Best Christmas Movies...

Hmmm... I'll be one of those people that will say...

LOVE ACTUALLY

I can't help it. It's a weak spot. Makes me go "aww" each time I watch it. =P

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I hadn't thought about the Christmas thread in that film, but Love Actually is a very good choice. It may be a little sappy and sentimental, but it's sweet, a lot of fun, uplifting, filled with love, and has something for everyone. And isn't that what Christmas is all about?

I've only looked at the first few pages of entries at the start of this thread and the last most recent posting, so I can't say for sure that no one else has mentioned it, but a couple of my favorite Christmas films seem to have been left out:
First and foremost is Albert Finney in the musical Scrooge! It's nostalgic--I remember years ago seeing on TV the members of the Broadway cast performing the "Thank You Very Much" song and dance during the Macy Thanksgiving parade in New York. It's got a great cast--Albert Finney is one of the best and most versatile actors ever! It's got great music, a great story, and the basic tale of man's abilitiy to redeem himself and to turn his life around for the better really embraces the spirit of Christmas past, present, and future.

Right behind that is a different version of the same story, The Muppets Chritmas Carol, starring another really good actor, Michael Caine. Again, there's great music, lots of laughter, an entertaining story of a man who becomes better almost in spite of himself. And all of those delightful Muppets. Boy, they spark my Christmas spirit every time!

A Christmas Carol has been done so many ways, but one of the strangest versions I saw back in 1964, just a few weeks after I was discharged from the Army, on a television program like Playhouse 90 back when they did good, original plays on TV instead of weekly repeats of the same series. I can't remember the name of the play or which program it actually appeared on, but it starred grim, gruff Sterling Hayden as an Army general who son was killed in combat on Christmas day some years before. In this version, it's the son's ghost who comes back like Marley to set his dad on a Christmas journey of redemption, to teach him there are some principles worth fighting and even dying for. It didn't exactly leave you laughing, but it did provoke a lot of thought and discussion at the time.

Your post reminded me of The Muppet Christmas Carol, which starred Michael Caine. It was very good! Touching and humorous. I haven't seen it since our kids were young, but I'm going to pull it out of the library this week for holiday viewing.

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Yeah, I've always been a sucker for the Muppets and Michael Caine is one of the few actors who can hold his own with them without being upstaged. But then he had been in films with Lawrence Olivier, too!

Home Alone 1 and 2, that was a very hilarious film.

A Christmas Story. Classic!

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Jingle All The Way and Home Alone 1&2 (i watch these films almost every Christmas)

Well, unless I scanned too fast, the only one I can think of, that didn't get mentioned, was Funny Farm. The bulk of that movie is at Christmas time. I love that movie, but my two favorites are A Christmas Story, and Christmas Vacation.

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A Christmas Story is by far my favorite Christmas movie; I fondly remember growing up with it in the 80's. Christmas Vacation and Home Alone are some of my runner-ups.

Home Alone and The Grinch..

Yeah Home Alone is one of the funniest movie...I Enjoy watching this!!!!....

Home Alone 1&2 are amazing. The muppets christmas carol i used to watch every christmas. Also the tv specials like how the grinch stole christmas and a charlie browns christmas. I like the polar express and I thought the christmas with the kranks was good. Elf was a good one too.

Somehow, I've made it through billions of Christmas seasons without ever watching A Christmas Story. And one channel showed it for 24 hours straight one year! I'll have to add it to the ever growing list of movies I have to see.

For Christmas sentiment, I'd pick It's a Wonderful Life, or the animated The Grinch that Stole Christmas.

For overall favorite, I'm going to say, White Christmas. Me and musicals go way back.

I really enjoyed watching Jingle All The Way. Arnie is so funny in that film. He did everything just to get his son a Christmas present - the smash hit action figure toy Turbo Man.

I also like the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!!! Is this movie can be include as a Christmas movie!!! We just love watching this in Christmas Days....

A Christmas Story (A classic of course.)
A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott (Favorite out of a thousand or so versions. Scrooge with Albert Finney is another favorite.)
Christmas Vacation (Hilarious movie and the only Chevy Chase I really care for.)

Did I already post in this thread? I typically do not like Christmas film or any holiday films for that matter. The subject and content seem to be narrowed down quite a bit.

I guess, Home Alone and that old Barbara Stanwyck film. I think it's called Remember the Night.

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A Christmas Story