With December now upon us and Christmas coming up soon, I thought this would be a good time to compile a list of my favorite Christmas movies.  So, I made another top ten list.  As a shameless plug, this is actually the third “top ten” list that I have posted on this site.  Here you can find my top ten reasons why this blog is better than Facebook, and here you can find my list of top ten Indianapolis Colts games of all time.  And now, in the spirit of the Christmas season, I am going to present to you a list of my top ten Christmas movies of all time.

Before we get to the actual list, I need to set some guidelines as to what qualifies to be on this list.  First of all, I obviously have to have actually seen the movie before.  So, before you ask the age-old and hotly debated question, “Does Die Hard count as a Christmas movie?”, I have never seen Die Hard, so it’s irrelevant.  It does not qualify to be on this list.  The Die Hard debate, though, centers around the question, “How much Christmas content has to be in the movie overall for it to count?” And while that may be a bit of a judgement call sometimes, we don’t really have to worry about that here, as each of these movies carries a significant enough Christmas theme to qualify for this list.

The next question I need to address is, do TV specials count?  For the purpose of this list, I’m going to say yes.  However, when I refer to TV specials, I’m not referring to Christmas episodes of regular TV shows.  Otherwise, we start including things like:

Now, you might argue, “But TV specials aren’t movies; they’re not long enough.”  Perhaps, but if we exclude TV specials and go with a stricter definition of an actual full-length movie, I’m not sure I’d be able to think of ten deserving movies to go on this list.  And besides, it’s my list, so I get to define the parameters.  If you don’t like it, feel free to create your own blog, come up with your own list of favorite Christmas movies with your own definition, and post your list.  Or get a Twitter account and tweet it.

One honorable mention before we get to the top ten.  This one goes to Scrooge, starring Albert Finney in the 1970 version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.  I remember watching this on TV multiple times as a kid, as they used to show it seemingly every year back then.  Although it’s a classic, I think the scary scenes of the movie (specifically Marley’s ghost and the Ghost of Christmas Future) kept me up at night, and for that reason, I simply can’t put it in my top ten.  Instead, I am actually going to put a different version of this movie on my list.

And now, without further ado, here are my top ten Christmas movies and/or TV specials…

10.       Mickey’s Christmas Carol.  This 1983 animated Disney special features Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge and Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit.  This version of Dickens’ classic gets my recommendation as a condensed and better version for kids.

9.         Miracle on 34^th Street.  This 1947 movie is an all-time classic, and should probably be higher on my list, except that I’ve barely seen it.  I’ve watched bits and pieces of it on TV, and although I’m sure I’ve seen it all the way through once a long time ago, I can only seem to remember one scene.  This, of course, is the famous courtroom trial scene to determine the existence of Santa Claus, and whether the man known as Kris Kringle was indeed Santa Claus.  Even just this scene alone, particularly the mailbags being brought in, is enough to vault it into the top ten.

8.         National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  Although this movie came out in 1989, I actually just saw it last year for the first time.  Some of it is kind of dumb, and some of the humor is a bit crude, but it also has enough funny parts that it belongs on this list.  It just depends on your sense of humor.  It stars Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold and his ridiculous hijinks in hosting a large family gathering for Christmas.  Between getting a Christmas tree so big that it breaks the windows in the house, lighting 25,000 Christmas lights on one roof, and everything about Cousin Eddie, the movie will either make you laugh or at least say, “At least we’re not like that family!”  Fun fact for fans of The Big Bang Theory like myself – this movie features a young Johnny Galecki as Russ, which made me think “It’s Young Leonard!” during the entire movie.

7.         Olive the Other Reindeer.  I’m guessing that very few people are familiar with this one, so you might be wondering how I dare rank such an obscure film this high.  In case you’re not familiar, Olive the Other Reindeer is a 1999 animated film produced by Matt Groening of The Simpsons.  So, this is another one that depends on your sense of humor.  If you’re like me and enjoy Simpsons episodes from the 1990s during the Matt Groening era, this one is right up your alley.  It features Drew Barrymore as the voice of Olive, a dog who goes on a journey to the North Pole to fill in for an injured Blitzen and save Christmas, even though she’s not an actual reindeer.  She gets help from a mischievous penguin along the way, and constantly has to avoid capture by a bitter postman who hates Christmas (voiced by Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson).  You know what, you just have to watch it (depending on how closely your sense of humor aligns with The Simpsons).

Side note: In how many Christmas movies is someone tasked with the job of saving Christmas?  If movies are to believed, how many times has Christmas supposedly almost been cancelled?

