‘Tis the most wonderful time of the year/the season to be jolly, and alongside copious amounts of food, many families will gather round the sofa during this festive period to wrap their eyes round another selection of Christmas classics. But with Santa’s well-endowed backside edging closer to your chimney hole, the time has come to countdown the very finest of Yuletide flicks, starting with…
10. THE SNOWMAN
Based on Raymond Briggs’ 1978 picture book, this animated short-film, and symphonic poem, was a gateway to many children’s tears upon release in 1982. Scored by Howard Blake, the movie contains 0 lines of dialogue, other than the iconic ‘Walking in the Air’, performed by St Paul‘s choirboy, Peter Auty. Telling the tale of a boy who befriends a Snowman, who (spoiler alert!) melts away the next day, this gut-wrenching movie is both emotive and wistful.
9. THE HOLIDAY
Featuring an all-star cast which also includes Jack Black and Kate Winslet, ‘The Holiday’ focuses on the romance of a British widow played by Jude Law who raises his two daughters and falls for a heartbroken Californian, played by Cameron Diaz, who escapes her life in the States to get her head together in the English countryside over Christmas. Alas, she meets Jude’s character, and… Well, you probably know the rest by this point.
8. HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
With just about every major conglomerate (including McDonalds) currently going ‘Grinch crazy’ to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie’s release, Jim Carrey‘s grumpy green gremlin has never been more ‘on trend’. Carrey‘s facial acting is once again, flawless, in this masterpiece performance, based on Dr. Seuss’ 1957 children’s book.
7. JINGLE ALL THE WAY
An under-rated gem starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a desperate father hunting across Minneapolis on Christmas Eve, Arnie‘s search for the popular ‘Turbo Man’ action figure during a last-minute shopping spree soon descends into chaos. A 1996 comedy, full of mishaps and dramatic plot twists, topped by a young Jake Lloyd (aka ‘Anakin Skywalker‘), don’t miss this one!
6. ELF
Directed by Jon Favreau, ‘Elf‘ stars Will Ferrell at his kooky best, playing the role of ‘Buddy’, a human raised by Santa’s elves, as he descends on New York to trace his true heritage. The eccentric foreigner struggles to adapt to life in the Big Apple, with hilarious consequences, as he sprinkles a little magic from the North Pole over the grumpy commuters of Manhattan.
5. HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK
Unsurprisingly, not the last ‘Home Alone‘ movie in this list, Macaulay Culkin‘s loveable ‘Kevin McCallister‘ is once again separated from his family, who prepare to spend Christmas in Florida. Kevin, rather than joining them in Miami, finds himself in NYC, with his Father’s credit card, but life soon turns awry when when little Kev finds himself reunited with the Wet Bandits…
4. THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL
Spinning Charles Dickens’ 1843 classic into a full Muppet madness, Kermit and the gang star alongside Michael Caine in his role as Ebenezer Scrooge, as the pennypincher is haunted by the ghosts of Jacob and Robert Marley, who attempt to give Scrooge a change of heart following his mistreatment of employee, Bob Cratchit (Kermit). Who said Dickens couldn’t be fun?!
3. THE SANTA CLAUSE
We’ve all dreamed of doing the big man’s job. After all… Working once per year, and living in solitude whilst scoffing a multitude of mince pies, doesn’t exactly sound bad, right? Well, for Tim Allen in this 1994 comedy, the dream becomes a reality as his waistline begins to expand and his hair/beard both become snowy white. Much to his son’s amazement, Allen soon realises, he is indeed Santa Claus.
2. LOVE ACTUALLY
Perhaps the most star-studded cast of all time, the heart-warming ‘Love Actually‘ entwines several characters across various storylines, bringing their conclusions together seamlessly thanks to the brilliance of Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Rowan Atkinson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and many more.
- HOME ALONE
Was it ever going to be anything else? Directed by Chris Columbus and perfectly scored by the legendary John Williams, this 1990 classic racked up 2 Oscars nominations as little Kevin was forced to defend his Chicago residence over Christmas from local burglars, Harry and Marv, who prey on the youngster. Little do they realise, this mischievous lad is always – hilariously – two steps ahead.
What’s your favourite Christmas movie? Join the debate!