What to watch: Top Five Christmas Films

You’ve got to admit that it’s really not Christmas without the Queen’s Speech, the afternoon movies that you doze off through and the repeats of Only Fools and Horses. In fact I’d hazard a guess that the topic of Christmas television will be unavoidable in the next few weeks: either you will talk excitedly about things you are looking forward to, or you will moan wholeheartedly after the event about the rubbish on TV and how there were too many repeats. It’s interesting too that some repeats, such as the Only Fools and Horses, whether through good scheduling or a glass too many over dinner, seem to be just as funny as they ever were and yet other programmes aren’t. Of course with television the repetition, whether good or bad, will consume at the very most an hour of your viewing life whereas films, well they can go on all day. If you show an older film, in full and without breaks it’s probably the best part of three hours during which you have to curl up on the sofa with a blanket (Me) or find something else to do (DH). As we will be spending Christmas in a house with no TV, which is to say we have a television set (as my nan used to call them), but no aerial, no Sky, no live television feed of any kind, I have taken the precaution of purchasing a few Christmas Classics for our viewing pleasure. It may stop us having to watch the Pocket Dictator’s Rainbow DVD quite so much.

1. Home Alone. Still a very funny movie in my humble opinion. It’s also forever linked with my childhood when we lived overseas and had to watch videos throughout the school holidays. That sounds very retro now though videos were standard protocol of their day. Google them if you don’t believe me. And remind me to tell you about my extreme youth when we only had two hours of TV a day and that was sent from the UK so a week behind. 

2. Miracle on 34th Street, either version. I already had the modern one but bought the black and white. Same difference really, although I never really understood how Doris Walker would have had such a good job whilst being a single mother in 1947. Mind you it is the season of suspended disbelief, and it has a happy ending.

3. Holiday Inn. A controversial one, since it doesn’t immediately scream Christmas in the title, but it is what they call ‘a heartwarming tale’ with big musical numbers and a happy ending. It stars Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, features the Christmas Song  White Christmas and is in fact the precursor to the film of the same name. I love it!

4. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. DH and I were driving across a chunk of America in September in a giant white minivan with our two girls in the back and Holiday Road, the Lampoon’s theme tune came on the radio. We giggled like children for a very long time. The idea that we may yet turn into the Griswolds is no reason not to watch, albeit from behind your hands at certain points, a great family movie.

5. Lethal Weapon. I know it’s wrong. I know that a more obvious choice would have been It’s a Wonderful Life or Muppet Christmas Carol or Elf or, well, a lot of things, but I have always associated this film with Christmas. The film is set in December…..