The holiday season means something different to every person who observes it. For some, the most important aspect of this time of year is the precious time spent with friends and family. Others enjoy giving… by dedicating their time to special organizations, by baking sweet treats for those nearest and dearest to them, and by wrapping purchased gifts with red and green papers and ribbons.
For me, it’s all about tradition—baking my mom’s special recipe walnut muffins, enjoying a glass (or two or three) of “adult” eggnog while wrapping presents, listening to Harry Connick, Jr. and Andrea Bocelli belt out traditional holiday music as I drive around town looking for last-minute gifts, and carefully placing the Baby Jesus in the manger of our nativity set at midnight on Christmas Eve.
My list wouldn’t be complete without adding another of my holiday traditions… watching a few of my favorite holiday movies one more time. I’ve watched these films for as long as I can remember. I may not catch each one every single year, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try.
So, which movies do I want to see every December?
First, there’s the classic and light-hearted…
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Home Alone
The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause 2
The Santa Clause 3
The Holiday
By now, everyone that reads this blog knows that I love my scary movies… and while these flicks might not seem as scary to me today as they did when I watched them for the very first time, they still fall into this holiday category…
Gremlins
Black Christmas (2006)
Next, there are a few “darker” comedies…
Scrooged
Elf
Bad Santa
And probably my favorite of all time…
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
It doesn’t matter how old I am, how many times I’ve watched these movies, or how old a few of these actually are, they will always be considered classics and must-sees in my house!
Do you have any special holiday movies that you watch every year? If you had to choose just one, which is your favorite and why? I’d love to hear from you!
Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor 
Great picks! I just watched The Holiday again. 🙂 Love Actually is another of my faves. Have a merry Christmas, Tiffany!
I love The Holiday, too. But if I had to choose just one, it would be The Christmas Card.
The Muppet Christmas Carol!
Home Alone is my all time fave, closely followed by Elf. Great list!
Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas : )
For the last time, I oded on Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Miracle on 34th Street showed its face on that day. I refuse to be artificially inbued with holiday spirit and am asking like minded people to lobby for a non-holiday network so we could watch programming without it being garlanded with tinsel and an unreal view of the holidays.
I love Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Every year I watch The Family Stone and Love Actually.
Would you believe I’ve never seen Home Alone or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? I’ve hardly seen any Christmas shows this year. I always love The Grinch and Charlie Brown, but the Christmastime movies I like best are It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Carol. I’m a sucker for Holiday Inn and White Christmas as well.
BUT we have the Gremlins DVD from Netflix waiting to be watched tomorrow. I hope my boys enjoy it as much as I remember. Glad to see that one made your list, Tiffany!
Merry Christmas and blessings for the New Year!