Christmas Movies

Its that holiday time of year again! After a long day’s work I enjoy nothing more than turning on the Christmas tree lights and kicking back on the couch with a glass of egg nog (OK, most likey a glass of Red) to watch a Christmas movie with the family.

I admit it; he Hackmans really are suckers for for just about anyChristmas movie.

Heck, even a bad Lifetime Original channel movie with a Christmas theme will end up getting watched at our house. You know, the kind where the divorced single mother struggling to raise a couple kids suddenly has Santa Claus move in next door. After a film full of Mom trying to convince the kids there is no such thing as Santa Claus, ends up believing herself after receiving a little dose of Christmas spirit…yep, you know what I mean.

Anyhow, there are a number of classics that we really enjoy and will make for any entertaining Christmas night with you and your family.

In no particular order:

A Miracle on 34th Street:

The classic 1947 starring Maureen O’Hara and a 9 year old Natalie Wood proves once and for all; there really is a Santa Claus.  People forget this movie was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award back in the day and it still holds up 60 years later.  (But don’t watch the colorized version)

Jingle All the Way:

Purists will mock me for including this one but  Arnold Schwarzenegger racing around the city on Christmas Eve to get his son a Turbo Man kills me every time.  With Phil Hartman as the lecherous neighbor and Robert Conrad as the pursuing cop the movie has become a Hackman Holiday Classic.

The Fourth Wiseman

Martin Sheen plays one of the “wise men from the East” who journeys with his friends to witness the birth of Christ.  However his generous heart to help others means he misses out on visiting the baby Jesus.  He then spends the rest of the movie in a desperate desire to find the Lord but his compassion for the poor and needy seems to always place him one step behind.  In the end he finds that Jesus was always with him and accepting his gifts of love to others at each and every turn.

  I love this movie!

ELF:

Will Ferrell as the human adopted by Santa’s elves but journeys to New York to find his real father has become hands down the most watched Christmas movie at the Hackman house.  Tammy could watch this movie 400 times and laugh at Ferrell’s character “Buddy” as if it were the very first time.

The Santa Claus:

The Disney movie where Tim Allen becomes Santa Claus after the old Santa dies falling off his roof is heartwarming, funny, and everything a good Christmas movie should be.  The sequels (both of them) are nearly as good as the first.

An American Christmas Carol:

This 1979 made for TV movie transports the familiar Charles Dickens story to Depression era America with Henry Winkler playing the Scrooge character.  I remember first watching this with my family as a young boy back when Henry Winkler was riding the fame wave as “The Fonz”.  It is a wonderful version of the Christmas classic.

and finally last, but not least…

It’s a Wonderful Life

The Jimmy Stewart & Donna Reed Christmas favorite shows us the value of human life, the importance of realtionships, and most importantly, how an angel gets his wings.  No Christmas season is complete without at least one viewing…

Oh, and I almost forgot:

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Yes, not technically a Christmas movie but a holiday favorite of mine none the less.  Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka is a magical feast and is in my personal top 10 movies of all time.  I’ll watch it anytime…anywhere!