We are at the time of year when popular Christmas/holiday movies start their omnipresence.
My community-run World Theatre, where I volunteer at frequently, will have their usual lineup of Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story and on Christmas Eve, the classic It’s a Wonderful Life. I can enjoy all of these (other than Christmas Vacation, which I despise, but I will work at and view because my Dear Wife loves it).
But as I have written about in the past, there are a lot of other great Christmas movies that don’t get as much reliable love. I’m a big fan of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas; Bill Murray’s cruel, cruel remake of A Christmas Carol, Scrooged; another take on Dickens – The Man Who Invented Christmas; Remember the Night, a fantastic 1940s Christmas-adjacent flick staring Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwyck; and the shamefully under-appreciated It Happened on 5th Avenue. (Follow the link above if you want to know more.)
If those aren’t enough for you, here are a few more Christmas classics and newcomers worth your time.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024) – I read Barbara Robinson’s book to my kids when they were little and loved the story of the horrible Herdman children teaching a sanctimonious church and community the true meaning of Christmas. And I will admit that I was a bit nervous when I went to see the resulting movie last year. “Faith-based” films always raise doubts in me with their overly refined versions of complex questions. But this adaptation was both incredibly enjoyable and full of the real message of the season. If you live in the Kearney area, The World has a free screening on Monday, Dec. 15th.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – There are so many versions of the Dickens classic out there that it is easy to be overwhelmed by the choices. But the Muppet version with Michael Caine playing it absolutely straight as Mr. Scrooge, is fantastic. Music from 70s pop-song composer Paul Williams , Kermit as Bob Cratchit, and Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim. Don’t think for a minute this is a Muppet satire or spoof. This is one of the great tellings of A Christmas Carol. It deserves much more attention than it gets.
The Holdovers (2023) – This was one of my top movies for 2024 (Yes, it came out in 2023, but I didn’t see it until 2024, hence that’s when it went on my list…) Director Alexander Payne’s wonderful Christmas-adjacent movie starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa. Randolph won a well-deserved Oscar for best supporting actress for playing the the school’s cook who is the bereaved mother of a young Vietnam soldier. The Holdovers tells the story of a misfit classics professor (Giamatti) who has to look after a small group of prep school students who have no place to go over the holidays, and the staff cook who lives at the school. It is a bittersweet story of how three characters come to terms with the circumstances life has given them.
And finally – another Christmas adjacent movie… Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) – This vehicle for Judy Garland tells the story of a series of seasons surrounding the year of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair. (It’s based on stories that appeared initially in The New Yorker.) While everyone remembers it for Garland’s beautiful version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the winter segment, my favorite part is when everyone heads off to the fair and Garland brings down the house with “Clang, Clang, Clang went the Trolley” (Yeah, yeah, the official name is “The Trolley Song.” Who cares? CLANG, CLANG, CLANG WENT THE TROLLEY!!!!) It also stars Marjorie Main, Mary Astor and child star Margaret O’Brien. Directed by Garland’s future husband Vincente Minnelli.
What are your favorite Christmas/Holiday films? Leave your thoughts in the comments!