Top 10 Christmas Movies

[MightyGiants]

https://twitter.com/art_stapleton/status/1603064529436512256

[Ed Vette]

Scrooge and the Grinch would disagree

[MightyGiants]

I don't know how you can possibly have Home Alone behind the sequel.

Also, Elf needs to be top 3

While not a "movie" I think the Ted Lasso Christmas episode was one of the best Christmas-themed shows I have seen

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I'm not much for Christmas movies. It's a Wonderful Life is a classic, but it's not one you watch over and over. A Christmas Story was kind of lame in my opinion. I agree that Home Alone should be ranked above its sequel...that doesn't make sense. To me anyway. I think "Santa Clause" should be in the ranking. Good kid's movie

Christmas Vacation is tops for me. I don't think Die Hard is that much of a Christmas movie - good movie, Christmas is more of an afterthought and not much of a part in the story. If that's a Christmas movie, The Ref is far more so. Although, The Ref has a lot of "f-bombs" throughout, so not exactly a family movie any more than Bad Santa...LOL

[LennG]

Since myself and Jim are one of the 'movie' people on this board, I have a few movies that weren't mentioned and I really can't believe they weren't.

First of all, I really don't consider Die Hard and even Home Alone real Christmas movies as Christmas is just a backdrop for a story that has no real interest in Christmas. It just happens at that time of year. That said here is my list

!-- It's A Wonderful Life  --the all-time Christmas movie and one we watch every year, faithfully
2-- Miracle on 34th Street--How this was omitted is beyond me as it is truly about the Christmas spirit
3--A Christmas Carol--Another one is a head-scratcher how it was omitted. Maybe the best real Christmas movie
4--White Christmas---- Another omitted but with the all-time Christmas song
5--Bad Santa--My wife hates this movie, but I truly laugh out loud every time I watch it.
6--A Christmas Story---Jean Shepard's all-time classic, and that leg lamp--still funny
7-- Elf--Another movie my wife doesn't care for but it is funny
8--Lampoon's Christmas Vacation---Funny from start to finish
9--The Santa Claus-- I loved Tim Allen in this movie
10--The Shop Around the Corner--A true gem of a movie with Jimmy Stewart at his Christmas best

And for honorable mention

Jingle All The Way
The Grinch That Stole Christmas

[ozzie]

Since myself and Jim are one of the 'movie' people on this board, I have a few movies that weren't mentioned and I really can't believe they weren't.

First of all, I really don't consider Die Hard and even Home Alone real Christmas movies as Christmas is just a backdrop for a story that has no real interest in Christmas. It just happens at that time of year. That said here is my list

!-- It's A Wonderful Life  --the all-time Christmas movie and one we watch every year, faithfully
2-- Miracle on 34th Street--How this was omitted is beyond me as it is truly about the Christmas spirit
3--A Christmas Carol--Another one is a head-scratcher how it was omitted. Maybe the best real Christmas movie
4--White Christmas---- Another omitted but with the all-time Christmas song
5--Bad Santa--My wife hates this movie, but I truly laugh out loud every time I watch it.
6--A Christmas Story---Jean Shepard's all-time classic, and that leg lamp--still funny
7-- Elf--Another movie my wife doesn't care for but it is funny
8--Lampoon's Christmas Vacation---Funny from start to finish
9--The Santa Claus-- I loved Tim Allen in this movie
10--The Shop Around the Corner--A true gem of a movie with Jimmy Stewart at his Christmas best

And for honorable mention

Jingle All The Way
The Grinch That Stole Christmas

Lenn, I much prefer your list to the one by Stapleton.
I thought my family was the only ones who even KNEW about "The Shop Around the Corner".
My daughter is a huge Jimmy Stewart fan and makes sure we record it every year to watch together.
Your first three choices are mine also and I will put ELF at #4 followed by Ralphie and his BB Gun at 5.

I also agree that just because a movie takes place at Christmas time, that does NOT make it a Christmas movie.
I love Die Hard, but a Christmas movie it ain't. But, to each his own.
Happy Holidays everyone!

[MightyGiants]

From what I have seen, Diehard being a Christmas movie is hotly debated

[GordonGekko80]

From what I have seen, Diehard being a Christmas movie is hotly debated

Yeh, you watch that with the kids with the line "yippie kay yay" mf-bomb...  Not sure the mothers would be particularly happy. 

[LennG]

 If we are talking Christmas movies, as I said before A Christmas Carol has been done so many times, from Mickey Mouse to the Muppets, to some great English variations to a musical-- does anyone have a favorite?

Most feel the 1951 version with Allister Simms is the best but for me, there was a version, made for TV, with George C Scott as Scrooge. To me, the gruff old Scott was perfect as Ebenezer Scrooge. After that, since we watched with my kids every year, the Muppets Christmas Carol is second.

