Below are some of my favorite holiday movies. There are a ton of supposedly great holiday movies that I have not seen or saw so long ago that I didn’t really remember them and didn’t include them so please feel free to add comments on additional movies. Except for It’s a Wonderful Life as my favorite these are not in any particular order.
It’s a Wonderful Life – Just a great movie.
Bad Santa – This is a wickedly funny dark comedy. Billy Bob Thornton is great as an alcoholic, mean spirited, thieving department store Santa. Tony Cox is great as his elf, partner in crime. If you don’t like tons of cursing and meaning from your Santa skip this one.
Home Alone – Non stop laughs (and then heart)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles – I called this entry ‘Holiday’ instead of ‘Christmas’ since this is more Thanksgiving and I wanted to include it. Steve Martin and John Candy are great in the road movie with great heart. The scene with them in bed together is a classic.
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol – A favorite from my childhood
Die Hard – This is really a Christmas movie! I recently saw this at a live ‘Doug Benson Interruption’ at the Alamo where he and others made jokes during a screening
Elf – Will Ferrell at his best.
Trading Places – Hard to believe that Eddie Murphy and Jaime Lee Curtis were making movies 30 years ago!
The Nightmare Before Christmas – Tim Burton at his best
Babes in Toyland – the Laurel and Hardy version. I remember as a little kid this used to scare the crap out of me when I’d see it on TV.