Christmas Movies You Might Have Missed

Christmas is a great time for snuggling on the sofa with those you love in front of a good movie. Break out the hot cocoa and cookies, then pick a flick from this list of Christmas movies you may never have seen. You just might find a new family favorite.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever-

This Emmy nominated gem originally aired on television in the early eighties. It is the movie version of the wonderful book by Barbara Robinson. Loretta Swit plays Grace Bradley, a mother who gets "volunteered" to organize the church's annual Christmas pageant. Chaos ensues when the town bullies, the Herdmans, scare all the other kids from auditioning for parts, so they can play the leads themselves. These dirty, undisciplined, ill mannered children have the whole church community talking about how this will be the worst Christmas pageant ever. Pop this movie into your DVD player and watch as a true holiday miracle happens on screen. It is the best Christmas pageant ever! A touching movie that beautifully teaches what the season is all about.

The Christmas Box-

This is another fantastic made for TV movie that stars Maureen O'Hara, Richard Thomas, and Annette O'Toole. Thomas plays a work-aholic who spends very little time with his wife and daughter in his quest to give them everything he feels they deserve. His wife Keri (O'Toole) convinces him to take a job as live in help for an elderly woman (O'Hara). Although Thomas and O'Hara's characters get off to a rocky start, they do find common ground. She teaches the family about the "first gift of Christmas" and gives them just that. A beautifully told story makes this one a great family video.

Donovan's Reef-

Although probably not considered a holiday movie by most, Donovan's Reef is one of this family's favorites. It is a comedy set in the South Pacific starring John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Jack Warden, Dorothy Lamour and Elizabeth Allen. Allen plays a very proper Boston lady who travels to the island to locate her father , Dr. Dedham (Warden). Dr. Dedham is in line to inherit controlling interest in the family business, if he has behaved morally according to Boston society standards. His daughter Amelia wants to prove that he doesn't qualify for the inheritance. War buddies Donovan (Wayne) and Gilhooley (Marvin) try to help the doctor prove that he's an upright citizen, by coming up with a crazy scheme. This is truly a great movie with elements of comedy, romance, and classic John Wayne brawls.

Three Godfathers-

Yes, another John Wayne holiday film! This one stars the Duke along with Ward Bond, Harry Carey Jr., and Pedro Armendariz. Ward Bond plays sheriff B. Sweet who is chasing three bank robbers across the Arizona desert. The outlaws, Wayne, Carey, and Armendariz come across a woman about to give birth in a covered wagon. They help the woman deliver, she names the infant after all of them, the makes them promise to take care of her son. The movie follows these three fugitives as they try to keep their promise to get the baby to his mother's family in New Jerusalem. Wanted thieves being chased across the desert with a newborn, it's pretty entertaining. Three Godfathers is a very good film and is very much like the biblical Christmas story in places.

I'll Be Home for Christmas-

This is a fantastic family movie. It features a wonderful cast of Hal Holbrook , Eva Marie Saint, Courtney Cox, Nancy Travis, Peter Gallagher, and Whip Hubbley. I'll Be Home for Christmas is the story of a the Bundy family, who have a newly enlisted son, one who is a bomber pilot, a daughter who supports the war effort in a factory and a very pregnant daughter in law. It shows the family struggling to celebrate and enjoy the holidays, trying to make the best of a very uncertain time. It is one of those movies that makes you wish you were part of the family or a member of the community it's set in. This film just completely draws you in. This is a made for television must see. For all ages.