Each year, since 2006, Julie and I have planned a Christmas movie day, where we watch a day of Christmas spirited films whilst eating various Christmas type food (basically: vol-au-vent). We have a rule that we can't watch the same film two years in a row, but we're secretly trying to watch different films each year. So here's where I ask you: what films are we missing?
I'd love to know what one film we should watch, and why it's special to you. Either for memories, or it makes for a good film, or you watch it every year after the turkey's been finished and before the arguments over monopoly start.
Here are the films we've watched over the years (and our plan for 2012).
I've marked the films that I'd recommend watch with a * and those I'd watch a few times over with ** - though this based entirely my personal taste, your mileage may vary!
2006
(And a few others that we forgot to take note of)
2007
- Its a Wonderful Life (1946)*
- Santa Claus (1984)
- The Santa Clause (1994)
- Home Alone (1990)*
- National Lampoon: Christmas Vacation (1989)**
- Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)**
2008
- Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)*
- Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
- Bad Santa (2003)**
- Polar Express (2004)
- Fred Claus (2007)
2009
- Stardust (2007)**
- Black Adders' Christmas Carol (1988)*
- A Christmas Story (1983)**
- The Holiday (2006)
- Love Actually (2003)**
- White Christmas (1954)
2010
- Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Noel (2004)
- Nativity! (2009)
- Joyeux Noel (2005)
- Holiday Inn (1942)
- Mixed Nuts (1984)**
2011
- A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)*
- A Christmas Story (1983)**
- Gremlins (1984)
- Scrooged (1988)
- The Family Man (2000)**
- A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008)
2012
- Rare Exports (2010) (saw this at the Cinema in 2010 - frickin' awesome film!)**
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
- Jack Frost (1998)
- Arthur Christmas (2011)*
- Surviving Christmas (2004)
- A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011)
2013
- A Christmas Carol (2009)
- Deck the Halls (2006)
- Saving Santa (2013)
- Nativity 2 (2012) (this was awful)
2014
2015
- Bishops Wife (1948)
- Trading Places (1983)
- Get Santa (2014)
- Annie Claus is coming to town (2011)
- Prancer (1989)
2016
- Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
- Reindeer Games (2000)
- When Santa fell to Earth (2012)
- The Night Before (2015)
2017
- Office Christmas Party (2016)
- A Merry Figgin Christmas (aka A Merry Christmas Miracle) (2014)
- Bad Santa 2 (2016)
- Better Watch Out (2016)
2018
- Remember the Night (1940)
- The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
- The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
- The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
- Bad Mom's Christmas (2017)
2019
- The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
- Bernard and the Genie (1991)
- The Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2019)
- Klaus (2019)
- Die Hard (1988)
2020
- All That Heaven Allows (1955)
- A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019)
- Pottersville (2017)
- The Grinch (2018)
- Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
- Last Christmas (2019)
2021
- Robin Robin (2021)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
- Black Adders' Christmas Carol (1988)
- 8-Bit Christmas (2021)
- Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)
- Silent Night (2021)
This is the year we started sharing our Christmas Movie day with the kids, so our choices became a little more limited (to appropriate viewing!).
2022
- Unaccompanied Minors (2006)
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
- Spirited (2022)
- A Boy Called Christmas (2021)
- Your Christmas or Mine? (2022)
2023
- Candy Cane Lane (2023)
- Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas (2021)
- Click and Collect (2018)
- The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday (2023)
- Godmothered (2020)
- Violent Night (2022)
2024
- Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Babes in Toyland (1934)
- Genie (2023)
- Dear Santa (2024)
- The Holdovers (2023)
In 2024 we actively decided to bring back films from previous viewing years where the kids hadn't seen the movies.
Future Potentials
- El Camino Christmas (2017)
- A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)
- Hogfather (2006) (possibly…it's 3 hours!)
- Violent Night (2022)
- Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
- 8 Women (2002)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
- Love the Coopers (2015)
- The Family Stone (2005)
- All Is Bright (2013)
- Fatman (2020)
- Silent Night (2023)
- Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
- I saw mummy kissing santa
- Holiday Affair
Again, what would you recommend, and why?