From classic to contemporary, from heart warming to bawdy, there’s a Christmas movie for virtually every taste or mood.
Because there are few better ways to escape from the stress of holiday shopping, baking, cleaning and hosting than to experience the season through someone else’s eyes, like James Stewart, Alastair Sim, Chevy Chase or even Edward Scissorhands.
Jen Arbo, of the Royal City Farmers Market, says an evening spent with the Griswolds reminds her of her own family’s christmas flowers france past. Amidst the calamities and corny jokes, “it also has a few touching moments where I am reminded to love my family because of—not despite—all their wackiness,” says Arbo, of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which was also cited as a favourite by John Buis of the Burnaby RCMP, New Westminster Hyacks football coach Farhan Lalji and Janice Stevens of Dance With Me Studio.
Deb Wardle is a bit of a Christmas movie buff, with more than 20 selections in her family’s DVD library. Old classics like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life are Christmas Eve favourites, but her most beloved choice is Charlie Brown’s christmas flowers france blogs .
“The music, the message, the familiar characters, the humour and just everything about this movie makes it my all time favourite,” says Wardle.
New Westminster historian Archie Miller stays true to type by watching Alastair Sim in A Christmas Carol.
Though there have been many movie versions of Charles Dickens’ holiday tale over the years, the 1951 release remains the definitive one for Miller because it “captures so wonderfully the world of the day portrayed... by Charles Dickens.”
New Westminster MLA Dawn Black is a veteran of the political nitty-gritty, but come Christmastime she escapes into the computer-generated fantasy world of The Polar Express.
“It’s a tradition that I invite my grandchildren to watch it with me each year,” says Black. “They always enjoy seeing it again and we have a fun evening together.”
As a comedian, Janice Bannister might be expected to reach for a funny Christmas movie but it’s Bing Crosby’s singing and dancing in White Christmas that gets her in the holiday spirit.
“I remember seeing it for the first time at the theatre in Trail where I grew up,” says Bannister, who also conducts classes in stand-up comedy. “When I was walking home from the theatre it was snowing. When Bing sings ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,’ the snow falling always reminds me of the Kootenays.
Burnaby mystery writer and puppeteer Elizabeth Elwood also has a soft spot for Crosby’s 1954 musical, but she also piques her taste for intrigue by watching Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, a movie made for TV in 1994.
And for a guy who puts people through a tough exercise regime in his Survivor Bootcamp, Mike Nunes has a soft spot for Miracle on 34th Street.
“This has become an ongoing holiday tradition amongst my family,” says Nunes. “After the presents are opened, hot chocolate is poured and we all sit down to enjoy this movie together.”
Here, in no particular order, are some Christmas movie ideas:
A Christmas Carol: A black & white classic from 1951 stars Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy old curmudgeon who has a epiphany of kindness after he’s visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve.
It’s a Wonderful Life: Another timeless classic involving redemption and angels. This time it’s James Stewart who learns of all the things that make his life worth living thanks to a visit from his guardian angel.
Miracle on 34th Street: When Macy’s Santa turns up drunk, the store’s special events planner finds a replacement named Kris Kringle who claims to be the real deal. While adults are doubtful, children believe. Eventually everyone ends up in court, where the veracity of Kringle’s identity will be tested.
A Christmas Story: All Ralphie wants for Christmas is an air rifle, but all the adults in his life, including Santa himself, are warning of the danger such a gift would present to his eyesight. This 1983 film has become a contemporary classic; one cable network even shows it repeatedly for 24 hours beginning on Christmas eve.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: Clark Griswold is going to hold the biggest family Christmas celebration ever, but of course it all goes terribly wrong when his perpetual bad luck is compounded by obnoxious guests.
Elf: Buddy suspects something is not quite right when he’s twice the size of all of Santa’s elves, with whom he was raised. So Santa allows him to go to New York City to find his real father, but Buddy just can’t overcome his elfish nature. The best Christmas movie ever filmed in Vancouver.
Home Alone: Kevin’s family is off to Paris for Christmas vacation, but after he’s sent to his room for fighting with his older brother, they forget him. At first, having the house to himself is a hoot, but then burglars try to break in. Not on Kevin’s watch, though.
Love Actually: Eight characters, including the prime minister of England, fall in and out of love during the holidays in London.
A Midnight Clear: In an isolated forest somewhere in France in 1944, a squad of American soldiers locates a German platoon hoping to surrender rather than be a part of Hitler’s doomed final offensive. The two groups put aside their differences to spend Christmas together before it all goes terribly wrong.
Joyeux Noel: Christmas takes on a particular poignancy during war time. This time its French, Scottish and German soldiers who are able to take a break from their hostilities along the Western Front in WWI to reconnect with their humanity.
Bad Santa: A drunken conman and his sidekick pose as Santa and his helper so they can rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But their plan is complicated when they’re befriended by an eight-year-old boy. The perfect salve for cynical scrooges weary of holiday cheer.
Edward Scissorhands: While not exactly a Christmas movie, it was released on Christmas day. A modern fairy tale about a lonely man with scissors for hands. After he’s befriended by a local Avon lady he discovers the real world outside his mansion can be a cruel and unforgiving place.
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