The holiday season is here and Christmas is right around the corner. This season means different things to different people. What this season means to television viewers is an onslaught of holiday programming. Everything from Christmas themed sitcoms to movie classics like, “It's A Wonderful Life.” We all have our favorites and they will be on the air at one time or another. Here are my favorite Christmas movies and television programs.
Being more of a television-guy than a movie-guy, I will save my television choices for last and start with the holiday movies. Movies of the holiday-ilk can be separated into two groups - the classics and the contemporary.
Making Moviefone’s 25 Best Christmas Movies of All Time list are these contemporary movies:
“A Christmas Story” (1983)
“Scrooged” (1988)
“National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation” (1989)
“Home Alone” (1990)
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)
“The Santa Clause” (1994)
“Elf” (2003)
“Bad Santa” (2003)
From that same list are these classic movies:
“Babes in Toyland” (1934)
“Christmas in Connecticut' (1942)
“Holiday Inn” (1942)
'”It's a Wonderful Life” (1946)
“Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
“The Bishop's Wife” (1947)
“A Christmas Carol” (1951)
“White Christmas” (1954)
“We’re No Angels” (1955)
I will be honest with you, like I said I am not much of a movie-guy, so I have only seen one of the movies from the contemporary list. I know, I know, but surprisingly enough it is one of my top three. The other two on my list are from the classics list, of which I have seen every one of them.
My top three Christmas movies:
1. We’re No Angels
2. A Christmas Story
3. It’s a Wonderful Life
We’re No Angels is a heartwarming movie. It is in my DVD player as I write this column. Here is a quick synopsis: Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov play three escaped inmates who hatch a plan to steal from a shopkeeper on Christmas. But their plans change when they find themselves actually growing to like their target and his family. Besides, the luckless merchant is apparently about to lose his shirt, as his business is unraveling. So, instead of robbing him, the convicts decide to help him, a mission that proves wildly complicated. Please do yourself a favor and make an effort to see this movie. You will not be disappointed.
Here are my best-loved Christmas television programs, an area that I am much more qualified in. Every sitcom that you can think of has had a Christmas-themed episode. The Bob Newhart Show, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Threes Company, Friends and Seinfeld have all featured a holiday episode. Who can forget Frank Costanza celebrating Festivus on Seinfeld? Then there are the numerous Christmas specials; even Martha Stewart has treated us to one of these.
With the huge collection to choose from, here are my top five Christmas-themed television programs:
1. The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
2. Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962)
3. Dick Van Dyke (1963)
4. Hardrock Coco and Joe (1952)
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
The Andy Griffith episode entitled, "The Christmas Story", will surely warm the cockles of your heart. I know each time I watch it my cockles get toasty. Here is a quick synopsis:
On Christmas Eve, department store owner Ben Weaver insists Andy jail moonshiner Jim Muggins. Weaver has brought along a jug of moonshine as evidence of Jim's wrongdoing. Andy complies with Weaver's request but feels it's only fair that Jim's wife Bess and his two young children be incarcerated as well, since they all had knowledge of Jim's moonshining. With the Muggins family in jail, Andy, Barney, Aunt Bee, Ellie, and Opie prepare a feast with all the trimmings for the family and decorate a Christmas tree. Peeping at the window, Ben Weaver is touched with the Christmas spirit and tries to get himself arrested in order to join the fun. Andy only arrests Weaver, however, after he dumps a garbage can in the alley. Together, the men appear at the door of the jail with a suitcase full of gaily-wrapped gifts from Ben's store. Ben is welcomed and regaled with food and drink. Weaver falls asleep in one of the jail cells after finishing the jug of Jim's moonshine.
Those are my lists. I am sure, as with all lists, I have left off many of your choices. If the spirit should move you, leave your lists in the DK forum section. Merry Christmas to all DK users…Until Next Time.
Being more of a television-guy than a movie-guy, I will save my television choices for last and start with the holiday movies. Movies of the holiday-ilk can be separated into two groups - the classics and the contemporary.