6.         The Polar Express.  This 2004 animated feature is the inspiring story of a boy who boards a magical train headed for the North Pole on Christmas Eve night.  (Yet another film centered around travel to the North Pole.)  Along the way, he has a series of entertaining adventures on the train.  He also learns some lessons about friendship, bravery, and most notably, about belief in the spirit of Christmas.  Or belief in Santa Claus.  Or just belief in general.  Although the moral of the story as to what to believe in is a bit vague (and perhaps intentionally so), the movie is still well-animated, family-friendly, and inspirational.  It also has the added bonus of having the voice of Tom Hanks.

5.         How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  I’m going with the 1966 animated TV special for this rendition of Dr. Seuss’s classic.  I just saw this on TV a couple weeks ago, and it’s still entertaining after all these years.  We can take a lesson from the Whos of Whoville, and how they didn’t need all their presents and belongings to be happy and still celebrate Christmas.  We can also take a lesson from the Grinch, who literally had a change of heart at the last minute and became a better person…Grinch.  Although, I still can’t get over how lucky he was that the Whos of Whoville were not a litigious society.

Fun fact – the song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft (not James Earl Jones, for whom some people have apparently mistaken his voice).  Ravenscroft was also known as the voice of Tony the Tiger from the Frosted Flakes commercials.  So, the next time you watch this, or at least hear this song, imagine the following lyrics:

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch
You really are a heel
You're as cuddly as a cactus
You're as slippery as an eel, Mr. Grinch
Frosted Flakes, they're GRRRRREAT!

3.         Elf.  This hilarious 2003 movie starring Will Ferrell is one of the most quotable movies overall in my book.  The plot features a man named Buddy, who had been raised by elves at the North Pole, finding out he’s not actually an elf and coming down to New York to become acquainted with his father.  Hilarity ensues when a clueless and overzealous Buddy doesn’t quite fit in with the New York culture.  Eventually, he is tasked with (big surprise here) saving Christmas on Christmas Eve night.  There are way too many great quotes to list here, but some of my favorite quotes from this movie include:

• (Phone rings, Buddy answers.) “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?”
• “I’m a cotton-headed ninny muggins!” (Everyone gasps.)
• “You sit on a throne of lies!”
• “So…do you want to go eat food?”
• “I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite!”
• “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”

2.         It’s a Wonderful Life.  This 1946 classic starring Jimmy Stewart is a must-watch for anyone who has never seen the movie before.  This has traditionally been shown on NBC every year sometime in December, although I’m not sure if that’s still the case.  Anyway, the story takes us through the life of a man named George Bailey, who becomes a hero to many in the town of Bedford Falls, all the while becoming frustrated at not being able to escape the town and see the world.  When he encounters misfortune one Christmas Eve, he considers ending his own life, only to be visited by angel-in-training Clarence (still trying to earn his wings).  Clarence shows him what his life would be like if he had never been born, and helps George realize the impact his life has made on so many people and how valuable the gift of life is.  Obviously, by its inclusion on this list, the movie has a happy ending which includes a Christmas miracle.  It’s a great feel-good movie which may also cause you to think about your own life and the impact you make on others.

1.         A Charlie Brown Christmas.  I love all the Peanuts holiday specials, and the 1965 TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas has to go right at the top of this list.  The plot centers around Charlie Brown getting depressed about Christmas and trying to search for its meaning.  Meanwhile, Lucy convinces him to direct the Christmas play, except that nobody seems to be taking it seriously.  The great thing about Peanuts is its ability to be entertaining for both kids and adults alike, from Snoopy’s comedic antics to the sort of weird dance-off that the kids constantly do as they’re supposed to be rehearsing for the play.  (I’m still trying to decide which kid’s dance is the best.)  At the same time, it also provides a level of sophistication of kids acting like adults, from Charlie Brown’s search for the meaning of Christmas to Lucy acting like a psychiatrist and wanting real estate.  And I also appreciate how Linus sums up the true meaning of Christmas toward the end by quoting Luke chapter 2, verses 8-14, which tell us about the birth of Christ.  Without this part, it’s still an entertaining special, but as this also captures the true meaning of what Christmas is all about, it vaults to #1 in my book.

Even aside from the actual special, I also love the soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi.  I could listen to it all day and enjoy it without even watching the show.  Whenever I hear any of the songs in this soundtrack, I feel like I’m either watching A Charlie Brown Christmas or The Weather Channel.

Anyway, that’s my list.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Perhaps now you might want to go back and watch (or re-watch) some of the ones on this list when you get a chance.  How does this list compare to yours?  Feel free to leave a comment and let me know.  In the meantime, just in case I don’t post on here again between now and then, I’d like to wish you a Merry Christmas!  Even though it’s 2020, I hope we can all find blessing and enjoyment during this season.

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” –Saint Nicholas