[Bill Brown]

If we are talking Christmas movies, as I said before A Christmas Carol has been done so many times, from Mickey Mouse to the Muppets, to some great English variations to a musical-- does anyone have a favorite?

Most feel the 1951 version with Allister Simms is the best but for me, there was a version, made for TV, with George C Scott as Scrooge. To me, the gruff old Scott was perfect as Ebenezer Scrooge. After that, since we watched with my kids every year, the Muppets Christmas Carol is second.

It is the 1951 A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim that will always be #1 in my book.

Bill

[GordonGekko80]

I am going to be honest with you guys; I understand why Home Alone is not a Christmas movie in the strict sense.

But for me and my beloved sister, it's been a Christmas Movie since our teenaging years. And we've passed this on to our kids, too.

We also like to watch Disney Movies (Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Djungle Book, Mary Poppins etc.) on Christmas.

At the end of the day it's less about the Movie, more about the company and just being together.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I know the feeling of the family ritual of watching Christmas movies together. Last year was the first year in a quarter century that I didn't watch Christmas Vacation with my father. I'd laugh so hard...but mainly at my Dad who laughed even harder. Really miss that about Christmas 

My kids on the other hand, don't watch Christmas movies except the girls who like the latest and greatest Christmas rom-coms 

My son likes(d) Santa Clause when he was younger, but doesn't seem too excited about Christmas since returning from Iraq. Maybe that will change this year as he and his wife had their first child (a baby girl) a couple months ago

[T200]

I can get through the Christmas season with Love Actually and Bad Santa.

[LennG]

My family, a nice religious Jewish family, we get into Christmas. Not the holiday itself, but the spirit of it. When I first met my wife, she had nothing to do with anything Christmas (the way she was brought up), but I urged her to embrace the spirit of the holiday, and goodwill towards men et al. Obviously, we do not celebrate why Christmas is Christmas, but again, we enjoy the good feelings that people tend to have toward others. That's why many of the movies on our list, are not religious movies but more about the spirit of this time of the year.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

My family, a nice religious Jewish family, we get into Christmas. Not the holiday itself, but the spirit of it. When I first met my wife, she had nothing to do with anything Christmas (the way she was brought up), but I urged her to embrace the spirit of the holiday, and goodwill towards men et al. Obviously, we do not celebrate why Christmas is Christmas, but again, we enjoy the good feelings that people tend to have toward others. That's why many of the movies on our list, are not religious movies but more about the spirit of this time of the year.

My sister is just the opposite. She was living in Tel Aviv for the first year that she moved there and there wasn't a Christmas decoration or display in sight. She had brought her decorations from the states to decorate a tree, but there was no buying a tree there. She was sad so she prayed and lo and behold, she found a Christmas tree alongside the road that had fallen off a truck. She took it home and decorated it. She said it was her best Christmas ever because her husband paid me to go over there and surprise her (he knew she was having a hard time dealing with depression at that time of the year as there isn't even a hint of Christmas). At the time, she had a small bakery shop with an outdoor patio so customers could eat inside or outside at a table. It was the day before Christmas when I snuck into her shop while she was waiting on a customer and didn't notice me there. When the customer was through, I yelled, "is there anyway a person can get some service around here?" Talk about screaming - must've hurt the customer's ears. She leaped over the counter, hugging me and bawling like a baby. My brother-in-law hired a private tour guide for my sister and I to explore Israel and hired a helper to run the shop while my sisterwas away from the shop for a week. We didn't explore the entire country, but we spent a lot of time at the Dead Sea, Eilat, Caesarea, and Jerusalem...and of course, the nightlife in Tel Aviv. It was really nice. I have since explored every inch of that country in subsequent trips. Amazing place!

Last time I was there was also near Christmas time and I spent a couple days in Nazareth. That Israeli city is 90% Arab, but Israeli citizens, and it is run by an Arab mayor. Really nice people. And that city was decked out for Christmas everywhere you'd go. It was amazing. Same with Haifa. Not so in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. I imagine it's also decked out for Christmas in Bethlehem as well, but I didn't go there as Bethlehem is in the West Bank and it was a hot spot for trouble at the time...although, I did go to Jericho (also in the West Bank and at the time Arafat's headquarters) several mornings to a small farm where a family cooked all the pastries for my sister's shop. Incredibly happy and friendly people there. I went with my brother-in-law because my sister didn't like going to Jericho, where they have what is called the "Jericho Fly" that bites hard and leaves scars similar to the ones on arms that got the Small Pox vaccination back in the 50's...lol Anyway...I am rambling...sorry