My absolute favorite Christmas movie is a very short, animated, British film called The Snowman. It is based on a book by Raymond Briggs. It is wonderful. Really. The book is only illustrations, and the film has only music (aside from a brief narration at the beginning). A young boy wakes to find it snowing and builds a snowman. Later, the snowman comes alive and after he is taken on a tour of sorts of the boy's home (incuding a very funny scene where the snowman wears a pair of false teeth), the snowman "escorts him on a fantasy dream visit to the north pole". It is a delightful film, and I highly recommend it (go out now and rent it--trust me!). And it is not just for children either! I watch this every year without fail!
Amongst my other holiday favorites is A Charlie Brown Christmas. In so many ways I can relate well to Charlie Brown, but then maybe all of us have a little Charlie Brown in us? I even have the soundtrack (I love Vince Guaraldi). I remember watching this every year growing up (along with a plethora of other animated shows featuring those great clay-mation characters!), and I am glad that it is a classic and still around. More than a few trees we have bought have been in the running for a Charlie Brown sort of tree (though we now have a sturdy, and not so messy, artificial one--blasphemous, I know). I can happily say I have already got my niece addicted to Charlie Brown as well!
It has been a while since I have watched The House without a Christmas Tree, which is set in rural Nebraska in 1946. I loved this movie when I was young. Carl's G.I.F.T. challenge has prompted me to dig this one out, and I plan to watch it sometime before Christmas. It is about ten-year old Addie Mills who lives with her father and grandmother. Since her mother died when she was a baby they have not had a Christmas tree in the house, the one thing Addie wants most. From reading the Amazon reviews it looks as though this was based on a book (I had no idea) and there were actually four films featuring Addie Mills (again, no idea), which I am now going to have to track down! I remember it has a dated sort of feel to it, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing--I should really say it gives it more of a nostalgic appeal. Does anyone else remember these?
Lastly, I probably watch Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjory Reynolds and Virginia Dale nearly every year, too. Okay, this is sort of a sentimental film, and maybe not entirely PC (at one point the actors don black faces), but I still love it. Bing Crosby leaves the hustle and bustle of city life behind (after his friend runs off with his fiance), and buys an inn in Vermont. As he is a singer, he decides it will be a night club--but open only on holidays. It is very 1940s--lots of singing, dancing, and elegant costumes! Bing Crosby sings the ever famous "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" in this one. I would have one more favorite that I would watch every year if it was still in print. There was a remake of It's a Wonderful Life called It Happened One Christmas (1977) starring Marlo Thomas. Maybe it was cheesy, but I have fond memories of it. I thought it was rather a creative twist with the story being told from Marlo Thomas's character's point of view. Alas, it has been a really long time since I have seen it however!
I know there are some famout Christmas movies out there. Maybe I should get a few of the more classic ones from Netflix. 'Tis the season anyway! Which are your favorites?