If you’re like me, you are a sucker for a nice holiday movie to warm you with Christmas spirit as you wrap gifts or drink a cup of hot tea in your pj’s. However, if you’re like me, you’re also probably sick of “24 hours of A Christmas Story!” stuff that cable channels pull year after year. So many of us have probably seen the so-called classic Christmas movies more than just a few times: It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, those slightly creepy claymation Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman movies, etc. We only watch them once a year…but they can still get kind of old.
So to get you in the Christmas mood without relying on the oldies, here are some non-exclusively categorized suggestions for Alternative Christmas Movies, as a close family friend of mine calls them, to cozy up with on the couch. Check the plot descriptions at the links below (and ratings too, if you’re going to watch with kids)!
Revamped classics:
Scrooged
A Christmas Carol (2009 animated version)
Nativity-of-a-savior themed:
Children of Men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meIDz98MFBs
Fun and romantic comedy-ish:
4 Christmases
In which someone grumpy learns a valuable lesson about love and family:
The Santa Clause
The Family Man
Christmas Vacation
With a sequel:
Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Die Hard and Die Hard With a Vengeance
A bit scary, too:
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Christmas appears in some scenes…:
Pretty much any Harry Potter movie
Catch Me If You Can
Moonstruck