Every year during this time, I like to do something fun for the MainWP Blog.
I did a parody of ‘Twas Night Before Christmas a couple years ago.
Last year we did a Q&A with Santa.
This year, I decided to talk about Christmas movies.
So, in preparation, I peeked my head inside the MainWP Users Facebook Group and asked a question while hoping Ivica didn’t ban me.
With that, I will tell you about the movies they mentioned and toss in some of my favorite holiday songs.
Fred Claus the Movie
One of our members mentioned this movie. I’ll give you one guess as to his name.
The movie stars Vince Vaughn as Fred Claus, the brother of Santa played by Paul Giamatti. Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins, and Kevin Spacey are also in the movie.
Star Studded.
Home Alone
For a generation, this movie is what “A Christmas Story” is for another generation.
The movie debuted in 1990 and featured Macaulay Culkin playing Kevin, who has to defend his home on Christmas Eve after he was left home alone by his family.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is the same plot in a different setting, New York City.
It is Home Alone 2, for which Darlene Love sings “All Alone On Christmas“, which is one of my favorite holiday songs.
Kevin was brilliant fighting off these bad guys.
We’re No Angels
This is not a movie I know. It was released in 1955 and stars Humphrey Bogart.
According to IMDB, the storyline is,
“At Christmas, three prisoners, Joseph (Humphrey Bogart), Albert (Aldo Ray), and Jules (Sir Peter Ustinov) escape from Devil Island to a French small coastal town. They decide to rob a store, to get some money and clothes and travel by ship to another place. They pretend to be there to fix the roof, but pretty soon they realize that the financial condition of the family Ducotel is not good. André Trochard (Basil Rathbone), the selfish and mean owner of the establishment, exploits the Ducotel family. The three convicts spend Christmas night with the Ducotels and are so well treated by the family, that they decide to help them. Their pet will help them to fix the situation.”
The movie was remade in 1989 starring Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, and Demi Moore.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
In 1989, I graduated high school, started college and Christmas Vacation was released.
It is one of the funniest Christmas movies in the past 30 years.
Clark Griswold and his family navigate the Christmas season with his cousin Eddie and the rest of the family, including a pesky little squirrel.
Who remembers the gift Clark got instead of the bonus he was going to use to build a swimming pool?
Arthur Christmas
This is another Christmas movie I have not seen, but it looks pretty good.
This animated Christmas movie was released in 2011 and feature Santa’s son Arthur.
The story gives an inside look at how Santa delivers millions of presents in one night!
From IMDB, the storyline is
“This movie reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child’s question: So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?” The answer: Santa’s (Jim Broadbent’s) exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the center of this movie is a story about a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur (James McAvoy), with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns.”
Die Hard
Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? I say yes! But I know there is a debate.
The Nerdist has a pretty good article focusing on this very debate of the Bruce Willis film.
“Die Hard is not really a Christmas movie on its own. It would still be a phenomenal movie if you changed its setting just a little bit. But it does embrace the holiday and makes it a relevant part of its story. That story touches upon some major Christmas movie themes.
“Ultimately the real deciding factor is that after nearly 30 years, the film has become a December tradition. That pushes it over the hump. So yes, Die Hard qualifies as an official Christmas movie.”
There you have it, it IS a Christmas movie!
Now, what about Die Hard 2? 🤔
By the way, Alan Rickman (Professor Snape) plays the bad guy.
Wrapping it up
Someone also mentioned Gremlins which took place at Christmas time. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Do you like to watch Christmas movies with your family during the holidays?
Let us know in the MainWP Users Facebook Group.
