My favorite Christmas movies

To help you compile your holiday Netflix que, I put together some of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. I left out the TV classics like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Charlie Brown Christmas because we already know of their Christmas awesomeness that transcends all time and genres. I made two different lists, one for the kids and one for the grown ups. These movies are  timeless classics and sure to get you into the holiday spirit.  Have a Babble Christmas!
Comment about what you think or add suggestions of your own.

The Family List	The Grown Up List
#5 Polar Express	#5 Scrooged
#4 Home Alone	#4 A Nightmare Before Christmas
#3 Elf	#3 Die Hard
# It’s a Wonderful Life	#2 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
#1 A Christmas Story	#1 Love Actually

A Yule Time Babble- My favorite Christmas Film

So it’s that time of year again, when love, joy, peace, and Santa, among other things, are in the air. Which means, we have a whole new genre of movies to discuss. I’m not talking Festivus here folks, it’s Christmas time again, which begs the question, what is your favorite Christmas movie?

I started thinking about this, because there are a lot of classics, so it’s a tough call. Who doesn’t love James Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life? Or the innocent charms of young Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34^th Street?

Still I lean towards the more recent ones, which leads me to this question. Does Die Hard count as a Christmas movie? It takes place at Christmas, so it counts in my book.

I also lean more towards the comedies. I love A Christmas Story and Ralphie Parkers quest for a red rider BB gun. Of course who could forget the crazy antics of the Griswold’s in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation? Or the animated greats of A Charlie Brown Christmas or the Grinch Who Stole Christmas? How about a modern classic like Elf? (Is there such thing as a modern classic?)

All of that being said, my favorite Christmas story, besides the birth of Christ of course, is that of a Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This story is profound, iconic, brilliantly creative and has withstood the test of time. There is no telling how many versions of this film there are floating around in the world. I can think of ten or so off the top of my head.

So that being said, if I lean towards comedy and A Christmas Carol is my favorite Christmas story, that really leaves one option for my favorite holiday film.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you, A Muppet Christmas Carol!

Kermit, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Ralph, Fozzie Bear, Statler and Waldorf, the list goes on and on of lovable characters. Maybe there is some nostalgia here, since the Muppets were one of my favorite shows as a kid and they instilled my love of late night TV talk shows, but you can’t deny their place in history. They were way ahead of their time, combining childlike fun with celebrities and witty lines that adults could enjoy as well.

I have to admit, I even like the songs in this movie, which isn’t always the case with musicals. Oh and let’s not forget the icing on top, this movie also stars the great Michael Caine. So here’s to you mad Muppets, the playful puppets of my youth, we wish you well. And to all you Babblers out there, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Oh, and God bless us all, everyone!

 

I give it 4 Babbles.

 

 

Santa Vs. The Snowman

Here comes Santa Claus… related movie reviews. We took the kids to the IMAX theater to see this movie created by Steve Oedekerk (“Thumb Wars”, “Bruce Almight”, “Ace Venture”, “Kung Pow: Enter the Fist”). I believe it was originally created for TV and then moved into 3D for IMAX (though it wasn’t as we saw it???).
Haven’t heard of it? Not surprised. It’s not that great, but it’s cute. The animation is along the lines of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys” – not high praise.
The story finds the Snowman having his flute accidentally broken so he steals one from Santa’s workshop. He loses it in the ensuing chase, but realizes how beloved Santa is and decides he’d like that gig. He proceeds to create an army of snowmen to do his yuletide bidding.
A Hoth-like battle follows with ‘walkers’ and abominable beasts… and hair-dryers. Ultimately, the two rivals become friends and the Snowman learns the flute was his all along… he just needed to wait one more day until Christmas.
It’s cute, fun and pretty short. The kids liked it and it was fun to see it on the giant screen.

I give it 2 and a half Babbles: