December is a wonderful month. It brings with it the end of the fall semester, ice skating in the park, fantastic sales in all the major stores and all the terrible made-for-TV holiday movies that a heart could desire.
We all have our favorites, from the classics to the so-bad-they’re-good variety, which just seem to put us in the holiday mood. My personal favorites are the ones in the lineup of ABC Family Channel’s “25 Days of Christmas.” As I sit watching such ironic gems as Picking Up, Dropping Off – starring the ever-elusive Scott Wolf (“Party of Five”) – I wonder to myself if one can slip into a catatonic state from too much cheesy dialogue and holiday cheer. And then my brain returns just long enough to realize that there is a double dose of fun coming up next with Snow and Snow 2: Brain Freeze. This stuff is gold, people.
The story of A Christmas Carol is always a favorite around the holidays, popping up in many different variations, from stage to screen, all throughout the month of December. Personally I think that the Muppet’s version is one of the best, but there are too many to choose from. There is a musical version with Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier”), an animated Disney version with Scrooge McDuck portraying his namesake Ebenezer, and if you still have $18 to spare after Christmas shopping, Disney’s A Christmas Carol with the voice of Jim Carrey (Dumb & Dumber) is still in theaters in IMAX 3D.
For the kid in us all, Home Alone is sure to be on the list. I have always wished that there were two not-so-villainous villains chasing me so that I too could set up an elaborate trap to get them. Who would have ever thought that Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) could have made this list, but even as I sit here typing I hate myself for how much I want to watch Jingle All the Way. Then there is Elf, starring Will Ferrell (Anchorman), who reminds us all that Christmas is the time for family, Santa Claus and lots and lots of sugar.
It is not Christmas to me until I have seen Love Actually at least a dozen times. This movie has a wonderful way of portraying love in all different stages, from the brand new relationships to those breaking apart, and still leaves you with the feeling that nothing can be wrong in this world. I have the same sentiments for Little Women; with its picturesque snowy world and Christmas carols, this beautiful story of love and loss is always a favorite of mine around the holidays.
I know by now you are probably wondering “But where is A Charlie Brown Christmas?” or “What happened to A Christmas Story?” I know there are many that I am missing (such as The Santa Clause and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) but this column is only so long.
The good thing is, with the prevalence of holiday movies on television in the next month, your favorites are sure to be on.
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