Tips to Start Your Holiday Movie Collection

As the holiday season prepares to move in for yet another year, people everywhere are preparing to greet it. This means pulling down boxes of decorations, planning numerous family gatherings, sending out bulk amounts of cards...and dusting off the Christmas movies. Over the years, several films have been labeled "classics" and new movies are being made each year. But what about those who don't have a holiday film collection? How do you begin? Here are just a few suggestions.

1) What type of movies do you like? - This seems too simple, I know. But with the large selection of Christmas movies available, it's something that's important to pinpoint. You can find a holiday film in every genre you can imagine from emotional (Miracle on 34^th Street) to hysterical (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) to popular classics (It's a Wonderful Life) all the way to the downright bizarre and twisted (Scrooged). You can even find horror movies centered on Christmas (Santa's Slay), although I wouldn't recommend any of that genre. Once you know what you like watching, beginning your collection will be much easier.

2) Draw on childhood memories- Did your family ever have a holiday tradition of sitting down the day after Thanksgiving and watching the first Christmas movie of the season? If so, that movie seems an excellent place to start, for sentimental and nostalgic reasons. Any other movies you remember seeing as a child would be great for a collection. My family always loved "The Year Without a Santa Claus", mostly because of the songs that Heat Miser and Snow Miser sang. For a long time it was unavailable, but the first year I saw it on DVD, I just had to pick it up, even for no reason other than the memories. And I still laugh at those songs! However, this brings me to my next point...

3) Find out what's available- When you're looking at movies that you may remember from 20 or more years ago, there's always the chance that some won't out on DVD. The well known classics can be bought pretty much every year, but if you have an affinity for anything slightly obscure, shopping can be difficult. If you can't find something specific you're looking for in a store, try the internet. Even movies that aren't on DVD yet can sometimes be found on VHS still. A movie that has strong memories for you is worth searching for!

4) Pick you favorite version of A Christmas Carol - Because regardless of what kind of movies you prefer, or what you remember watching as a child, no Christmas film collection is complete without at least one copy of "A Christmas Carol." There are so many versions of this, chances are you can find one that fits your preferred movie genre. Aside from the traditional versions with actors like Alister Sims and Patrick Stewart, the Muppets have had there chance to perform it, as has Mickey Mouse, Mr. Magoo, and the Sesame Street gang. There is even a ballet version. My personal favorite is the "Muppets Christmas Carol." Many people consider it to be the closest version to the book, and it's filled with Jim Henson's traditional trademark mixture of witty writing, wholesome humor and heartwarming moments. Check a few out, you won't be disappointed. As I mentioned, there's bound to be at least one version that appeals to you.

5) Pick a holiday film at random and start your own family tradition- This one seems a bit unorthodox, yes. However each year, starting even before Thanksgiving, Christmas films begin playing on television stations almost constantly. Pick one that sounds interesting, or maybe one you've seen a few times and know you like. Gather the family around the TV, and start your family tradition. Make that the first holiday movie all of you watch together every year. After the tradition has been established, buy the film, so you aren't at the mercy of the TV programmers schedule anymore. A family tradition movie is just as great a place to start your collection as one that your remember from your youth.

So there you are, five easy ideas to help start a Christmas movie collection. Pretty soon, you'll have enough holiday films to keep any amount of family occupied for the duration of the season. Good luck and enjoy!!!