Making Moviefone’s 25 Best Christmas Movies of All Time list are these contemporary movies:
“A Christmas Story” (1983)
“Scrooged” (1988)
“National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation” (1989)
“Home Alone” (1990)
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)
“The Santa Clause” (1994)
“Elf” (2003)
“Bad Santa” (2003)
From that same list are these classic movies:
“Babes in Toyland” (1934)
“Christmas in Connecticut' (1942)
“Holiday Inn” (1942)
'”It's a Wonderful Life” (1946)
“Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
“The Bishop's Wife” (1947)
“A Christmas Carol” (1951)
“White Christmas” (1954)
“We’re No Angels” (1955)
I will be honest with you, like I said I am not much of a movie-guy, so I have only seen one of the movies from the contemporary list. I know, I know, but surprisingly enough it is one of my top three. The other two on my list are from the classics list, of which I have seen every one of them.
My top three Christmas movies:
1. We’re No Angels
2. A Christmas Story
3. It’s a Wonderful Life
We’re No Angels is a heartwarming movie. It is in my DVD player as I write this column. Here is a quick synopsis: Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov play three escaped inmates who hatch a plan to steal from a shopkeeper on Christmas. But their plans change when they find themselves actually growing to like their target and his family. Besides, the luckless merchant is apparently about to lose his shirt, as his business is unraveling. So, instead of robbing him, the convicts decide to help him, a mission that proves wildly complicated. Please do yourself a favor and make an effort to see this movie. You will not be disappointed.
Here are my best-loved Christmas television programs, an area that I am much more qualified in. Every sitcom that you can think of has had a Christmas-themed episode. The Bob Newhart Show, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Threes Company, Friends and Seinfeld have all featured a holiday episode. Who can forget Frank Costanza celebrating Festivus on Seinfeld? Then there are the numerous Christmas specials; even Martha Stewart has treated us to one of these.
With the huge collection to choose from, here are my top five Christmas-themed television programs:
1. The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
2. Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962)
3. Dick Van Dyke (1963)
4. Hardrock Coco and Joe (1952)
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
The Andy Griffith episode entitled, "The Christmas Story", will surely warm the cockles of your heart. I know each time I watch it my cockles get toasty. Here is a quick synopsis:
On Christmas Eve, department store owner Ben Weaver insists Andy jail moonshiner Jim Muggins. Weaver has brought along a jug of moonshine as evidence of Jim's wrongdoing. Andy complies with Weaver's request but feels it's only fair that Jim's wife Bess and his two young children be incarcerated as well, since they all had knowledge of Jim's moonshining. With the Muggins family in jail, Andy, Barney, Aunt Bee, Ellie, and Opie prepare a feast with all the trimmings for the family and decorate a Christmas tree. Peeping at the window, Ben Weaver is touched with the Christmas spirit and tries to get himself arrested in order to join the fun. Andy only arrests Weaver, however, after he dumps a garbage can in the alley. Together, the men appear at the door of the jail with a suitcase full of gaily-wrapped gifts from Ben's store. Ben is welcomed and regaled with food and drink. Weaver falls asleep in one of the jail cells after finishing the jug of Jim's moonshine.
Those are my lists. I am sure, as with all lists, I have left off many of your choices. If the spirit should move you, leave your lists in the DK forum section. Merry Christmas to all DK users…Until Next Time.
3 comments:
I've seen all of the movies on the comtemporary list but the only ones that I really like at Christmas are The Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, and Elf. Elf is a new favorite and I watch it many times. It was just on the other night actually.
One of my all time favorite classic movies is Meet Me In St. Louis with Judy Garland. It's not entirely about Christmas but any movie with her singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" gets BIG props from me. I also love White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye except I can't stand watching it on TV these days because they edit the life out of it and make it unwatchable.
You get a huge round of applause for Hardrock, Coco and Joe! That is THE premiere idea of Christmas past for me. I can remember that being played on Garfield Goose and that was when I KNEW Christmas was coming. Follow it up with Susie Snowflake and, as a kid, I was all set!
You know what I miss? Those great hour long TV specials that used to air at this time each year. Perry Como and the like used to be on each year. It's not that I liked all of those shows so much but it sure made the days before Christmas so much more Christmasy!
How many of your favorite Christmas movies did you watch again this year? I saw a number of them on your list, and a few others I want to see again......Lia
The only ones I watched this year were Andy Griffith, A Christmas Story and We're No Angels. I couldn't find Dick Van Dyke anywhere. Which ones do you want to see again?
Post a Comment