Favorite Holiday Movies?

[IrieBride08]

One of my all time favorites that I can watch anytime of the year and feel in the Xmas spirit is "Home Alone 1 & 2". Not very conventional , but I absolutely LOVE that movie. (Love the soundtrack too!)

 

(Also, Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life!)

[Maura]

Heidi! Boy am I glad you started this thread. I love Christmas movies and I am a bit of an aficionado on them if I do say so myself. My aunt and uncle own an animation art gallery, so I'm well versed in all things to do with animation because I used to work there in the summers from the time I was 14-21.

 

First of all, I am very familiar with the California Raisins claymation Christmas special from 1987. I used to love this as a kid! I have fantastic news for you --- this has been available on DVD since 2003 Here is the link to it on Amazon! Amazon.com: Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas Plus Halloween & Easter Celebrations: DVD: Krisha Fairchild,Tim Conner,Todd Tolces,Brian Cummings,Johnny Counterfit,Greg Black,Ron Tinsley,Barry Bruce,Will Vinton

You can also watch "Herb & Rex" in 3 parts on YouTube here:

YouTube - Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas 1 of 3

 

One of my favorites is this old stop-motion animation short called "Hardrock & Coco & Joe: The Three Little Dwarfs" - it is from the early 1950s and is something my mom watched on WGN-TV growing up here in Chicago. WGN (channel 9 here) still plays this every Christmas. A few years ago, this became available on DVD and we bought it as a gift for my mom and she cried. It was done by Centaur Productions and written by Stuart Hamblen.

Watch it on YouTube here:

YouTube - Hardrock, Coco, and Joe

 

Also stop-motion animation done by Centaur in 1951 was "Suzy Snowflake" - also shown on WGN in Chicago. Watch it here on YouTube:

YouTube - Suzy Snowflake (1951)

 

The also did a "Frosty The Snowman" which is not stop-motion, and was done in 1950 I believe. Shown on WGN originally just like the others. Watch it here, I totally loved this as a kid and still to this day can sing the song by heart!:

YouTube - Frosty the Snowman

 

*All three of these are on the same DVD, my mom totally flipped for it!

 

The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer you all are referring to as claymation is actually stop-motion animation by Rankin & Bass from the early 1960s.

View a bit of it here: YouTube - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

 

Rankin & Bass also did the following stop-motion animation movies: The Year Without a Santa Claus, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Little Drummer Boy...and a couple I know I'm forgetting. They also did a regular cel animation version of Frosty the Snowman with the little girl character named Karen -- here is a link to what it looks like on YouTube with a dumb soundtrack, but you'll recognize the animation: YouTube - Frosty The Snowman

 

 

As for real movies, I watch the "Christmas Story" with my sister and cousins every year. We always laugh at some of the parts that remind us of our crazy family. A few years ago, Urban Outfitters started selling a replica of the leg lamp at Christmastime, which I think is hilarious!

 

I also love the following and watch them every year (I own all but one):

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (FI will watch this with me)

Muppet Christmas -- so hilarious. I don't own this one but wish I did.

The Dr. Seuss animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas (not a fan of the Jim Carrey version)

White Christmas (I am in love with Bing Crosby)

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Home Alone (it was filmed right near where I grew up and I know people who were extras in the skating pond scene!)

Elf

and Love Actually is a new favorite of mine recently added a few years ago.

 

Has anybody ever seen the movie Babes in Toyland with Laurel & Hardy? I watched that with my cousins every year growin up!

 

So as you can see, I'm a Christmas movie freak. I have a whole shelf dedicated to Christmas movies in our living room, haha. My FI made me watch Bad Santa with him a few weekends ago when it was on TV and I thought it was pretty funny.

(eeks sorry I just wrote a novel!)

[JaimeLynne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lambert13 1. The Rudolph claymation one. My Mother always tells me about when I saw that the first time when I was a little Jay. The show ended and I went to go brush my teeth for bed. Mom came into the bathroom and I was sobbing while brushing my teeth. She asked what was wrong and I looked up all teary eyed and said "how come they were so mean to Rudolph? he just wanted to be friends with them."

That's so freakin' cute!

[Christine]

Hmm I love Elf, Miracle on 34th Street (the newer one), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Family Stone (even though its sad, it reminds me of our last few holidays with my aunt)

The new Grinch movie is pretty cute too.

[Leia78]

I like The Family Man w/ Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni. It's kinda Christmasy...it takes place during winter.

[Saraha]

My fav movie is "A Christmas Story" and my fav show is "Frostie".

[nenamono]

Love Actually-I introduced this movie to my fiance and this has become our must watch Christmas movie, we have watched it ever year since. He lent it to his friend last year and we both mentioned getting it back the other day or there might be hell to pay

 

Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation are my other favorites both classics.

[LadyP]

1.A year without a Santa Clause. I love Heat Miser

2. Grinch

3 The Imitation of Life. I like the 2nd version with Lana Turner

 

Lawrence will not even come in the house if he hears the imitation of life. Im not a crier but how dare you speak during the movie

[MelissaH]

There are sooo many...but I think my all time favourite is One Magic Christmas...or White Christmas....

 

I can't pick just 3 though - I think I watch all of these every year;

Christmas Vacation, Elf, Rudolph, the Grinch (both the original & the Jim Carrey one), Muppet Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn, A Christmas Carol (the Alistair Sim one), Christmas in Connecticut, and It's a Wonderful Life

[christenew]

I love love love Love Actually. Kinda addicted.