There are so many great Christmas movies to put you in the mood for the holidays that you really should have started watching them back in Halloween. Let us stipulate that when it comes to classic Christmas movies, you shouldn’t get through the holidays without at least one viewing of the trinity: It’s A Wonderful Life, White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street. After that, it is time to discover (or revisit) some other classics. These are perfect to cue up on Christmas Eve and binge watch as you wrap packages and wait for “You know who” to show up. Don’t forget the plate of cookies and milk for Santa!
Gremlins
Let us not forget that the original Gremlin in this fun horror flick was given as a Christmas present. Highlights include Phoebe Cates’ wickedly morose/funny monologue about what Christmas means to her. Spoiler alert: It’s not pretty. Plus, this was old-fashioned movie making before CGI. All those Gremlins were puppets. Good stuff.
Scrooged
If you’re going to do at least one version of A Christmas Carol, then make it Bill Murray’s. Lots of great cameos in this feature and a terrific take on the classic Dickens tale. It’s yet another reminder on a long list of why Bill Murray is a national treasure.
Love Actually
There are two types of people in the world. Those who love Love Actually and those who think it is schmaltz. This is a sweet movie that shows what happens when you let love in. That would be love in many forms: passionate, scary, misdirected and naughty. You don’t need to be in love to appreciate this movie but it can help you get there.
Home Alone
Want to feel old? Home Alone turned 28 this year. It still holds up. You can probably skip the four sequels and just stick with the original. This is a great flick for the whole family to enjoy time and again.
The Man Who Came To Dinner
This was first a smash Broadway play. Then it became a movie. Now nearly every high school in the country does a production of this. It’s one of those fast-talking, Hollywood screwball comedies chock full of great character actors including Bette Davis and Jimmy Durante. How can you go wrong?
Christmas In Connecticut
Imagine if Martha Stewart was proved to be a fake. That is kind of the premise behind this wonderful Barbara Stanwyck classic. Of course, this movie was made decades before Martha came onto the scene. It’s always fun to watch a character spin out of control while pretending to be somebody that aren’t. Plus, it’s Christmas in Connecticut. How perfect is that?
Die Hard
Die Hard is a Christmas movie? Of course, it is. There is Christmas around every explosive corner. It also set the standard for all the action films to follow. A vital feature in film history.
