Everyone needs to some movies to throw on during those lazy holiday days, but man there is a lot of awful junk. So what are the good ones we should be watching? I was ridiculously old before I ever saw It's a Wonderful Life, so I definitely don't assume that there's nothing new under the sun for me to find out about.
In the spirit of the season I won't make any harshly judgmental remarks about how your chosen movies aren't "really" Christmas movies. I'll just let it slide...even if you pick Die Hard which is obviously not an actual Christmas movies no matter how many dumb articles people want to write about how it is.
Here are my favorites along with any info I have about where they might be streamed if your family is so inclined:
- It's a Wonderful Life
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
We watched this as a family every year when I was a kid, but even without that nostalgia I'd still have to put it in second place here. I could quote it all day and I hate quoting movies.
(sadly not streaming anywhere, but available for rent on youtube, itunes, and amazon for $2.99)
- Scrooged
Not only funny, but actually tugs at the hearstrings a bit. But really all you need to know is it's Bill Murray near the top of his game.
(streaming on Netflix with subscription; $2.99 rental on youtube, itunes, amazon)
- Home Alone
Still hilarious after all these years and kids still love it, so it's a family pleaser.
(streaming free on HBO Go with subscription; $2.99 rental on youtube, itunes, amazon)
- Jingle All the Way
Hear me out. Yes it looked retarded. It is. But if you go with it, it's actually pretty great. At the very least, if you need to please a bunch of kids, this one is certainly one of the more tolerable options.
(not streaming anyway; $2.99 rental on youtube, itunes, amazon)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (old stop motion version)
A true classic. I have no idea whether this could actually entertain someone who didn't grow up with it or who isn't accustomed to stop motion animation, but for me this is up there in terms of nostalgia.
(streaming free on youtube here; $1.99 purchase on itunes)
In the spirit of the season I won't make any harshly judgmental remarks about how your chosen movies aren't "really" Christmas movies. I'll just let it slide...even if you pick Die Hard which is obviously not an actual Christmas movies no matter how many dumb articles people want to write about how it is.
Here are my favorites along with any info I have about where they might be streamed if your family is so inclined:
- It's a Wonderful Life
Not only the best Christmas movie, but honestly one of the best movies period of all time. Jimmy Stewart is the man and Donna Reed is absolutely smoking.
(streaming free on Vimeo here)
(streaming free on Vimeo here)
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
We watched this as a family every year when I was a kid, but even without that nostalgia I'd still have to put it in second place here. I could quote it all day and I hate quoting movies.
(sadly not streaming anywhere, but available for rent on youtube, itunes, and amazon for $2.99)
- Scrooged
Not only funny, but actually tugs at the hearstrings a bit. But really all you need to know is it's Bill Murray near the top of his game.
(streaming on Netflix with subscription; $2.99 rental on youtube, itunes, amazon)
- Home Alone
Still hilarious after all these years and kids still love it, so it's a family pleaser.
(streaming free on HBO Go with subscription; $2.99 rental on youtube, itunes, amazon)
- Jingle All the Way
Hear me out. Yes it looked retarded. It is. But if you go with it, it's actually pretty great. At the very least, if you need to please a bunch of kids, this one is certainly one of the more tolerable options.
(not streaming anyway; $2.99 rental on youtube, itunes, amazon)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (old stop motion version)
A true classic. I have no idea whether this could actually entertain someone who didn't grow up with it or who isn't accustomed to stop motion animation, but for me this is up there in terms of nostalgia.
(streaming free on youtube here; $1.99 purchase on itunes)
