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Best Christmas Movies

If you have cable and bother to turn it on once in a while, you’ve probably already flipped through a couple of boring, yet traditional Christmas movies on your way to check out the latest Dancing with Emmitt Smith, a MacGyver re-run or whatever it is you kids veg-out to these days. Personally, I rarely stop and watch most of the traditional Christmas movies because, well, I just don’t really care that much about them. You see, this cinephile prefers Christmas movies with a bit more kick.

The other day, as I was flipping through the channels, bypassing It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and other various Christmas classics, I started thinking about which Christmas movies I really like and came to the following conclusion: For me, the best Christmas movies are the ones that stray from the norm. The ones that are a little off-kilter.

After I came to this realization, I started thinking about which Christmas films I really enjoy and why. Well, I jotted them down and came up with the following list:

• Gremlins – You’re probably thinking “Gremlins isn’t a Christmas movie.” If you are, you’re sorely mistaken. It’s totally a Christmas movie… in that it takes place during the Christmas season. I mean, a Gremlin dons a Santa hat. What more do you want out of a Christmas movie?
• Die Hard – John McClane heads to LA to visit with his estranged wife, meets her at her company Christmas party just as some terrorists show up and try to steal millions and millions of bonds kept in the company safe. Then John McClane kills everybody… all without wearing shoes. Yippee-kay-yeah! Merry Christmas!
• The Nightmare Before Christmas – If Halloween and Christmas hooked up and had a movie baby, The Nightmare Before Christmas would be the product. Producer Tim Burton delivers another odd movie, this time using stop-motion and clay actors that, as usual, is pretty freaking good.
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – This movie is a classic… Maybe not by traditional means, but it’s certainly a classic in the Rightly household. Everything about this movie screams awesome. From Cousin Eddie to Clark Griswold’s blindingly bright Christmas lights to the squirrel in the tree. This movie, simply put, rules.
• Home Alone – This movie is so absurd that I can’t help but watch it when it airs. Little Macaulay Culkin’s plays Kevin McCallister, a kid who was accidentally left alone when his family leaves for a Christmas trip. Chris Columbus, the man behind the first two Harry Potter movies does a good job of drawing you into the film. Throw in a little Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as a pair of dim-witted crook and you’ve got yourselves a wholesome, yet entertaining holiday flick. On paper, I should hate this movie. On film, however, I love it.
• Scrooged – Bill Murray, Bill Murray, Bill Murray. He plays a good, modern day Scrooge… and even though you hate his character in the movie, just try not to enjoy watching Mr. Murray in this ever-so-awesome film. It’s impossible.
• A Christmas Story – This movie, to most, is a Christmastime standard. And for good cause. It’s brilliant. Even though it’s a great film, the movie was a massive flop in the theatres. Eventually it came to be a huge hit and a modern Christmas classic thanks to video sales. What other movie plays for 24 hours straight on a major cable network? None. Because of it’s oddball plot and screwy characters, it earns top honors in my book. “It’s a prestigious award!”
• Muppet’s Christmas Carol – C’mon, dude. It’s the Muppet’s doing their own version of A Christmas Carol. ‘nuff said
• Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – It comes on the teevee’s every year and, by God, if I get a chance to watch it, I will. If Ebenezer Scrooge and The Grinch had a bah-humbug-off, The Grinch would win, hands down. Plus, the whoo’s down in whooville are a little weird, what with their weird community singing and all. What does “Pah-voo-door-ay” even mean? Even with those weird whoo’s, I love this movie.
• Love Actually – So help me God, I like Hugh Grant. I can’t help it. Go ahead, make fun of me, but I’m a Hugh Grant fan. However, this movie would still be good without him. A strong cast and a heartwarming, but not overly cheesy storyline(all of them) are some of the many reasons why this movie rules. Is it a chick flick? Yes Sorta. Do I expect to get some grief about liking this movie? Yes. Yes I do.

Though it contains a few “normal” Christmas movies, it’s certainly not your average Christmas movie list… then again, maybe as time goes by, you’ll see Die Hard getting more and more rotation at Christmastime and it will eventually be considered a full-fledged Christmas movie.

I doubt my mom or anyone of her generation would agree with me on this list, but I have a feeling that years down the road, when we’re old and decrepit, some movie will come along like Fast and the Furious 12: Santa’s Super Sleigh that our kids will consider one of the best Christmas flicks ever. And we’ll just sit back, nod our head in disagreement and say “Yeah, it’s an ok Christmas movie, but it’s no Gremlins.” We’ll see…

What do you think? Am I an idiot for liking these movies(Don’t answer that). Are there any you feel should be on this list? Taken off?

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