Christmas movies: they just don’t make ‘em like they used to. (Or my
taste was worse back then. Or I’m a sucker for 80’s nostalgia. Could be
that).
My family looooved Christmas movies, and these were some of the movies on heavy rotation in my house during the holiday season.
A Christmas Story
This
is the classic childhood Christmas movie, right? Poor Ralphie just
wanted a BB gun, but the adults in his life were convinced he would
shoot his eye out. This movie was such an accurate portrayal of
childhood angst and family drama that it just got funnier the older I
got. And who could forget the TRIPLE DOG DARE tongue on the flagpole,
and the sexy leg lamp?
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
This
John Hughes-penned film based on the Griswold famliy is an 80’s
classic. Who could forget Clark’s blinding Christmas lights, his war
with the neighbors, and the cigar that launched Santa into the night
sky. This is one of the few movies I remember causing my dad to laugh
until he cried.
A Very Brady Christmas
I
grew up watching the Brady Bunch, so I remember being so excited for
this reunion, where all the Brady kids came back together as adults.
However, this movie got awkward fast as it focused on the adult issues
of the middle-aged family (Peter is sleeping with his boss! Jan is
having marital issues! Sam left Alice for another woman!). This
Christmas special was a bit of a downer for kids like myself who loved
this big, loving family and then suddenly got to watch them as very
human adults with real-life problems bigger than getting hit in the nose
with a football. Womp womp womp.
Ernest Saves Christmas
Oh,
Jim Verney. He was a comic genius to my 10-year-old brain. In the third
Ernest movie, he tries to find a replacement for an aging Santa Claus,
resulting in lots of wacky hi-jinks I would probably detest this movie
as an adult, but we watched it over and over again. KnowWhatIMean?
One Magic Christmas
This
is an obscure one, but probably the most-watched VHS tape in my house
each holiday season. This made-for-tv Disney movie focused on a mom who
was visited by an angel (Harry Dean Stanton, no less) to teach her the
true meaning of Christmas. So cheesetastic.
Scrooged
Last
but certainly not least, my favorite holiday movie ever has to be
Scrooged. This comedic take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was
chock full of popular 80’s actors. The last scene, which breaks into a
musical version of “Put A Little Love In Your Heart”, is one that got my
family dancing every time.
What are some of your favorite holiday movies from childhood?
Hi Kristin, my name is Samantha Bertier. I have been following your blog since hs when Kembe was to be named Kenyon and karis was not born yet. I guess I was interested in adoption back then. I am a native Haitian who have been here 15 years since 10 years of age. I was attending a Bible truth school in Anaheim recently but am no longer able to due to mental health and other issues. You may be busy but I would love to meet you before I leave California. I havr no specific questions although I do enjoy your chats on race, class gender etc. If you would like to my email is [email protected]
Thank you so much for movie recommendations!!