10) Christmas with
the Kranks-Based on the best-selling John Grisham novel, Skipping Christmas, Tim Allen and Jamie
Lee Curtis star as parents whose daughter won’t be home for Christmas because
she is on a mission trip in South America . Feeling some Christmas blues, Luther Krank
(Allen) decides that the two of them should skip Christmas altogether and take
the money they usually spend on Christmas and go on cruise. Their decision to ignore all Christmas
traditions rankles their festive neighbors and friends and puts the two in many
an awkward situation. Of course, their
plan is ruined at the last minute when they get a surprise call from their
daughter saying she is coming home for Christmas and is looking forward to the
annual family Christmas party.
9) National Lampoon’s
Christmas Vacation-Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold; need I say more?
From the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree to the post-light
acceptance speech to the fuming Christmas bonus rant, who could imagine
Christmas being any more dysfunctional?
But the real star of the show is Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie and his
unexpected arrival in his RV to spend Christmas with the Griswolds. (Cousin Eddie’s RV even makes an appearance
on my Christmas tree, complete with classic lines delivered by Quaid from the
movie.)
8) The Santa Clause-Tim
Allen makes his second appearance on the list as a divorced dad who is
desperately trying to connect with his young son. After the real Santa falls off the roof of
his house, Scott Calvin (Allen) takes up the mantle by putting on the red coat
putting into effect the Santa Clause. At
times hilarious and at times tender, this film explores the depths a father
will go to in order to win the heart of his child.
7) Dr. Seuss’s How
the Grinch Stole Christmas-Dr. Seuss, Jim Carrey, and Ron Howard. It doesn't get much better than that
trio. This live-action version of Dr.
Seuss's classic Christmas tale expands on the good docs story and provides some
insight on why the Grinch is the way he is.
While it doesn't match the original cartoon version's timeless charm,
Jim Carrey is delivers his usual solid performance as the hater of all things Christmas.
6) Home Alone and
Home Alone 2-I realize that I have listed two movies as one here but it is
hard to separate the two. Who could
forget how Macaulay Culkin splashed onto the scene with this breakout holiday
hit? He stars as Kevin McAllister, the
kid managed to get left behind at Christmas not once but twice. Kevin's mischievous nature helps him defend
his turf from the Wet Bandits, played by the side-splitting pair of Joe Pesci
and Daniel Stern.
5) Four Christmases-Vince
Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star as a couple with issues about getting married
because both of their parents are divorced.
Their nightmare comes to life when their flight is canceled and they are
not able to go away for Christmas and must spend the holiday visiting four
houses to see all of the family. The
supporting cast of Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenowith,
Dwight Yoakam, and Jon Voight are stellar as the quirky, dysfunctional family
members.
4) Deck the Halls-Danny
DeVito and Matthew Broderick are dueling neighbors as they compete to be the
Christmas guy in town. Buddy Hall
(DeVito) is new in town and is looking to make a splash by making his house
visible from outer space by decorating it with lights. Jealous of his new neighbor and wanting to
retain all of his family's Christmas traditions, Steve Finch (Broderick) pushes
things too far and the rivalry almost ruins Christmas for both families. Deck
the Halls is overlooked by many people but in recent years it has moved up
on my list.
3)Fred Claus-Does
it get any better than Vince Vaughn as Santa’s upstaged, older brother
Fred? Or Paul Giamatti as Saint Nicholas? Or Kevin Spacey as the miserly quality
control inspector who holds a grudge against Santa? And who could forget the scene-stealing
support group of neglected brothers that features Frank Stallone, Roger
Clinton, and Stephen Baldwin.
2)Elf-Will
Ferrell shines in his performance as Buddy the Elf, an orphaned child who makes
his way into Santa's sack one Christmas Eve and is raised by an elf (played by
Bob Newhart) at the North Pole.
Eventually, Buddy discovers he is really a human and heads off to New
York City to find his biological father (James Caan) who never knew he existed. Buddy's appearance causes quite a stir with
his father's family. He drinks Coke by
the 2-liter, guzzles syrup out of a bottle, and can throw a snowball like Nolan
Ryan. And who could forget lines like
"Cotton-headed ninny muggins" and "Son of a nutcracker!"
1) A Christmas Story-Christmas
is not complete unless you catch this classic tale about a boy named Ralphie
who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at nothing to get
it. Thanks to Ted Turner, you can catch
it on a 24-hour loop every year running from late on Christmas Eve through
Christmas night. This timeless classic
can be watched a scene at a time or in whole.
(I think I have only seen the movie from beginning to end in a single
sitting only twice. I usually catch it
somewhere in the middle and finish watching it and then watch the beginning
when it comes back on. Thanks Ted
Turner.) Holiday pop culture has made a
living off of the leg lamp ("It's a major award!"), the pink bunny
suit, sticking your tongue to a flagpole, being a soap tasting connoisseur
("Oh, fudge!"), and the classic line, "You'll shoot your eye
out, kid." But the thing that makes
this movie hit home with me is the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Ralphie (played by
Peter Billingsley) looked a lot like my brother Greg when we were young
kids.
There you have it.
Let me know which ones you agree with, disagree with, or would have
liked to have seen on the list.
