A Very Merry Movie Marathon

Your Guide to the Season’s Best Holiday Flicks

Written by Katie Ogletree

‘Tis the season to binge with purpose. 

VIE’s team is dropping their holiday favs so grab your cocoa and fuzzy socks, fluff your weighted blanket, and cue the sleigh bells because we’re getting settled in with some holiday movie classics. Some oldies, some mood boosters, and real some tear jerkers. And I’m sorry but we’re leaving off Die Hard.

The most wonderful time of the year deserves the most wonderful watchlist!  

A Christmas Story

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Few films capture the wonder of childhood Christmas quite like A Christmas Story. Set in the 1940s, this beloved classic follows young Ralphie, a wide-eyed dreamer who wants absolutely nothing more than a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree. There are multiple visual staples that no one can forget. His father’s lamp, the bunny costume, and the tongue stuck on the flagpole. I think what really helps the film along is the witty narration from Jean Shepherd, who also wrote the short stories that the movie is based on.

FUN FACT: More than 8,000 kids auditioned for the role of Ralphie Parker.

Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

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Nothing says “holiday spirit” quite like Clark Griswold with a staple gun, 25,000 twinkle lights, and a dream. Poor Clark is determined to give everyone a “fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.” And naturally that’s code for everything is about to go wrong. We’ve got Cousin Eddie showing up and parking his RV in the front, a rabid squirrel in the house, and a one-year membership to the jelly of the month club. Every character has their own storyline or problem which makes it even more interesting to follow along. Personally this is my number one favorite Christmas movie of all time. Sometimes I even watch it when it’s not Christmas, it’s that good! 

FUN FACT: When Clark got “zapped” plugging in the lights, Chevy Chase actually got a mild electric jolt. He stayed in character and kept rolling!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

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One of the most recognized illustrated shows on the planet, this version of Charlie Brown is a top favorite. In the world of twinkling lights and tinsel, Charlie Brown just can’t seem to find his Christmas spirit. While everyone else is busy rehearsing for the school play and drooling over shiny presents, our favorite round-headed kid is stuck wondering what the holiday really means. He’s eventually put in charge of finding the perfect Christmas tree, things take a hilarious turn. We can’t forget Vince Guaraldi’s jazzy soundtrack setting the mood and Linus delivering one of the most heartfelt speeches in holiday TV history.

FUN FACT: The Peanuts gang was voiced by actual children instead of adult actors. Some were so young they couldn’t read yet so the directors had to coach them line by line!

Elf

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What’s the saying? The boy who was raised by elves? Close enough! Buddy the Elf sets off on a heartwarming but extremely funny quest to find his real dad in the Big Apple. Clad in bright green tights and fueled by candy, candy canes, candy corns, and a massive plate of spaghetti and syrup, Buddy frolicks through Manhattan with childlike wonder. After the eventual visit to Maury, they find out that Buddy is the son of Walter Hobbs. Ultimately in the end, he is able to help to bring cheer to his new family and a world that has forgotten the meaning of Christmas. And might I say Will Ferrell having the most sweet singing voice was quite the pleasant surprise!

FUN FACT: Will Ferrell actually ate ALL of that sugar on camera…. My stomach hurts thinking about it.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

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Oh Jim Carrey, the mastermind that you are! A one-man show of sarcasm, sass, and surprisingly tender moments. Now the 1966 version will always be special, however this live action version gives us everything we need. Perched high atop Mount Crumpit has had just about enough of Whoville’s cheer. Thus begins a plan to swipe every ornament, gift, and cookie crumb from the citizens. Enter Cindy Lou who attempts to show him the true meaning of the holiday, and we even get a Whoville version of the Winter Olympics! One fact I will never get over is Jim sitting in that makeup chair for eight and a half hours…. EACH DAY. 

FUN FACT: The director Ron Howard wore the costume and makeup one day to experience what Carrey would go through.

