I have to admit that I claim to be a bit hipster when it comes to my taste in movies; I spend much of my life googling my way through a long list of strange films which nobody I know has ever heard of. However, when it comes to Christmas movies I hand-on-heart admit that I am as basic as they come, probably owing to the fact that Christmas movies are not the sort that you watch alone in your bedroom at 2am when the Klute stumblers are keeping you awake! (No beef…).
Watching Christmas movies is something I look forward to all year round, for I see it as a chance to spend hours and hours of quality time with my favourite person in the world: my little brother. Since we were tiny, we would wrap up in a fluffy blanket with as many teeth-rotting treats as physically possible, and work our way through the list of movies which make us feel festive. Although my brother is now a broody teenager and will deny every word of this, he absolutely loves it too! I have been asked to talk about my favourite Christmas movie and it is honestly took longer to decide on one than I spent on my last formative assignment! Therefore, I have decided to narrow it down to two; my own personal favourite, and the go-to which I’m pretty sure is my brother’s most watched movie of all time!
Being the sucker for classic movies that I am, my personal favourite Christmas film is It’s a Wonderful Life. I absolutely adore this movie, even though it makes me cry every single time I watch it, for I think it is a truly life-affirming and heart-warming story. I believe it acts as a reminder that Christmas is not always a happy time and can be filled with a lot of sadness, but with love, family and hope, whatever ails you doesn’t seem so bad. It doesn’t require modern special effects, or a fantasy plot (if you disregard Clarence, the guardian angel), to come across as a magical tale, and delivers an amazing message to all who watch it. I admit that I see Christmas as an opportunity to get drunk and spoiled as much as the next person, no matter how many times I watch this movie. However, I always have a beautiful sense of warmth and optimism approaching the New Year after I have watched this film; it is almost like my attitude to life hits a refresh button and I stop feeling sorry for myself for whatever silly reason, pick myself up and, using the magic and happiness of Christmas to distract me, remind myself of just how wonderful life can be if you give it a chance.
Whilst the other movie I am choosing to discuss reflects a similar message, it does so in a much funnier and more child-friendly way. Based on one of my favourite novels of all time, and featuring the ever-almighty Michael Caine, I am of course talking about A Muppet Christmas Carol. I know this film is silly and perhaps transforms one of Charles Dickens’ masterpieces into essentially a spooky, snowy puppet show, but this film is genuinely adorable, really funny and makes a fantastic Christmas story into a film which is accessible to the whole family…kind of…I remember watching an old timey cartoon rendition of a Christmas Carol when I was a little kid and never being so scared in my life as I was of that ghost of Christmas future, which I admit is still freaky as hell even in the Muppet’s version. Disregarding spooky grim-reapers, the story teaches kids the message of sharing and caring, at the same time as being just a really lovely film to watch with your kid brother on a freezing cold day, when you’re perfectly happy watching a puppet rat and Gonzo embracing the winter weather instead of you. And I know for a fact that even hard dudes like my brother tear up a little bit at Tiny Tim (what happens with Tiny Tim? If you don’t know you’ll just have to watch it!).
So, there you have it. Those are my two favourite Christmas movies, but that by no means makes them the best ones. They’re just the one’s that humour my inner (and outer) soppy romantic and make me feel all cheesy and warm around Christmas. In case you want to procrastinate from the long list of Christmas work that we have to look forward to, here is my top ten list of films that will help you get your Christmas groove on:
- It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
- A Muppet’s Christmas Carol (1992)
- Home Alone (1990)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
- Elf (2003)
- Love Actually (2003)
- The Nightmare before Christmas (1993)
- Carol (2015) – guilty favourite (don’t judge)
- Meet me in St Louis (1944)
- Holiday Affair (1949)
That’s a lot of Christmas right there, so I suggest you grab a bottle of Baileys, a Terry’s Chocolate Orange and the biggest mince pie you can get your hands on and crack on! After all, there are only two weeks left until Christmas…