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The Christmas season is once again upon us, at least for those of us who give a damn. I’m an atheist, so the religious aspect of it means nothing to me. But the community and charity it preaches always have…as have the music, food and drink, and warm glow of stringed lights. Then, of course, there are the Christmas films. My family rewatches some fifteen of them every year. It’s probably not healthy, but whatever. They bring us joy, even more so since we moved to the Southern Hemisphere where everyone insists on celebrating in board shorts and flip-flops.
So, tell me: What’s your favorite Christmas film and why?
Extra points if you introduce me to one I’ve never watched before.
It’s nearly impossible for me to pick my own favorite. They each speak to me for very different reasons, most of which are reasons that have changed dramatically over the years. But the one I have watched almost every year of my life since I was ten or so is…drumroll…WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954). Technicolor and VistaVision, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney looking stunning in every scene she’s in, and that gut-punch of an ending - and I don’t mean the “White Christmas” number either. I’m talking about the Old Man they’ll follow wherever he goes. Waterworks, every damn time.
Hi Cole, I love a Christmas carol. The Jim carrey version. I adore the Victorian setting. The creepy door knocker and the scary atmosphere in general, but the biggest takeaway is even a character as horrible as Scrooge can find redemption and the spirit of Christmas, all over again.
I'm a huge fan of the story of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, but, hilariously, my children refuse to let me put this particular film on. They tend to pass on THE POLAR EXPRESS, as well. The animation is too disconcerting for them. CHRISTMAS CAROL actually frightened the older one when we first put it on; not the story, but the animation. As a family, we tend to prefer THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL and MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL. Myself, I lean toward SCROOGED and the Alistair Sim 1951 version, but adore the 1971 animated cartoon Sim also voiced (it's terrifying). If you haven't seen this animated special yet -- most people have forgotten it exists -- I shared a link to it here: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/twenty-hard-to-find-christmas-tv
This has just led to a bit of a debate with my adult children. We all need our Christmas films to be heart-warming in the first instance and some comedy doesn’t hurt either. My son plumped for Love Actually which must be our most watched film as a family, my daughter prefers Nativity which also has strong credentials. I think I would plump for Elf though as the film I most enjoy rewatching at Christmas (and there are many) I find it well-balanced and incredibly sweet without becoming saccharine and it consistently makes me laugh. I held off watching it when it was first released because I was worried it would be too cynical or commercialised but actually it captures everything that I need Christmas to be.
Excellent choices...though I will admit, I haven't seen NATIVITY! yet. I've added it to the queue for this holiday season. Thank you for the suggestion!
I'm not sure if people think of it as a Christmas film, but I do - as it features lots of Christmassy-ness and ends on New Year's Eve, of course (which is when my husband and I watch it every year!): Billy Wilder's THE APARTMENT. It's my favourite fillm, full stop, and the festive scenes in that movie are just some of the funniest, most adorable, most poignant ever committed to celluloid... from the office Christmas party where people dance on the tables, and secrets come out, to Jack Lemmon drunkenly propping up the bar on Christmas Eve, where he meets Hope Holiday as Margie McDougall (just one of the most glorious minor characters/performances in any comedy film, ever). Not forgetting Shirley MacLaine's heartwrenching, heartwarming realisation on New Year's Eve itself... To quote Margie McDougall: Sort of gives me goose-bumps just to think about it :)
I have never once considered this a holiday film...and now I want to rewatch to see how I feel about this assertion. It's been six or seven years now. What is considered Christmassy, how much has to be set at Christmas, never really makes sense to me. I think it all comes down to how strong an argument that a person makes. This is a pretty strong one.
Hi Cole, I love a Christmas carol. The Jim carrey version. I adore the Victorian setting. The creepy door knocker and the scary atmosphere in general, but the biggest takeaway is even a character as horrible as Scrooge can find redemption and the spirit of Christmas, all over again.
I'm a huge fan of the story of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, but, hilariously, my children refuse to let me put this particular film on. They tend to pass on THE POLAR EXPRESS, as well. The animation is too disconcerting for them. CHRISTMAS CAROL actually frightened the older one when we first put it on; not the story, but the animation. As a family, we tend to prefer THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL and MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL. Myself, I lean toward SCROOGED and the Alistair Sim 1951 version, but adore the 1971 animated cartoon Sim also voiced (it's terrifying). If you haven't seen this animated special yet -- most people have forgotten it exists -- I shared a link to it here: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/twenty-hard-to-find-christmas-tv
This has just led to a bit of a debate with my adult children. We all need our Christmas films to be heart-warming in the first instance and some comedy doesn’t hurt either. My son plumped for Love Actually which must be our most watched film as a family, my daughter prefers Nativity which also has strong credentials. I think I would plump for Elf though as the film I most enjoy rewatching at Christmas (and there are many) I find it well-balanced and incredibly sweet without becoming saccharine and it consistently makes me laugh. I held off watching it when it was first released because I was worried it would be too cynical or commercialised but actually it captures everything that I need Christmas to be.
Excellent choices...though I will admit, I haven't seen NATIVITY! yet. I've added it to the queue for this holiday season. Thank you for the suggestion!
I'm not sure if people think of it as a Christmas film, but I do - as it features lots of Christmassy-ness and ends on New Year's Eve, of course (which is when my husband and I watch it every year!): Billy Wilder's THE APARTMENT. It's my favourite fillm, full stop, and the festive scenes in that movie are just some of the funniest, most adorable, most poignant ever committed to celluloid... from the office Christmas party where people dance on the tables, and secrets come out, to Jack Lemmon drunkenly propping up the bar on Christmas Eve, where he meets Hope Holiday as Margie McDougall (just one of the most glorious minor characters/performances in any comedy film, ever). Not forgetting Shirley MacLaine's heartwrenching, heartwarming realisation on New Year's Eve itself... To quote Margie McDougall: Sort of gives me goose-bumps just to think about it :)
I have never once considered this a holiday film...and now I want to rewatch to see how I feel about this assertion. It's been six or seven years now. What is considered Christmassy, how much has to be set at Christmas, never really makes sense to me. I think it all comes down to how strong an argument that a person makes. This is a pretty strong one.