Rudolph (1964)

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Shiny noses, silver bells, and stop-motion magic makes this a one of a kind film that still holds up over half a century! Born with a glowy red nose, Rudolph instantly becomes the talk of the North Pole. After being teased by the other reindeer, he decides to run away and teams up with a crew of lovable outcasts, one of them being Hermey a future dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the world’s most eccentric prospector. This is the movie that once it was turned on the television I was instantly back in elementary school and my teacher was passing out hot cocoa even though it was Florida and probably 83F.

FUN FACT: The original puppets stood just six inches tall and Santa was about a foot!

Frosty the Snowman (1969)

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Who knew a top hat could contain enough magic to bring a snowman to life? A group of kids, including a very sweet Karen, before the name was ruined, race to keep him from melting before they can get him to the North Pole. Saying his signature “Happy Birthday!” catchphrase along the way and a stalker magician showing up around every corner, this adventurous movie still stands the test of time. It’s like they knew what they were doing in the 60s with these holiday movies because the same team behind Rudolph also created Frosty!

FUN FACT: The special first aired on December 7, 1969, and was the No. 1 television program for the week of December 1–7, 1969

Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970)

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Another fun kid friendly classic! Narrated by the postman, S.D. Kluger, answers some questions about Santa Claus, tells us the origin story of how Kris Kringle became Santa Claus and how some of the most famous Christmas traditions came about. As a child Kris was raised by a family of elf toymakers named Kringle. When Kris grows up, he wants to deliver toys to the children of Sombertown. But its Mayor is too mean to let that happen. And to make things worse, the Winter Warlock lives between the Kringles and Sombertown. We get some great songs from the film including “Put One Foot in Front of the Other” which shows a constant theme that big changes, rewarding ones, come with patience.

FUN FACT: For some of the Gen Z readers, one of the songs in the movie became viral a few years ago by Mr. Heatmiser. 

Home Alone 1 & 2

I’m just going to say what everyone else is thinking…. How does this child get left behind TWICE? Katherine O’Hara we need to speak with you. Nonetheless, before there were smartphones and AirTags, there was one fearless kid who turned being left behind into the ultimate Christmas adventure. Booby traps, a Marv and a Harry, Scarface playing in the background, and a showdown in Central Park. Also we need to acknowledge the fact that some of those injuries would have put somebody to sleep. I’m a sucker for the first one because it introduced a lot of us to director Christopher Columbus who brought us Harry Potter. It all circles back to Harry Potter.

FUN FACT #1: The Pigeon Lady was inspired by real Central Park regulars.

FUN FACT #2: From the first movie, the screaming aftershave face was improvised by Macaulay. 

The Santa Clause Trilogy

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Tim Allen really said move over “I’m the Holiday King!” Not one, not two, not even three because they also came out with a series however we’ll keep this just to these three movies. Tim’s character, Scott Calvin, accidentally startles Santa right off the roof, he doesn’t just ruin Christmas–he becomes it! In order to keep the Christmas hamster wheel rolling, he must take Santa’s place before next Christmas. And I know a few of us were crushing big time on Head Elf Curtis. The sequel faces two problems where not only must he be married by Christmas Eve or Santa goes poof, BUT he finds out his son Charlie landed on the naughty list. And the final film shows how Scott is having trouble balancing family life at the North Pole with his Christmas duties. Jack Frost, played by Martin Short, who I must say has never had a bad role in his life, tries to take over Christmas. Oh and Scott and Mrs. Claus are awaiting the arrival of their baby. So he’s kind of busy. 

FUN FACT #1: At the police station, you can spot Tim Allen’s real life mugshot number subtly worked into the scene. 

FUN FACT #2: Production used real reindeer for several close-up scenes, but they were so stubborn and unpredictable that they had to use food bribes.

FUN FACT #3: For the third movie, even though it’s full of frost, most of it was filmed in the middle of summer on soundstages.

Polar Express

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Another movie based on a book, a picture book! This white knuckle adventure takes place on Christmas Eve and takes us on a journey to the North Pole aboard a mysterious train arriving in the dead of night. A young boy who begins to doubt the magic of Christmas is taken through shimmering snowstorms, cocoa fueled camaraderie and a few heart-stopping moments on icy tracks with friends who are also on the train. One boy with the voice of shrieking cats. The score of this film is hauntingly beautiful. The moment it got very real was when they arrived at the North Pole and laid eyes on Santa. Tom Hanks made him larger than life. The boy is chosen to receive the first gift and asks for a single bell from the sleigh. Now of course it wouldn’t be an adventure if he didn’t lose the bell on their way back. But on Christmas morning he finds it under the tree. 

FUN FACT: Tom Hanks didn’t just play the Conductor, he also voiced the father, the homeless man, Santa Claus, and the narrator.

Christmas With The Kranks

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After they’re finally alone for the holidays after their daughter leaves for the Peace Corps, Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis’s characters plan to avoid Christmas altogether and decide to take a cruise in the Caribbean instead. Their neighbors, who are Christmas obsessed, don’t take this information lightly. Actually the whole town doesn’t take it too well and eventually the pressure gets to them as they attempt to pull off a last minute celebration for their daughter and her new fiance coming into town!

FUN FACT: The film is based on John Grisham’s book Skipping Christmas. The title was changed to avoid confusion with another holiday movie released the same year called Surviving Christmas.

Jack Frost

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Why is this the saddest Christmas movie of all time? Oh, it’s just me then. Michael Keaton was collecting holiday movies like they were infinity stones. Beetlejuice in 88’ and then ten years later in 98’ with this Christmas film. His character, Jack, is a rock musician and father who is always chasing his big break, even if it means missing a few too many family moments. But when he tragically dies in a car accident, he gets one magical chance to make things right… as a snowman. Once he is able to convince his son Charlie that it’s actually him, together they rediscover the true meaning of family, forgiveness and second chances – before the sun melts their time away.

FUN FACT: George Clooney was originally cast as Jack Frost! And even the puppet snowman was designed to look like him.

Four Christmases

Now as someone who has divorced parents and is also married to someone with divorced parents, this movie makes me feel so seen but in such a loving way. Vince and Reese’s characters, Brad and Kate, usually spend Christmas on vacation to avoid seeing family during the holidays. But their travel plans come to a halt and they are ultimately forced to bop around from house to house to house to house in one day. First house is WWE Smackdown, second house is mega church meets All My Children soap opera, third house is awkward when Brad’s mother is dating his high school friend and discussing all about their “alone time”. The last house is the most calm, where Kate shows up without Brad because they have issues all of their own. It’s a very star studded cast as well. You can’t hide Tim McGraw!

FUN FACT: Peter Billingsley, the actor who famously played the character Ralphie Parker in the holiday classic A Christmas Story, has a cameo role as the airport ticket agent.

Fred Claus

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Vince Vaugh decided to give Tim Allen a run for his money on the whole, “Who can be in more Christmas movies?” Of the two Claus brothers, Fred, played by Vince, is the troublemaker and polar opposite of his saintly sibling, Nicholas, played by Paul Giamatti. I’m sorry but everytime I see Paul, I see him covered in blue paint from Big Fat Liar. When Fred’s criminal ways finally land him in big trouble, Nicholas bails him out and brings him to the North Pole to work off the debt by making toys. The headaches mount for St Nick, who not only must deal with his trouble-making brother, but also an efficiency expert who has come to evaluate Santa’s operation. It’s a nice change of pace because we have always been given a Santa Claus origin story, but to get one of his brother is nice. And we get some fun cameos in the movie during the “Siblings Anonymous” meeting from a Baldwin, a Stallone, and a Clinton!

FUN FACT: Kevin Spacey, who plays Clyde, has a Superman cape given to him by Nicholas. Spacey played Lex Luthor in Superman Returns.