(GRAPHIC BY SUSIE JARVIS)
Okay, I admit it. I love Christmas movies. It’s a lifelong passion that probably started back in the 1960s, with yearly viewings of A Charlie Brown Christmas and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and that ornery Grinch who thought he could steal the heart of Christmas from a town full of Whos.
Over the years, I discovered other favorites—old standards like A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life and newer family films such as The Santa Clause and Elf. I even like those made-for-TV cheesefests that started with all of those Hallmark Hall of Fame movies I used to look forward to way back when.
It’s safe to say I’ve probably watched hundreds of Christmas films, making me something of a connoisseur of the genre. With that in mind, here are some of my favorites. I’m going with ones I feel might be a little more obscure:
• When you want to laugh: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year—this TV classic first aired in 2008 and remains a beloved holiday tradition for many. A recent Facebook poll I read ranked it the number one favorite Hallmark Christmas movie between 2000 and 2013 by a landslide.
This film stars Brooke Burns, Warren Christie and a delightful Henry Winkler as a retired cop. And though it fits nicely into the romance category, it’s also funny—mostly thanks to Winkler, who plays the main character’s uncle.
Single mom Jen takes a very business-like approach to life, even Christmas. When her like-a-dad Uncle Ralph shows up with Morgan, a fellow traveler, Jen’s holiday gets out of control. She wants him out, but her uncle loves Morgan, her son thinks he’s better than candy canes, and he even makes her fiancé with his expensive shoes seem like a bad idea.
When Morgan saves Christmas, several times, what’s a girl to do?
• When you want to fall in love: This could be a long list and, of course, networks like Hallmark, Lifetime and, more recently, Great American Family, have cornered the market in the area. It’s hard to pick just one, but I adore Snowed-Inn Christmas, a Lifetime movie from 2017. When I think of holiday romance, I think of Snowed-Inn.
This one has rival reporters Kevin and Jenna sent on an assignment to Aspen, Colorado. But when a snowstorm lands their plane in Santa Claus, Indiana, they’re in for a surprise, and maybe a Christmas miracle.
This movie touches on a theme I’m particularly attracted to, based on a Bible verse: “God sets the lonely in families,” (Ps. 68:6a).
And no one can eat a cookie like Andrew Walker.
Anyway …
• When you want those warm fuzzy feelings (sniff, tear): Check out The Christmas Secret (2014). Based on a novel by author Donna VanLiere (The Christmas Shoes), this one pulls at the heartstrings from beginning to end.
It’s Christmas and things aren’t going well for Christine, a single mother of two. With an ex-husband threatening to take her children while also refusing to pay child support, she needs her job. But when she’s late for work after stopping to save a woman’s life, she doesn’t have that either.
Fortunately, it’s Christmastime and, as Hans Gruber said, it’s the time for miracles. And miracles show up for Christine from several unexpected directions.
• When you’re in the mood for a little song and dance: Now we’re going back a bit. I know we have some beloved musicals—White Christmas and its close cousin Holiday Inn come to mind. But for me, the best one is 1970’s Scrooge, starring Albert Finney.
From the opening chorus—“Sing a song of gladness and cheer, for the time of Christmas is here! Look around about you and see; what a world of wonder this world can be …” to Scrooge’s final line about spending the day with his family—which always brings a happy tear to my eye—this movie epitomizes everything lovely about the season. Loneliness to family. Bitterness to faith. Despair to hope.
• When you’re in the mood for a classic: Most of you are probably familiar with Jimmy Stewart’s iconic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life, but six years earlier he starred in a quieter film titled The Shop Around the Corner. This one is just as sweet, with many charming moments and funny scenes and a secret romance and, like It’s a Wonderful Life, it all comes to a lovely conclusion on Christmas eve.
Set in Budapest, Hungary, Shop tells the story of co-workers Alfred and Klara, who just don’t get along. Except they do because, in fact, the two have been corresponding with each other as pen pals for some time.
This storyline might sound familiar if you’ve seen the 1998 Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, a modern remake where the main characters fall in love through emails instead of letters. A wonderful movie, but the original is still the best.
Most of these movies can be found on streaming services, a few are airing this weekend, and many are free.
Here’s hoping you have a chance to pull on your comfiest pajamas, grab a mug of hot chocolate, and settle in front of the fire—if you have one—to enjoy a great Christmas movie!