It’s that time of year again, where families spend time in front of a crackling fire, watching their favourite Holiday classics on TV. Now, back when I was a kid, you eagerly scanned the TV Guide each week leading up to Christmas, circling the days when Rudolph was on, or the Grinch or Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. There are so many great classic Christmas TV shows (or “Christmas Specials” as we always used to call them) and of course they’re all available on DVD now. Not that you’d need it: with the number of all-kids-programming, all-the-time networks on TV these days, you can be pretty certain that you won’t miss Frosty the Snowman this year…because it’ll be on forty-seven times.
Still, there’s something special about just catching a favourite Christmas special or holiday movie when it just happens to be on TV while you’re channel surfing, and for some reason it just feels more — I don’t know: fun? spontaneous? to watch it “live on TV” instead of on DVD (perhaps because it’s more nostalgic that way?). Anyway. I have a list of five movies that I love to watch every holiday season, and believe it or not, I only own one of them on DVD. And I’ve never watched it that way, because I always manage to find it one snowy Sunday afternoon in December while I’m busy baking shortbread or addressing cards.
So here are my top five favourite flicks to watch over the holidays (even though two of them have nothing to do with the holidays, and in no particular order):
White Christmas
Holiday Inn
The Sound of Music
A Christmas Carol (Alistair Sim)
The Wizard of Oz
How about you? What are your faves?
Oh: and by the way, if you haven’t seen it yet, you MUST, MUST, MUST go see Disney’s Christmas Carol (starring Jim Carrey). It is brilliant. And you’ll want to see it in 3D, too. I never thought I’d see an adaptation of Dickens’ classic Christmas story that I appreciated more than the Alistair Sim version (see above), but this one comes as close as anything ever could. It might (might) just be as good.
Love Actually has quickly climbed my list!
You missed my absolute favourite! Miracle on 34th Street. The original, of course. Best holiday movie of all time.
Its not really a Christmas movie, but I always watch Sleepless in Seattle at Christmas. And Miracle on 34th Street – the one with Dylan McDermott – I have to watch this one at least once during the holidays.
It’s always “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve while my husband and I wrap gifts (o.k., I wrap gifts and he lies on the couch asking me who each gift is for!). We watched a movie that was new to our family this year called “Prancer”. It was a hit with everyone and may become another tradition.