Monday, December 21, 2009

Monday Movie Meme - Holiday Faves


This week on the Monday Movie Meme, hosted by the much-loved Bumbles, we are presented with a not-so-original theme, but one that was sure to make us all warm and fuzzy from the memories. Which movies are your favorites to watch around the holidays? I know in most families, there are at least one or two that are watched every year with much fanfare. It is no different in the Nawrot house. None of these, I suspect, will surprise you. What you won't see on here are any of the mind-numbing garbage that has been released in the last handful of years that I was forced to see with the kids (Vince Vaughn and Tim Allen, I'm talking to you):

A Christmas Story - even my parents get in on the action of watching this one, sometimes in marathon style. Even at the 50th viewing, we are rewarded with belly-laughs. We love the pink bunny suit, the Ovaltine decoder (my son got a can of Ovaltine one year as a gift), the dog eating the turkey, Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and the "fradgeelay" leg lamp.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - not only must we watch this one around the holidays, but we watch it all year long as well. I bet we've seen in a hundred times. One of our all-time favorite sayings from any movie is "The shitter was full" (I'm not sure what that says about our maturity). This year, Hallmark came out with a keepsake ornament of Eddie's RV, complete with a recording of Eddie talking. Do you think I could find one anywhere? No! Sold out in the continental US. Apparently, I'm not the only one who likes that RV.

It's a Wonderful Life - yeah, I guess I have to put this one on the list. I doubt it ranks as high in our family as most, but we'll watch it during one of the marathon showings on TCM. It's cozy. It makes me want to drink a hot chocolate (versus the first two movies which make me want to drink alcohol).

Miracle on 34th Street - this was one of my favorites to watch as a kid, multiple times each season, and usually at my grandparents' house. But do you think I could get my kids even remotely interested? That is what happens when you fill their Christmas spirits with movies that feature sexy leg lamps, or uncle Eddie kidnapping a tight-wad boss. I always waited for the very end, when little Natalie Wood finds Santa's cane propped in the corner of the new house. It always filled me with wonder.

Die Hard - alright enough of the sentiment. Why not curl up with the most action you'll ever get on a Christmas eve...John McClane kicking Hans Gruber's butt? Yippee ki yay Santa!

Elf - I thought this was going to be another one of the inane, low-budget Christmas movies that I've been forced to see with the kids, but was pleasantly surprised. Will Ferrell doesn't always trip my trigger, but his is pure delight and charm in this one.

Trading Places - this may not come to top of mind as a Christmas flick, but I can't get the image out of my mind...Dan Akroyd in a Santa suit, drunk out of his mind, pulling meat from his beard and eating it. I actually own this one on my iPod, ready to perk me up when I'm feeling blue.


So please share! Which are your sentimental favorites to watch while you are drinking your egg nog?

19 comments:

Susan said...

LOL, we have a lot of the same ones...surprise! I really liked Elf, too. Isn't Zooey Deschanel a delight? I love the scene where she's singing 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' in the shower and Will is listening. So sweet.

Ha! verification word: pelamp!

Julie P. said...

I'm with you on these ones! We only watched a few this year.

Frances said...

Good choices. I think we watch all of these, but I also like Love Actually and the old Cary Grant movie The Bishop's Wife. Holiday classics in my house.

Ana S. said...

Wonderful choices, Sandy!

The holidays movie I've watched the most times is probably Scrooged, the 80's adaptation of A Christmas Carol set in modern-day NY and starring Bill Murray. I'm not sure if it's actually good or if I just got attached to it when I was too young to know better, but I love it :P

Heather said...

Ha! Love your inclusion of Die Hard and Trading Places. The only one I really dislike is Elf. Not my brand of humor. My post is HERE.

Kathleen said...

Christmas Vacation...one of our faves as well. I have to add Home Alone also. Being the youngest of 9 I can relate to having your family just forget you as they leave for vacation! ha!

kayerj said...

great holiday list--I'm not sure I'd watch die hard (ever). Have a Merry Christmas.

Unknown said...

Christmas makes me a sentimental schmo. I watch It's a Wondeful Life and cry my eyes out at the ending and A Christmas Story and feel a warm and gooey inside afterwards. I also love A Charlie Brown Christmas, Pee Wee's Christmas Special, and Rudolf the Red-Nosed Raindeer all of which I have on video-tape, not DVD.

Ti said...

You've named several of my faves. I bought Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life on DVD last year but they are gone! I have no idea where they are and they never showed the original 34th this year on TV, just the remake. UGH. Wonderful is on on Christmas Eve but I won't get to see it then, but will Tivo it.

In addition to the ones you've mentioned, we love:

Christmas with the Kranks

Jingle All The Way

The Family Stone (with SJP's uptight goodness)

White Christmas

Sleepless in Seattle

All the old claymation Christmas shows.

Charlie Brown

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Love Actually

Serendipity

As you can see, I have several faves and I manage to get them ALL in.

Alyce said...

You and my sister are some of the only people I know who consider Die Hard a Christmas movie. She pulls it out every year at Christmas time (along with the first Lethal Weapon). :)

I love A Christmas Story, Elf and It's a Wonderful Life. I also like The Holiday with Cameron Diaz, but that's more just for when I'm in the mood for a fun chick flick.

Unknown said...

How could I have forgotten Die Hard and Elf? Great list!

Heidenkind said...

Elf is fun. But you don't have White Christmas on there? I wonder about you sometimes, Sandy, I really do. ;)

I also like to watch LA Confidential and Sabrina during the holidays. I don't know why.

Zibilee said...

All of these are favorites at my house, but I think the winner is A Christmas Story. We were just talking about it the other night at the dinner table and everyone was competing with each other for their favorite part. I might be trying to get my husband a leg lamp night light this year, he would just love it! Great list you got there Sandy!

ds said...

Die Hard?! LOL You have a wicked, wicked sense of humor. Elf is cute & so is Natalie Wood and it is not Christmas without Charlie Brown or Rudolph or even Jimmy Stewart, but my personal all-time favorite is Alistair Sim's Ebeneezer Scrooge. He is so perfectly wretched, and then so perfectly giddy, and so impossible to find....figures.
Loved this! Thanks.

Irishcoda said...

A cat loving reader! I'm following your blog, LOL. I also put down Miracle on 34th St, It's A Wonderful Life & Die Hard. I put down a couple of others for Thanksgiving, Easter & July 4th too.

Literary Feline said...

Die Hard! I love it, Sandy. :-)

Miracle on 34th Street is a favorite of mine too. I am a big fan of The Santa Clause. I don't know why exactly, but I am. I just love the E.L.F.'s.

Anonymous said...

ET & Charley and the Chocolate Factory spring to mind :)

The Bumbles said...

Ah - Trading Places! Good one. Forgot about that one.

I can't believe that ornament was sold out! I'm sure you'll be able to track it down on EBAY after the season is over and save it for next year.

Lisa said...

One of my other faves is "Holiday Inn" where Bing Crosby first sings "White Christmas."