So my kids were whining at me about how we do not have enough Christmas movies. I made a mental inventory out loud as to what we had:
The Santa Claus
Home Alone
Veggie Tales: The Toy That Saved Christmas
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
And the Nest family video on the Nativity.
Yeah, pretty pathetic. I also have While You Were Sleeping. Posco objected because none of those videos are really about Christmas and Baby Jesus. Rosey Posey tried to make it seem better by stating that not everyone is Catholic, so you can't expect them all to watch Baby Jesus Christmas movies. Buzz-wrong answer! But we won't go there because we did that to death this afternoon.
Anywho, my Christmas DVD Library is very pathetic, considering none of those are even DVD's, so I haven't even purchased an entry in like 5 years. I think I never like buying holiday items because they are only good for a few weeks out of the year and my thrifty logic wins out. But I have been thrifty to the point of no holiday fun. And I suck at buying holiday items. Why did I get that Rudolph video anyway?
So, if you were me, what Christmas movies would you purchase? Please don't say It's A Wonderful Life or Bells of St. Mary's because those are the obvious choices.
Elf is pretty funny and it was recently released.
Decentfilms.com review here
http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/elf2003.html
I love Bad Santa, but it is not for children or the easily offended. Great film, though.
Top of my list would be "A Christmas Story"; thats just the greatest.I'd like to have Charlie Brown too, just because I grew up with it; it's a comfort thing really.
E L F !!!!
WE LOVE ELF IN THIS HOUSE! (uhm, that would be me and lincoln). We also have Nat'l Lampoon of course, but maybe that's not kid friendly? I don't remember.
Anyway. ELF!!!!
We are big into "Muppets Christmas Carol" and "A Christmas Story" around here. Also, "Miracle on 34th Street" is very good.
Jen
One of my favorites is The Bishops WIfe--the original, not the one with Whitney Houston (although that one is good, too). I think that A Christmas Story is hysterical, too!
A Christmas Carol is always good. Our favorite is the made-for-TV Christmas Carol with George C. Scott from the late '80's.
And, of course, White Christmas, because it really doesn't have much to do with Christmas, but takes place at Christmas. Straightforward secular entertainment that doesn't pretend to be religious. There is really no annoying stretching to tack on a Christian message...which makes it perhaps more Christian and much less cumbersome. And I love the musical numbers......and Vermont!
A big second for the George C. Scott tv version of "A Christmas Carol" and "A Christmas Story " ("You'll shoot your eye out!"). We just watched Elf and it was a big hoot! Might have to purchase that one. I also like the Little Drummer Boy, with that same animation as Rudolph, though I domn't know where one would puchase it. The animated CCC videos of St. Nicholas and Juan Diego, though not Christmas movies, are good for those weeks in Advent when all the tv stations are showing Christmas cartoons.
How about a Christmas book? OK, it isn't specifically a Christmas book, but the ending is during Christmas, and is very touching. The book (which I seem to be recommending a lot these days, probably because I am on my own kick of rereading the whole series) is, of course, The Little World of Don Camilo by Guaraschi.
I also vaguely remember a good Christmas scene in one of those two French movies My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle, but I can't remember which one or even if it was in one of those or some other film I saw years ago. They are both good movies, though, even if they have nothing to do with Christmas (and they are definitely family friendly, although non-French speaking youngsters might have a problem with the subtitles).
I vote for Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown is even a little bit about Jesus :) (Hooray for Shultz!)
We've had a craving for Home Alone lately, too. We keep hearing Christmas songs used in the movie and it makes us feel like we're 10 again.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Elf review... might have to borrow it from my cousin.
Christmas in Connecticut
Holiday Inn
Miracle on 34th Street (with Natalie Wood)
An update on "A Christmas Story"...just watched it again on Christmas Eve and I feel the need for a warning. We were trying to get our DVD player's sound to work, and I was reading the close captioning to the kids. Much to my surprise there was a good bit of cursing by the dad, not dirty ones, but a lot of "GD" and "JC" sprinkled in amongst his explosions. Just a heads up. The story is still hilarious, though.
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