there, and most of them are very good. The story keeps it at the top of my list.
2. A Christmas Story- Honestly, I enjoy watching this film more than any on the list. I watch it every year a couple of times on TNT, and it is one of my favorite comedies regardless of the fact that it is a Holiday movie. I have most of the dialogue memorized.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life- To have put A Christmas Story above this movie would have just been wrong. This movie has become an American icon of the Christmas season, and it deserves to hold the top spot.
The movies below are other Christmas films that I have seen, and may have enjoyed. The ones toward the bottom I liked less.
The Polar Express
Scrooge
Scrooged
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Sound of Music
Ernest Saves Christmas
Bad Santa
The Santa Claus
Santa Clause 2
Babes in Toyland
The Christmas Shoes
Home Alone
Jingle All the Way
The Ref
Very Brady Christmas
Christmas with the Kranks
Jack Frost
The following is a list of films that I have not seen but probably need to see (except for Black Christmas).
Holiday Inn
Preacher’s Wife
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Christmas in Connecticut
Black Christmas
Mary Christmas
Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
Home for the Holidays
A Holiday to Remember
The Bells of St. Mary’s
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
The Bishop’s Wife
The Christmas Box
Meet Me in St. Louis
Surviving Christmas
The Man Who Saved Christmas
Filed under: Funny, General Topics, Greatness, Hot Opinions, Lists, Movies, Music, Personal experience, religion, Television | Tagged: 34th Street, Best, Bing Crosby, Carey, Cgrist, Chase, Christmas, Elf, Entertainment, Family, Farrell, Films, Grinch, Griswold, Life, Mary Joseph, Most, Movie, Movies, Muppet, Nativity, Ralphy, Story, Top 10, Top 100, Top 20, Vacation, White, Wonerful | Leave a comment »