5 Must See Christmas Movies!

With Christmas just around the corner I look forward to watching all the holiday movies that will be shown on television once again...Beginning on Thanksgiving day when the most popular movie of them all will most likely be broadcast, the first on list of my Top Five Favorite Christmas movies

1~It's A Wonderful Life:

What would a favorite Christmas movie list be without writing about this classic film, a movie enjoyed by so many since it first was made.. It's funny, there are times I think I couldn't watch it again, then, I before I know it, I am drawn to the TV when I see it scheduled... Filmed in the 1940's the story revolves around a small town and the people who live there, the central character is a war hero well liked until things go down hill for him financially after a big mistake is made by his bank...he becomes so distressed he makes a wish, stating he wished he had never been born, suddenly, an angel appears who shows him how important he really is to his family and the town he lives in and what life for those who know him would have been like, had he never existed, how he was so important to so many others and the town itself, what he witnessed was not a pretty picture!
James Stewart played this role with superb complexity...though he made many famous and worthwhile movies in his lifetime I think this as his best...the villainous role went to Lionel Barrymore who plays his role as the ultimate Scrooge to the hilt.

2~A Christmas Carol:

There are more versions of this movie than almost any other in the history of films but I still find the earliest version, made in 1938, to be one of the best, there is something about the old black and white footage I seem to prefer....Ebenezer Scrooge has been portrayed by many actors but I thought this portrayal in this version was just perfect, the shock at what he saw in the past, present and future were so right on in every way, as the spirits carry him away on the journey he must take this very special Christmas Eve. When the night is over he is a different man and wants to make amends for the life he has led. But is it too late for little tiny Tim? Thankfully, there is a happy ending with Scrooge and the Cratchit family, an ending we all are happy to witness...But, don't get me wrong, whatever version you see of A Christmas Carol will be worthwhile and all portray the valuable lessens of life put on paper long ago, by its author, Charles Dickens

3~Miracle on 34th Street:

This is my childhood favorite Christmas movie...The original, with Natalie Wood. A story about a little girl and how she doubts the very existence of Santa Claus after her mother has taught her that Santa is really a fat old man in a Santa suit who she hires, since she works for Macy's and is in charge of the big Thanksgiving day parade...Natalie's huge, wide, innocent eyes, say more than her words when she wants to know just what the truth really is..but little does she know the real Santa has saved the day when he finds the just hired Santa drunk ....He takes over and does an outstanding job...well, of course he does, but when he tells everyone his true identity the story really begins but does get out of hand...Santa is not supposed to send Macy's customers to Gimbals when someone wants a toy Macy's doesn't have...Then he makes a promise to the little girl while trying to make her believe in him, can he keep that secret? When his case goes to court, will he be able to convince the world that he isn't crazy? If for some reason you haven't seen this movie with your children then run, don't walk, to your nearest Video store.

4~A Christmas Story:

I don't know why this movie escaped me until last year but a what a cute Christmas movie this little film really is...9 year old little Ralphy, has a dream, his wish for what he considers to be the ultimate Christmas gift, a "genuine red flyer carbine action air rifle". He is intent on making his parents realize that this is the only gift that will fulfill him whether is just dropping hints or out and out begging...the film is filled with his funny fantasies of how he will go about that task and the reaction he will get from them....we, the audience, are taken along for the ride back to the forties when life was simpler during that time before the advent of everything electronics for gifts. This is a charming movie and the clever little vignettes we are witness too takes the movie to another level of ingenuity in the children's Christmas movie venue

5~National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation:

We all need something silly to watch for occasionally and in this film Chevy Chase doesn't disappoint as he takes parenting to new levels in this story about family and Christmas tradition but only the way the Griswold's would do it... As always papa Griswold just wants to give his family the best he can and in this case it would be the perfect Christmas and of course the perfect tree is on the agenda... he ventures into the forest to cut one down himself... then, when he arrives home the tree is huge and will not fit inside the house. To make matters a bit more complicated, his whole bizarre family show up on his doorstep to share in the holiday festivities, arriving in a beat up old motor home...needless to say more complications arise...then, when the Christmas bonus he was counting on doesn't come up to his needed expectations he is terribly distraught....all of this would be disastrous if we weren't watching a movie about the Griswold family....as always in movies like this, there is a lesson to be learned about the spirit of Christmas and what family really means.

So there are my top five...I'd be curious as to what you think or what your top Christmas movies are.

Happy Holidays