Many family Christmas traditions include the watching of classic Christmas films as the “big day” approaches. My sister-in-law must see “A White Christmas”. I on the other hand, have to get a Grinch and Charlie Brown fix in before I officially say the Christmas season has begun. And of course, the networks show all the classic Christmas flicks starting usually around now and running through all of the Christmas season. ABC began its Christmas movie season on Nov 16 with Santa Baby.
It has become my habit to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” late on Christmas eve as it is invariably playing on some channel at some point. I will admit that I hadn’t seen that movie in it’s entirety until a few years ago, having always divided my time between watching it and attempting to construct some toy to put under the tree – a toy that came with instructions that said “some assembly required”! I wouldn’t class 3 hours to construct a Fisher-Price Castle as some assembly – I’d say that was a lot! Watching Jimmy Stewart’s hardships helped to ease my construction frustration!
I thought it would be helpful to list some of the “best” Christmas films. “Best” is a very subjective term, so of course, there is much debate over the best. Here are two lists that I located. Perhaps a merging of the two will help you in your quest for your Christmas flick this year, or at least validate your all time favourite.
According to a 2005 IMDB.com (Internet Movie Database) survey of their members, the 2005 top ten is as follows:
- Christmas Story, 1983 The heart-warming tale of nine-year-old Ralphie Parker and his childhood Christmas in the 1940s.
- It's a Wonderful Life, 1943 An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed.
- Die Hard, 1988/Die Hard 2, 1990 Off-duty cop John McClane overcomes terrorists and saves lives - all in time for Christmas.
- Christmas Vacation, 1989 The Grizwold family's perfect Christmas crumbles around their ears, with a helping hand from hapless dad Clark (Chevy Chase).
- Love Actually, 2003 The inter-twining love lives of eight very different couples come to a head during a dramatic Christmas in London.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993 Tim Burton's mystical and ghoulish animated horror. The perfect antidote to an overload of festive sentimentality.
- Home Alone, 1990Macaulay Culkin is left at home at Christmas and has to defend his home against a pair of persistent burglars.
- Bad Santa, 2003 A miserable conman and his pint size partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious as the wicked Santa.
- Scrooged, 1988 Fantastic take on the Charles Dickens tale, with Bill Murray playing a selfish TV executive who is haunted by three spirits bearing moral lessons on Christmas Eve.
- The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1992 Jim Henson's animated heroes turn Dickens multi-coloured, with a little help from Sir Michael Caine as Scrooge.
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- Miracle on 34th Street
- A Christmas Story
- Gremlins
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Nightmare Before Christmas
- The Santa Claus
- Muppets Christmas Carol
Barb Philp, Head of Adult Services
1 comment:
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Here is the url to a blog from the Archives of the Sandusky Library,
if you would like to take a look:
http://sanduskyhistory.blogspot.com
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