Today we will continue with the Christmas themed Top 5 lists with Top 5 Christmas movies. I am defining a Christmas movie as any movie that's plot and character development is directly effected by the Christmas holiday. I make that distinction because...
5) Die Hard
Die Hard is one of the greatest movies ever made and pretty much spawned it's own film genre, and even though that genre had nothing to do with Christmas, it's easily one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. I can hear everyone either groaning or yelling at me, but seriously, this is a Christmas movie. The whole plot revolves around the fact that it is Christmas. That's why all the employees are at the Nakatomi Plaza building. That's why John McClane is visiting his wife. No, there is no Santa or reindeer but that doesn't make it any less of a Christmas movie.
4) Miracle On 34th Street
The only old classic on my list. For some reason this one has stayed fresh, while most classic Christmas movies have grown stale. I hate A Christmas Carol and any of it's reincarnations, they bore the crap out of me. It's A Wonderful Life never did anything for me either. But this cute little story about the real Santa getting a job at Macy's and returning faith in the fantastical to a young girl and her mother hasn't aged a bit. Natalie Wood plays the perfect to serious for her age little girl and Edmund Green plays what is easily one of the most iconic turns as Santa.
3) Elf
As hilarious as Will Ferrell is in this movie, what really puts this movie over the edge for me is Zooey Deschanel. Yes, I am part of the Zooey Deschanel cult that has swept the nation with the arrival of Fox's New Girl. I could probably be considered a founding member, since I fell in love with her the first time I saw this movie 8 years ago. Of course there is also the Peter Dinklage cult that I also jumped on after this movie. His scene with Will Ferrell calling him an elf is probably my favorite in the movie. This movie is as funny as it gets and does a great job of talking about Christmas spirit without being too sappy.
2) Christmas Story
A great Christmas movie is as much about nostalgia as anything else and no movie makes me think about my Christmases as a child more then this movie, other then maybe Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas (which is not on this list because I consider it a Christmas special, not a movie). Not that I grew up in the 50's, when the movie is set, but Ralphie and his Red Rider bee-bee gun helps stir up many memories for me. There are so many classic scenes and line in this movie it's hard to pick a favorite. And no matter how many times TNT decides to show it, it just doesn't get old to me.
1) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
I make sure to pull out this DVD every year around Thanksgiving because it wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't sit down and give it a view. As funny as Elf is, this movie makes me laugh ten times harder and I've seen it dozens of times. It reminds me so much of Christmas with my family and is totally ridiculous at the same time. I fall off the couch in fits of laughter every time that squirrel jumps out of the tree and chases everyone around the house. And anything with the old aunt has me in stitches. This is Chevy Chase at his best and a must see Christmas movie every year.
Honorable Mentions: Lethal Weapon, Ernest Saves Christmas, Santa Clause (1985)
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