What Are Christmas Movies That Are Worth Watching?

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Sunday, January 25th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Christmas Eve is the perfect time to settle beneath a cozy blanket, next to the glow of the Christmas lights and the smell of pine, to watch a family movie. From “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “White Christmas” to “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “A Muppet’s Christmas Carol,” the festive films run far and wide. Selecting just the right story can be agonizing with so many great choices, so here is a list of the holiday’s very best offerings.

Christmas classics seem to reign supreme for the baby boomer generation. The black-and-white nostalgia of “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) captures the innocence and the good will of a nation struggling to regain a sense of optimism following World War II. James Stewart and Donna Reed give compelling performances in a heart-wrenching tale of a suicidal man’s realization that he meant so much to so many people. Another old Christmas season classic from the same era is “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947), which was remade in 1994. A department store Santa finds himself in court when he professes to be the real deal, which captures the heart of a six-year-old skeptic. Lastly, White Christmas (1954), starring Bing Crosby, where dance, romance and hard economic times take center stage.

If you’re a family who likes to laugh together and your kids are a bit older, then perhaps Christmas dysfunction is more your motif. In addition to the ever-popular “A Christmas Story” (1983), don’t forget “Home Alone” and “Trapped In Paradise” (1994). A 2008 dysfunctional Merry Xmas tale is “Four Christmases,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn who try to race from place to place to see all their divorced parents. Then there’s always the reliably hilarious “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989), starring Chevy Chase. “He wants a wonderful experience with his in-laws, who turn out to be creeps. He wants a close relationship with his kids, but it is stressed. He considers his decorating a grand achievement, but it’s mocked as a disaster,” explains Gary Hoppenstand, a professor of American Studies at Michigan State University. “The holidays can be a depressing time. Comedy can help us laugh at ourselves and realize we are fallible, too.”

Did you know you can also watch Christmas movies and specials online for free, with no sign ups or hassle? At www.fanpop.com/spots/christmas/soapbox/64 there are links to 101 classic videos, including “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas,” “The Smurf’s Christmas,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and even “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” There are also TV episodes, old commercials and music videos. Also, you may do a Google video search to watch “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “A Christmas Story,” Rudolph, Frosty and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Viral video site www.youtube.com also has a number of films to stream this Christmas.

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