It's the most wonderful time of the year. I'm big on Christmas traditions, and some of my most important ones come in the form of my beloved holiday entertainment. Below are ten gold standards that I simply cannot go a Christmas break without watching. Feel free to share your own favourites in
the comments, even if you don't celebrate Christmas.
On that, I'll wish you a safe and happy holidays, whatever that holiday may be.
I, for one, am taking a much needed ten-day break overseas, so there won't be a top ten list next Sunday. I shall post it the following week instead.
Feliz Navidad!
10. Gremlins (1984)
You ever have a string of Christmas lights go out because ONE bulb in screwed in enough*? Whenever that used to happen to me as a kid, I was convinced it was because there was a gremlin in my house. After all, Tobe Hooper's delightfully macabre kid-based horror has always been one of my preferred counter programming options around Christmas time. It proudly wears its B movie status as a badge of honour, throwing in plenty of morbid humour without diluting the scare factor.
*They wire lights in parallel nowadays to avoid this problem, but there was a time!
9. A Christmas Story (1983)
This one pops up on many people's holiday favourites. You need only recite, “You'll shoot your eye out!” to identify the film's many fond devotees. The plot is little more than vignettes strung together about the premise of Ralphie yearning for his Red Rider BB Gun, but each scene is something special unto itself. Favourite moments include Ralphie's fisticuffs with the local bully, the run-in with the department store Santa, and of course, his dad's infamous leg lamp.
8. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Sometimes you just can't argue with the classics, and Frank Capra's definitive feel-good family drama is always a safe bet to put me in a good mood. Jimmy Stewart is a natural fit for the humble, American-as-apple-pie everyman who comes to realize his own worth with the help of wing-seeking angel Clarence. The butterfly effect he observes in his hypothetical nonexistence is a somewhat frightening but ultimately poignant reminder that everyone has meaning.
7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Chevy Chase's best-laid plans to host a perfect family Christmas are continually torn asunder by all manner of hysterical happenstance. The SNL vet is joined by a pitch perfect ensemble of character comedians to flesh out what I believe to be the funniest National Lampoon production ever. Nothing brings family together quite like this seasonal slapstick. Highlights include the squirrely surprise and the most awesome sled run you'll ever see.
6. Frosty the Snowman (1969)
The annual holiday TV specials of Rankin & Bass have climbed the pop culture pantheon to achieve an odd blend of both mainstream and cult status since their humble 1960s origins. Though their stop-motion productions have become their most widely identified (and oft parodied) claim to fame, I'll always have a place in my heart for this conventional cartoon. “I want that hat and I want it now!” has worked its way into my day-to-day rhetoric.
5. Miracle of 34th Street (1947, 1994)
What I particularly like about the character of Kris Kingle is that the film leaves him very open for interpretation; he could be Santa Claus, or he could be a nut that thinks he's Santa Claus. What I love so much about this idea is that you don't have to literally be Santa Claus to act like him. Any person can spread joy and happiness. You don't need magic! I enjoy both versions; the classic 1947 original featuring Edmund Gwenn's Oscar-winning turn as Kringle, and the respectful 1994 remake with Sir Richard Attenborough.
4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Extrapolating from Johnny Marks' musical amendment to the myth of "eight tiny reindeer", Rudolph's saga from tormented youngster to unlikely hero is sure to speak to anyone who's ever felt like a misfit. Rudolph stands well above its fellow Rankin & Bass bretheren, weaving a tale with much more current social resonance than its contemporaries and imitators. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that issues like bullying and celebrating diversity are hotter topics today than they were when it was made.
3. The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)
Of all the many iterations of Chuck Dickens' iconic Christmas parable, I have a particular soft spot for this one. Maybe it's due to my predilection for the Muppets, or my affinity for musicals, but whatever the cause, this quaint gem (my favourite Muppet outing to date) is a must-watch every year. Featuring a wonderful song score from Paul Williams and the warm, fuzzy sense of humour that Jim Henson's felt players have come to embody, you'd have to be a real Scrooge not to be won over.
2. Die Hard (1988)
“Yippy ki-yay, motherf***er!” The movie that helped define the modern action film is the perfect anti-Christmas alternative. It may not impart many wholesome Christmasy morals, or a Christmasy setting, and certainly not a Christmasy atmosphere, but it's simply the most badass movie that takes place on Christmas eve you're ever likely to see. Bruce Willis' dry, cool wit would inform action hero dialogue for years to come, and Alan Rickman's villainous debut performance would inform the types of roles he got for years to come!
1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
No Christmas story I've ever seen/heard/read has captured the essence of the season with such simplicity, grace, and imagination as the great Dr. Suess' semi-autobiographical fable, brilliantly adapted for the small screen by Loony Toons architect Chuck Jones. Geisel's illustrations reach a new level of vividness through Jone's colourful animation, and his prose reaches a new level of expressiveness through Boris Karloff's inimitable narration. It all combines to retell a truly beautiful story that proclaims the power of love and community, causing my heart to grow three sizes every time I revisit it. It's quite simply the most perfect marriage of two separate mediums I've ever seen.
