Every year, when people are planning Thanksgiving and the holiday season is looming in the far-too-close distance, hundreds of lists pop up containing people’s opinions about which Christmas movies are best for annual (or weekly… or daily) viewing and why. I’ll make my contribution, but I also want to share some of my favorite non-Christmas movies that I have to watch every single year, at least twice (usually many more), regardless of the season.
Christmas Movies:
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the original Dr. Suess version)
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The original How The Grinch Stole Christmas plays frequently in my house, starting the day after Thanksgiving, and is a general favorite. We know the words to “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by heart, and the “welcome, Christmas” song. Jim Carey’s Grinch is good, and Benedict Cumberbatch was funny, but nothing will ever take the place of the original in my heart.
Elf
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This movie is too funny. Will Ferrel as Buddy the Elf is so innocent, it’s almost painful, and the scene where he accidentally gets drunk in the mail room is hilarious. Our Elf on the Shelf is named after him. I try to slide in references in everyday conversation sometimes (especially about food and those elf food groups).
White Christmas
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We play this movie about as frequently as How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I know every word to every song, and my brother and I have some nice harmonies down for the titular track. While I may not see a white Christmas in Middle Georgia anytime soon, this movie always makes me want to hop on a train to Vermont.
It’s A Wonderful Life
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Absolute classic. My family usually watches this on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It’s a wonderful (wink wink) reminder of what life is about: making the most of your time on Earth to improve the world you live in, whether it’s through helping your neighbors, raising your kids with all the love you can muster, or keeping just one business in town from being taken over by a greedy scumbag worse than Scrooge.
Non-Christmas Movies:
The Mummy (1999 version, not the original and not the Tom Cruise one)
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This film falls into multiple genres, including adventure, horror, romance, and comedy. The special effects are pretty good, the cast is great, and the characters are lovable and hilarious! (Looking at you, Evelyn the librarian!) The plot is suspenseful without getting too serious and there isn’t so much comedy that it becomes spoofy. It is just a good, entertaining movie.
The Princess Bride
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This film also crosses genres (action/adventure, fantasy, romance, and comedy) and it’s script is oh so quotable! There are also sword fights, pirates, huge rodents (of a truly unusual size), a giant (played by a famous wrestler), an evil prince… I could go on, but do I need to?
Secondhand Lions
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This movie is such a delightful coming of age story. Its main themes are family, adventure, mystery, and personal values. Michael Cain and Robert Duvall are wonderfully eccentric, and young Haley Joel Osment is so awkward in the most relatable way. Also, there is a lion. What’s not to love?
Prince of Egypt
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The story of Moses and the Ten Commandments is beloved across religions and cultures, and this animated film has been a favorite of mine since childhood. It’s an amazing movie with incredible animation, beautiful songs, and a score by Hans Zimmer. This movie also has an all-star cast, including Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Sandra Bullock, Michele Pfeiffer, Danny Glover, Jeff Goldblum, and so many more.
Everyone should have a list of movies to watch every year; you might have set times of the year to watch certain ones, but it’s nice to have a list to pull from if you’re having a bad day. Enjoy!