My Christmas Must-Sees

My Christmas Must-Sees
by. William C. Walker Jr.

December 24, 2014

Christmas is without a doubt by far my favorite holiday.  It's not even close Thanksgiving is cool, New Year's is fun and who doesn't like a good BBQ on the 4th of July. But Christmas is the holiday that is the absolute best. So with less than 24 hours to go before the big day, I decided to share my top 5 must see Christmas movies.  These aren't the best movies in the world, though they are pretty great. These are the movies that I look forward to seeing every Christmas. Doesn't matter how many times I've seen them, they just put a smile on my face and puts me in the mood for the holiday.  So grab a bowl of popcorn and take a look at my list, see if your movie made the cut.

5. Elf (2003)- I was supremely tempted to put Home Alone here which is a movie me and brothers watched over and over again. But no I decided to put Will Ferrell's instant classic.  Just as Ferrell was breaking into super stardom we got this gem. Directed by Jon Favreau, Will Ferrell played Buddy a human child raised by elves after stowing away in Santa's slay.  I defy anyone to watch this movie and not laugh hysterically as Ferrell a grown man sits on Bob Newhart's lap.  With a mix of Ferrell's man-child antics and old school Christmas sentiment that would fit perfectly in Christmas specials from back in the day Elf is pure gold.

4. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)- This was a really weird movie to me as a kid.  Yet I remember loving it when I watched it, and it's stuck with me.  Tim Burton seemed to make up a kids movie that wasn't sugary sweet or corny.  The concept itself was totally unique and something you'd never seen before.  Before Pixar completely took over the animation game we got this awesome movie.  Lead by a crazy character like Jack Skeleton the Pumpkin King and official head of Halloween town.  Like most Disney movies of course it had musical numbers that stay with you, and Danny Elfman a constant Burton collaborator provided some musical diamonds.  I remember loving Beetlejuice and Burton wrote a story that took that same aesthetic and put into a Christmas story.

3. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)/Scrooged(1988) - Okay I'm cheating a little bit here but seeing how these two movies are both a re-telling of Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol.  Besides there are a ton of Christmas Carol remakes and reduxes yet these two are a cut above.  First off the Muppets alone always made me laugh.  I remember watching reruns of their old TV show on TNT.  As well as remembering how much I loved The Muppets Take Manhattan or the Great Muppet Caper. Yet by far The Muppet Christmas Carol is the best to me.  Putting the Muppets in the perfect roles like Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, the two old guys as Marley & Marley.  Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, I just remember cracking up constantly at the crazy antics.  All the while keeping the complete essence of Dickens classic.

First off Bill Murray is flat out awesome period.  So how could you not like Richard Donner's modern take (at least for the 80s) on A Christmas Carol?  Murray plays a TV executive Frank Cross that's lost his way during the Christmas season.  What makes the story even more great is how Cross's story intersects while his network prepares for a live Christmas broadcast of A Christmas Carol.  It's just hilarious to watch Murray go through the day losing it as the various ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future present themselves.  I watch Scrooged every year and thanks to Netflix the tradition stays alive.  Plus what network would actually run a Promo like the one below? LOL!

2. A Christmas Story(1983)- Come on now you can't make a Christmas movie list and not include this movie.  TBS shows this thing for 24 hours starting at midnight on Christmas Eve.  You know what? I'm not mad at them, you can't tell me a person that doesn't know where lines like "You'll shoot your eye out!", "Oh Fudge", or "I double dog dare you" come from.  It's instantly quotable and a movie that's safe for everyone in the family to see.  Plus it's just a movie that no matter how old I get instantly reminds me of what it's like to be a kid wanting your parents to get a certain toy. Plus the feeling of being mad when you open the box to get an ugly sweater.

1. Die Hard (1988)- Look I know many may say that A Christmas Story should've been tops on my list. But let's face it Die Hard isn't just a great Christmas movie, it's one of the greatest action movies of all time! This movie set the gold standard for terrorist/hostage action the fact that it takes place during Christmas is just a bonus!  But what doesn't say holiday cheer like a dead bad guy dressed as Santa and dropped through an elevator shaft.  Nothing makes you appreciate the family more than seeing an estranged husband beat to heck and bloody coming to his wife's rescue. Come on they even incorporate holiday sleigh bells into the score!  Yes that's right Die Hard is the number 1 Christmas movie.

So there you have it my Christmas must-see movies.  Let me know what you think agree disagree?  What's your Christmas must-sees?

Honorable Mentions: As said before Home Alone, Gremlins another one that was so close to making the cut, It's A Wonderful Life, Batman Returns it's Batman at Christmas time come on, Mickey's Christmas Carol, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.