If you’re staying home for the holidays because you’re on lockdown, relive the carefree Christmases of yesteryear with these ten classics.
Die Hard
If you dreaded attending your significant other’s office Christmas party every year, watching Bruce Willis take out terrorists at one will lift your spirits.
Office Christmas Party
On the other hand, if you wished your office’s bland appetizers and sad secret Santa was a little more interesting, strap in for the wildest Christmas party you’ve ever seen.
Mixed Nuts
Just missing the office? Steve Martin’s wacky co-workers will make you glad you’re working remotely.
Scrooged
In the mood for a classic? Bill Murray’s arrogant TV executive winds up being haunted by his actions in this update on Dicken’s tale.
It’s a Wonderful Life
Speaking of being haunted by spirits at Christmas, Jimmy Stewart stars as a suicidal man who is shown how important his life is when he’s missing from it.
A Christmas Story
You can’t get more classic than watching Ralphie shoot his eye out with the air rifle he begged for.
Black Christmas
Nine years earlier, director Bob Clark made a completely different kind of holiday flick which featured a group of sorority girls being stalked by a psychotic killer.
Silent Night, Deadly Night
To continue on the horror thread, this notorious slasher film was banned from American theaters due to its subject matter of a murderer going on a killing spree in a Santa suit.
Bad Santa
For a darker take on Santa with less gore, Billy Bob Thornton plays a deviant department store Santa who plans a mall heist after the Christmas rush.
Elf
For an equally comedic, but much more lighthearted take on Christmas, Will Ferrell plays a man raised by elves, who tries to locate his biological father in New York City.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo’s cult classic takes traveling on the holiday to another level of hilarious with a series of mishaps on their hijinks filled vacation.
wpDiscuz
There is only one movie on that list that is not trash “It’s a Wonderful Life”. How can you promote that garbage.
I like Die Hard but it is a movie that happens at Christmas; it’s not a Christmas movie.
A Christmas story is not trash, Its a great movie.
Two movies I would include on this list is Home Alone and the 1948 version of the Three Godfathers, starring John Wayne.
A couple of these suggestions are brain damaging in their stupidity. Others promote violence. How about the Christmas Charol by Dickins? At least that one is redemptive. And what is Christmas about? Hope, Love and Charity. And these movies sure don’t reflect the message of Christmas.
The best one forever is “It’s a Wonderful Life”. My 15 th or so viewing and I got a new thought on the title and why he wanted to commit suicide to get insurance. Of course it is an update on Dickens Christmas Carol but love 20th century setting. Other best are Christmas Story even with Ritchie and the gun, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. They are worth seeing over and over. My first viewing of Wonderful Life was on our TV in the 50’s.