Top 10 Christmas movies

            Tis the season for Christmas movies and holiday cheer, so since life got in the way this week and I couldn’t watch any new movie to review, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of my favorite Christmas movies with everyone. Some of these are well-known and would be included on other people’s lists as well and some of them may not be popular picks at all. But all of these are films I try to watch every year around Christmas time. So, without further delay let’s get into the Christmas spirit and get this holiday party started.

• Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977) – There is no order for these, so I will just sort them by the date of release starting with the oldest. Technically this isn’t a full-length movie, but there was no way I was going to make a list of Christmas movies and not include this on here. A true Jim Henson original follows Emmet Otter and his mother Ma Otter as they try to navigate a world without their father/husband and trying to make money for Christmas. It’s a true Christmas movie through and through, has some sad moments, some funny moments, and the best heavy metal puppet band I’ve ever seen in my life (The Riverbottom Nightmare Band)!

• Gemlins (1984) – This is a great one to go second because it’s one that I’ve loved since I was a little kid. Even though the graphics don’t hold up so well after all these years, the story still does. The movie is about a young man (Billy played by Zach Galligan) receiving an odd creature as a Christmas present. This creature known as a mogwai has certain rules that need to be followed to keep him and those around him safe. Of course, all three rules get broken and all hell breaks loose on Christmas in the little town. This is a great one to go back and watch again this season if you haven’t seen it in a long time.

• Die Hard (1988) – There is no doubt in my mind about this being a Christmas movie and there is no way it wouldn’t make this list. Die Hard is a Christmas classic and a great action movie to boot. Bruce Wilis stars as John McClane along with Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. Gruber and his gang of party crashers take over the Nakatomi Plaza where Willis was coming to visit his wife during her work’s Christmas party. Lots of action, violence, and scenes of Willis’ feet (since his character isn’t wearing shoes). Unfortunately, I don’t get to partake in the greatness of this movie every year since not everyone agrees with my status of it.

•  National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – This one has been in my holiday movie rotation for quite some time. This is always the go-to when wrapping presents. Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold as they welcome the entire family to their house for Christmas. Right from the jump, there are non-stop laughs, family chaos, and quotable lines that I use throughout the year. There wasn’t anyone funnier than Chase in his prime and he leads an All-Star cast in this amazing Christmas classic.

• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1989) – Say what you will about The Muppets, but they knocked their rendition of the Charles Dikens’ classic out of the ballpark. Michael Caine plays one of the best Scrooge’s that I’ve seen and the Muppet cast fills out nicely with a cherry on top for having Fozzie Bear play the part of Fezziwig (or Fozziwig in this case). It’s a heart-warming tale with lots of laughs and fun along the way and even a song or two to help lift your spirits for the holidays.

• Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – True, this could fit in as a Halloween or a Christmas movie and we will sometimes watch it on Halloween instead, but no matter when you watch it, it’s ok with me. I like pretty much anything Tim Burton makes, but this is one of his best when he mixes up the holidays and gives us an absolute gem with this stop-animation instant classic. Burton really makes you feel for his cause when he attempts to take over Christmas so he can try something new. Even though it fails miserably, he looks great doing it.

• The Santa Clause (1994) – Even though this has spawned two sequels and two seasons of a Disney+ show, the original movie starring Tim Allen as Scott Calvin… then later as Santa Clause himself is the crème of the crop. Santa has an accident and falls off his roof on Christmas Eve and with his son’s persistence, he puts on the Santa outfit and becomes Santa. Much to his dismay, he starts turning into the big man and must accept his fate as the new Santa. This is Tim Allen at his best and it’s a very charming story to see as well.

• Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) – If I were to rank them, this would have to be right up there with Christmas Vacation for my favorites. As a kid, I always enjoyed watching the old, animated Grinch cartoon (unlike the newer one where The Grinch is way too nice). So, it was great to see this come to life. Its success was related to many factors, but having Jim Carrey bust out a phenomenal performance as the titular character was absolutely the best reason for me.

• Office Christmas Party (2016) – I know a lot of you may be thinking and wondering why this is on my list. Reason number one… it’s my list and I want it here. Reason number two is that even though it’s raunchy and lots of crazy stuff happens, I happen to love it and think it’s hilarious. I will pretty much watch Jason Bateman do anything at this point and he is surrounded by an amazing cast (Jennifer Aniston, T. J. Miller, Olivia Munn, Kate McKinnon, Rob Corddry, and the list goes on and on). Lots of high jinx, danger, and a party we would all be willing to attend if we had the chance.

• Violent Night (2022) – This movie is the newest one on my list of must-watch Christmas movies. Yes, some of the scenarios are borderline silly and the overall story is far-fetched, but watching David Harbour play Santa who’s trapped in a house with a bunch of bad guys trying to rob a rich family is amazing. He is able to fight them off one-by-one Die Hard style as he tries to help Trudy (Leah Brady) who’s on the nice list and is also trapped in the house by them. I was sold on this movie from the first 5 minutes when he’s at the bar drinking and then pukes on the lady’s head as he flies by on his sleigh.

Before I leave you, I would like to throw out some honorable mentions that we love to watch in my household, but just don’t quite make the cut for my list:

• Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (this is new, but still one that we love)
• Elf
• Home Alone
• Scrooged
• Four Christmases

So, what are your holiday movies that must be watched every year? How many of my movies overlap yours?

Let me know in the comments what you think and have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy Holidays!