Favorite Christmas Films/TV Specials

I've re-read my posts for December, and it seems to me that I've been pretty negative, what with my discussion about Christmas songs that I've hated. So I thought on this Christmas Eve I would give a quick positive discussion about my Top 5 favorite Christmas films/TV Specials. These are DVD's that my family watch each year.

5. A Christmas Story. This is a movie that I avoided for years and years. People told me it was great, but I just wasn't interested. "Who wants to watch a movie that takes place in the 1940's?" I'd say. But then I saw it and realized that it doesn't take place during a specific time. Well, that's not true. It DOES take place during a specific time, but the date is irrelevant. The time it takes place in is the time of childhood, and Ralphie's narration is true for every kid every year at Christmas. Sure, maybe it's not a Red Ryder BB gun that you're wanting for Christmas. Maybe today it's a Playstation 3 or something like that. But the feelings are the same. And maybe you didn't write a theme about what you wanted for Christmas, but every kid knows the feeling of getting a grade back on a paper that he/she was sure was going to be great only to be disappointed. And like the younger brother, I, too, remember going out in the snow only to find I had so many layers on that I couldn't move.

4. Veggietales: The Toy that Saved Christmas. Most of the other shows here would probably be on a lot of people's lists, but I doubt that most people have even heard of this one. But it was a favorite of my children when they were growing up, and we still watch it every year. Invariably, at some time during the year one of the four of us will sing the opening song, "I Can't Believe It's Christmas."

3. Elf. This is a fairly new entry on this list. I saw the film first in the theaters (and this is the only film on this list that I can say that about) and as soon as I saw the film I knew that it was destined to be an instant holiday classic. The film was really much more than I was expecting. I assumed it would be another amusing but forgettable Will Ferrell film, like pretty much every other film he's ever made.


 It's not just that the film is funny--it's that Buddy the Elf is so sweet (Think "Oh! I forgot to give you a hug!" or "What's a Candygram? I want one!").

2. It's a Wonderful Life. This is a movie that I didn't see until I was an adult. In 1992 it came on TV at midnight on Christmas Eve / Christmas Day, and Lisa (who'd seen the movie many times before) convinced me to stay up and watch it. At first I was sure I'd fall asleep, but I was soon swept up in the story. For years it was a tradition that Lisa and I would watch it on Christmas Eve while we wrapped presents. For the last two years, though, we've watched it with the kids.

One tradition that hasn't changed, though: Lisa crying at the end of the movie. I get a little teary, too, but only if I've seen the entire movie first. Not Lisa, though. She doesn't even have to see the movie. You can just say to her in passing during a conversation, "No man is a failure who has friends" or "To my brother George, the richest man in town" and chances are about 50/50 that she'll break into tears. It doesn't have to be during the Holiday season, either.

That sensitivity is one of the many reasons why I love her.

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas. I love everything about this TV special, even the sub-par animation. I love the choice of jazz music for background sound, especially "Christmas Time is Here"  and the melancholy version of "Oh, Tennenbaum." I love the voices of the child actors. I especially love Sally, who actually flubs a line when she says "All I want is what I have coming to me." She actually starts, and then stops, and then starts again, and the producers didn't bother to re-record it. And it's a good thing they didn't, because the result is precious.

I love Snoopy pretending to be all of the different animals and then mocking Lucy. I love Snoopy dancing (How can ANYONE watch Snoopy dance and not feel his/her troubles lighten just a little bit?).  I love that Snoopy wins the light decorating contest.

And it doesn't matter how many times I see this TV special, I still get misty-eyed at the end when everyone sings "Hark the Herald Angel Sings." Don't know why. I just do.

I got the show on DVD as a Christmas gift a few years ago, and I watch it on DVD every year, but I also want to watch it when it's actually on TV. I know it's dumb, but seeing it air on TV is a signal to me that Christmas really is coming.



(I Can't See the Video above.)

Honorable Mention: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer