Just in time for the holidays!
#10. A Charlie Brown Christmas
Like Nutella and Fantastic Four comic books, the Charlie Brown holiday specials never fail to stir the nostalgia.
#9. Stalag 17
An under appreciated classic.
#8. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Speaking of under appreciated, there’s this surprisingly poignant entry in the film series that is receiving some long overdue love from Bond enthusiasts.
#7. Home Alone
When bad things happen to bad people. Always cathartic.
#6. Lethal Weapon
A depressed detective is saved by a Christmas miracle.
#5. Trading Places
My favorite Eddie Murphy movie (Yes, beating out Beverly Hills Cop). But my favorite Dan Ackroyd movie is still The Blues Brothers).
#4. Better Off Dead
Do you have Christmas in France?
#3. Bad Santa
When good things happen to bad people.
#2. Die Hard
Apparently there are crazies online who insist this ISN’T a Christmas movie.
#1. A Christmas Story
Was there ever any doubt?
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has long been my favorite Bond movie. Congratulations on your good taste!
Yippee ki-yay
Elminster
“I want my two dollars!” Better Off Dead never fails to make me laugh. This is a great list. 🙂
“Was there ever any doubt?”
Nope. Wait. Yes. On my list of Top 5 Christmas Movies, A Christmas Story has to share the top spot.
My Top 5 (all tied for #1) are:
It’s A Wonderful Life
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
The Sound of Music
Home Alone
A Christmas Story
I can watch these over and over and over again. Or not watch them and just have them on as background noise. Lovable and durable.
My list:
Die Hard.
That’s a great list. I’ve never seen Bad Santa or Better Off Dead, but may have to take your listing of them as a recommendation to watch.
You know, until I read your list I never thought of Stalag 17 as a “Christmas movie”. I don’t know why, but it just didn’t register. Anyway, it’s now “officially” on my Top Ten List. My dad was nuts for anything WWII and if Dad liked it, I liked it so I watched many war movies with Dad. We also watched much scifi, old comedies, crime/police dramas, and cartoons together. I think I get a lot of my taste in TV from him, but now I’m just wandering. Sorry about that; I’d blame the scotch if I were drinking any.
Here’s my Top Ten Christmas Movie List, but I’m starting at the top:
-1: A Christmas Story (duh)
-2: Arthur Christmas (One of Aardman’s best efforts IMHO & I’m surprised how few I know who’ve seen it.)
-3: Die Hard (Yippee ki yay, Christmas crackers)
-4: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Original version only. All others need not apply.)
-5: Stalag 17 (A favorite watch with Dad any time of the year.)
-6: A Charlie Brown Christmas (I grew up on it. It’s practically a requirement now.)
-7: The Muppet Christmas Carol (I am kind of a sucker for the Muppets.)
-8: Trading Places (Dan Aykroyd AND Eddie Murphy? Sign me up.)
-9: A Christmas Carol,1951 with Alastair Sim (A station aired it at midnight each Christmas Eve and I’d watch with my Dad.)
-10: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Because sometimes stupid can be really funny.)
Hmmmm. Let’s see . . .
Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, and Trading Places are definitely on my list. I might have to add Gremlins in there, too.
Of the rest in your list I can only remember seeing Home Alone and Better Off Dead (although I’m sure I would have seen It’s A Wonderful Life, OHMSS and Charlie Brown at some point!) neither of which I’ve seen since they first came out.
I have not seen A Christmas Story even though everyone goes on about it. I suspect it has never been shown on Australian television.
For romantic comedy fans I would suggest The Holiday. Even though I am not a fan of romantic comedies I actually enjoy this one. Maybe because Jack Black is in it?
https://www.rotoscopers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ArthurChristmas02-1-300×200.png
I also have to include Arthur Christmas (and not just because I worked on it). It’s actually a pretty good kids movie that is reasonably entertaining for adults too. It went almost completely unnoticed by cinemagoers at the time but appears on many “Top 10 Christmas” lists these days.
Interesting choices. I especially agree with #8 and #9, I’m surprised to see each one your list, – and also agree that each has been under-appreciated.
I tried watching A Christmas Story once during one of the annual 24 hour marathons they have. Couldn’t stand it. Way too boring, and not funny.
While I have enjoyed some of the other movies on your list, the only two must watch each year Christmas movies for me are It’s a Wonderful Life and the original animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The fact that neither of those made your list makes me sad.
I love Die Hard ( and anything starring the mighty Bruce W ).
My addition : Edge of Tomorrow ( Live Die Repeat), we just watched it for the 3rd time. Awesome
I think I’ll add that movie Up, you know the cartoon with the grumpy old dude. That’s a christmas movie for sure. And of course Die Hard.
I would just like to point out that the image is from “Lethal Weapon 2”, not “Lethal Weapon 1.”
I know everyone seems to like “It’s a Wonderful Life” but I don’t. That movie drags on and on.
That being said, we like “Christmas Vacation”, “Die Hard”, all the Harry Potter movies (we have a marathon), “A Year Without a Santa Claus” (we can sing the Chindo Brother’s songs) and “The Polar Express”.
Thanks to LIne Noise, I’ll check out “Arthur’s Christmas” too. I’ll check out your list to Mr. M..
I dislike Home Alone and Charlie Brown. I’m even the right age for the Charlie Brown specials to have been part of my childhood. Nope. Instead I would choose Scrooged with Bill Murray, and the weird Mixed Nuts with Steve Martin. Mixed Nuts is pretty awful, which may be why I love it. Die Hard, right at the top, like a demented angel tree topper.
Cannot argue with any of those! Though I still haven’t had my annual viewing of “A Christmas Story” yet. I need to get on that. Just watched “Bad Santa 2” last night, but it’s not as good as a first. Or as “bad”, LOL!
Oh, I also agree on “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. I’ve recently watched almost all the Bond films in sequence and it is a surprising thoughtful entry for the franchise. The ending has stuck with me since the first time I saw it years ago. Interesting thing I learned lately was that the producers wanted George Lazenby back for the next films, but he kind of blew them off and didn’t take the whole thing seriously. Oops.
I want my $2.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the best Bond. Love Better Off Dead(I’m gonna activate you dental plan). May I suggest Elf
Crap. I forgot to mention Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Just priceless.
Love that movie, but it’s a Thanksgiving movie isn’t it?
Oops, but Thanksgiving kinda is the beginning of Christmas.
I have to admit I’ve never seen A Christmas Story or heard of Better Off Dead. Have I really missed out?
My festive favs are (in no particular order)
It’s A Wonderful Life – always brings me out of sadness
Scrooged – so wicked and dark
The Great Escape – OK not Christmassy but always is shown here in UK at Christmas!
Die Hard – obviously!
When Harry Met Sally … Great Christmas sequence always makes it a must watch at Christmas for me
Edward Scissorhands – a classic surely?!!!
Just to add…. I’ve always been under the impression that OHMSS is Bond fans’ all time #1 fav…
Just to add to GForce’s comment regarding George Lazenby, OHMSS and the Bond franchise, I heard GL say that at the time, being new to the film world and very naive, he listened to the wrong kind of people, the ones who suggested if he acted like a diva he would be taken seriously. Obviously he regretted acting on their advice.
White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, Christmas Vacation. Also Prancer was a cute movie.
Die Hard. Only Die Hard.
das