'Tis the Season: Five Essentials Movies to Watch Every Christmas
Merry Christmas! While many are still frantically buying and wrapping gifts for tomorrow, other are preparing to start their holiday traditions. Drinking eggnog and singing Christmas carols were wonderful ideas, but not to brave dropping temperatures. For many homebound individuals, it's time to watch their favorite holiday oriented films. Every year the television airwaves are plastered with their annual airings of It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas and A Christmas Story to get people in the Christmas spirit. Here is a list of five films that are worth watching every Christmas.
1.) Scrooged (1988) - A modern spin on the classic A Christmas Carol that was simply pure comedic gold. Star Bill Murray was at his absolute craziest, especially at the end when his newfound Christmas joy threatened to put him in the loony bin. The real revelation was watching Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present as she made it her mission to knock some sense into Murray's character. The audience couldn't help but laugh every time she hit him.
2.) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - Chevy Chase in his comedic prime as the frazzled family man hosting the holidays for his extended family. He liked the idea of his family coming to his house, until he realized they would be coming to his house. Of course, disaster resulted almost instantly. There was problems with the lights, a house fire and one severed overcooked turkey. Amidst the insanity, Chase made his character all the more likable even when he should've been angry that his holiday plans failed miserably for him. Not for the audience though. This film was one Christmas Vacation worth repeating.
3.) The Santa Clause (1994) - Clause's plot could simply be summed up as "the search for the new Santa Clause." Workaholic single father Tim Allen was an unlikely replacement for Santa Clause, but he inherited the job irregardless. Allen was forced to adjust his behavior in how it helped others, especially his son. Based on the evidence of two sequels, Allen liked his new job, or at least the paycheck, very much.
4.) Elf (2003) - Will Ferrell at his funniest because the movie fully utilized his childlike energy to its advantage. He was convincing as Buddy, the largest elf on the North Pole, who discovered what it meant to be a decent human being. He even taught his grumpy father the true meaning of Christmas. A Christmas miracle indeed.
5.) Four Christmases (2008) - Okay, this film might not necessarily be the best holiday film in existence, but it still succeeded in promoting the meaning of family. Vince Vaughn used his skills as a motormouth cynic who allowed himself to love girlfriend Reese Witherspoon. The audience understood his pain as he struggled to accept that his parent's divorce shouldn't impact his relationship. Once he let go of his fear, happiness truly came for him and the audience.
In the end, a holiday classic isn't born overnight. Sometimes it takes decades for a movie to become truly iconic. A prime example would be A Christmas Story. It was overlooked when it was released, but it achieved popularity in its annual holiday TV airings. It's hard to tell whether any of this year's batch of films will be considered a classic, or even good for that matter. Only time will tell whether any of the films have the goods to withstand any length of time.
