Family Movie Night- Favorite Holiday Films

I recently did a podcast style discussion video with a fellow you-tuber friend of mine named Joe Tufano.  We had so much fun talking about our favorite holiday films and I thought I would share some of our picks with all of you.  I’ll be back to doing my Netflix picks in future weeks but let me know if you like this post so I can know for the future.

In general I try to keep my picks for Family Movie Night as close to PG as I can with an occasional PG-13 such as my post on The Others.  I really want these films to be movies you can watch with your entire family.  

So, without further ado here are my picks for the

Top 10 Holiday Films for Families

10. Elf-

Director Jon Favreau took a movie that should have been awful and made it really charming.  An elf in New York City played by Will Ferrell should be a train wreck but it at least makes me laugh.  The script by David Berenbaum is full of good gags and the entire cast is great.  James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner all play it straight and are a lot of fun.

9. Miracle on 34th Street-

A classic for a reason, this sweet holiday film from 1947 will put a smile on your face.  The bitter and resentful Doris played by Maureen O’hara has created a slightly bitter and resentful daughter (Natalie Wood) who doesn’t believe in anything.  Then she meets a man named Kris Kringle played by Edmund Gwenn who challenges her to have faith in things she can’t control.  Great all around and make sure you watch the original black and white not the horrid colorized version.

8.  Mickey’s Christmas Carol-

A bit of a strange experiment for Disney where they take their stock characters we know and love and make them actors in the Christmas Carol story.  So, Mickey is Bob Cratchit, Goofy is Jacob Marley and of course Scrooge McDuck is Ebenezer Scrooge.  I wish they had made it into a feature film instead of a short because a lot is cut out but it is still an entertaining introduction to the story for small children (although the ending is pretty scary for some kids).

7. Muppet’s Christmas Carol-

Another movie that should have been a train wreck but it is one of my favorite versions of Christmas Carol.  Directed by Jim Henson’s son Brian we get a remarkably faithful adaptation of the classic novel with Gonzo playing Charles Dickens of all things but it works!  Michael Caine is great as Scrooge especially at the end with the twinkle in his eye.  I love the music by Miles Goodman and the fact that Statler and Waldorf play Jacob Marley.  Like Mickey it does get scary at the end but the movie has fun with it and it hopefully isn’t too much for kids.

6. Arthur Christmas-

Arthur Christmas is a woefully underrated animated film that you should definitely check out.  It tells the story of the Claus family with 2 sons Steve and Arthur.  Steve runs the North Pole like a military operation and does a great job but Arthur has more heart.  His job is reading all the letters to Santa and when he finds out a child’s present has been missed he will stop at nothing to deliver it.  The animation is lovely.  The vocal performances by Hugh Laurie, James McAvoy, Bill Nighy and more are wonderful.  It’s a great holiday film that will make everyone smile and feel good.

5. Home Alone-

I recently had the chance to see Home Alone again on the big screen and what a delight.  It was the first movie to really make me laugh as a 9 year old kid in the theater.  John Hughes has a way in his writing and Chris Columbus in his directing of taking teenagers and children seriously, and Home Alone is no exception.  

Kevin proves he is capable of doing much more than anyone gives him credit for including himself. He goes from not knowing how to pack his own suitcase at the beginning of the film to shopping, doing laundry and oh yeah…fighting off burglars too.  The booby trap antics are really only the last 20 minutes of the movie and I still think they are funny.  

That is partly due to the comedic timing of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.  Catherine O’hara is great as the Mother and John Candy has a hilarious cameo as the polka player who helps her out.  The John Williams music is great and it has real heart.  One of my all-time favorite movies, not just Christmas movies.

4. White Christmas-

I just reviewed this for family movie night so I am not going to go into this very much but it’s a great old school musical.  Just Bing Crosby singing White Christmas is enough to get it on the list but you have lots of great songs and dancing numbers.  It’s a silly story but I really don’t care.  

3. A Christmas Story-

A Christmas Story is a movie that for some has gotten overplayed but I still love it.  It has so many gags that work with the tongue sticking to the pole scene, you’ll shoot your eye out, the Santa scene, Ralphie getting the pink bunny suit, the leg lamp and many more.  But it also has a real heart to it especially in the bully scene which moves me every time I watch it.  I think all the performances are great especially Peter Billingsly as Ralphie.  It is one of the best child performances ever right along with Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone.  Some of the jokes may be too adult for kids but not many. I would feel comfortable showing it to them but that’s just me. Fa ra ra ra ra ra!

2. Christmas Carol 1951-

This may be the one film on the list you have not seen but I think it is the best adaptation of Christmas Carol ever made.  It stars Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and he plays the part with a little bit of surliness mixed with sarcasm that really works.  I love we get a little bit of Scrooge’s backstory with the story of his mentor who betrayed him.  It’s the best made Scrooge film with beautiful black and white cinematography and skillful direction.   You really get the feeling of redemption and want Scrooge to change, which is why the story of the Christmas Carol is still so resonant even today.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life-

How do you stop someone from ending their own life?  Well, in this case you show him what the world would be like if you hadn’t been born.  Is it a little over the top? Of course it is.  He’s about to kill himself so it’s not exactly a time for subtlety.  It’s a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite movies ever made.  Jimmy Stewart is stunning as George Bailey- a man who has had to compromise again and again in his life.  

Finally he reaches a breaking point and can’t compromise one more time but he learns from Clarence and the alternate reality those compromises have all been made out of his love for his friends.  “No man is a failure who has friends” and that is the Christmas message at its heart.

So those are my top 10.  What would you include?  What are some of your favorite holiday films?  I would love to hear.  Comment here or on the youtube discussion video.

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!