Here are some of our favorites:
NOW SHOWING (at our house): Elf. Kid-friendly and VERY funny, Elf is by far one of our favorite picks! You can always count on Will Ferrell for some good humor and this time it's actually clean! It's all about Buddy the Elf, who goes on a journey to find his real father, a business executive in New York City. Having been raised in the North Pole, Buddy runs into many mishaps with his new family!
The Santa Clause. Tim Allen finds himself in Santa's shoes (literally!) when the real Santa falls off his roof and needs a replacement. Such a clever play on words when his son discovers that there is a ladder leading to the roof from the "Rose Suchak Ladder Company" (from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas: When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter...) "just like the poem!" There are 2 sequels to this movie but none are as great as the original!
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Not for the younger audience, this is the movie to turn to if you need some adult-only humor! My Christmas isn't complete without watching Chevy Chase's plans for a perfect family Christmas go awry in every way possible. One of my favorite scenes is when one of the elderly family members is asked to say grace. With my experience working in a nursing home, this really is how our conversations go sometimes! I can definitely see one of my patients being the "Aunt Bethany" of their family.
The Polar Express. The digital film-making used for this movie is remarkable! If you watch it, note the uncanny resemblance of Tom Hanks in the train conductor (who is voiced by Hanks). A beautiful message of believing in the spirit of Christmas, this movie is based on a children's book. There are a few dark scenes which may scare little ones, but overall it's really a delight for the whole family! I especially love the music! If you live in a retro area, you may be lucky enough to stumble upon the IMAX version or even a real Polar Express train ride!
A Charlie Brown Christmas. If you need a reminder about what Christmas is really all about, you can't beat the Peanuts gang! A few years ago I decided that one of our Christmas Eve traditions needed to be hearing the Christmas story just before turning in for the night. Rather than read it straight from the Bible, I thought it would catch my daughter's attention better if she could watch Linus telling it through a clip of this movie on YouTube. And I was right! She loved it, I loved it - and while it seems a little "non-traditional" to gather around the computer screen to watch a movie clip on Christmas Eve, it's just what we happen to do! He tells such a heart-warming version of the story that I honestly can't read the Christmas story from Luke 2:8-14 without hearing Linus' voice reciting his monologue:
The list could go on, really, but if I have to narrow it down, these are my top picks. I also enjoy some of the classic movies (It's a Wonderful Life; Miracle on 34th Street - both 1947 and 2000 versions), as well as some animated and claymation flicks (the original Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and you've gotta love Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!).
What movies do you like to watch to make your holiday complete?
Those are excellent Christmas movie choices. Good enough to keep my daughter entertained :)
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