A Blog About Family Holiday Films, or The What I Watch When I’m not Watching Horror During the Holidays Blog
1-Home Alone
The first Home Alone movie is great fun. Yes it does not hold up as well as you get older but its still entertaining kid fantasy stuff. The home invasion parts are some of the most truly horrific things ever put on film yet elicit a laugh from younger folks and a knowing cringe from adults. A well written script, characters you care about, just a admirable job by Hughes and everyone else involved.
2-Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer/Frosty the Snowman
You must watch these together, yes I insist, if you do not, well you are a monster and deserve the visit from Krampus you will receive. Rudolph is a classic outcast saves the day story you can’t help but love while Frosty is just classic feel good story. On a snowy mid December night I can not think of a better accompaniment to my hot tea or cocoa.
3-A Charlie Brown Christmas/How the Grinch Stole Christmas
We doing the double mint thing again here. Charlie Brown Xmas is legit one of the most moving things ever committed to film, his earnest speech about the meaning of Christmas will never not hit right in the feels. Grinch was justified, the Whos were assholes. No comments.
4-Christmas in Handcuffs
A few of you went huh? Wtf is that? And the majority of the rest of you went did this mid 40s horror writer just recommend an ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas film from the mid 00s? The slim minority that are aware of the film and have seen it, you guys know. This is as entertaining a way to spend a movie night with your s/o as there is. Melissa Joan Hart is mesmerizing as a crazy daughter whose nervous breakdown drags dreamy Mario Lopez into her misadventure.
5-National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
I hated this film as a kid, like with the passion of a thousand burning suns I hated this film. As I have gotten older and what the holidays mean to me has changed Ive grown to appreciate and understand the humor in it way more. Much like how the speech about meaning of Christmas from A Charlie Brown Christmas never misses the feels, Chevy’s explosive reaction to his Christmas bonus will never not get a laugh out of me. Even if hes a dick like everyone says.
6-Snowed in at the House of Mouse
Disney isnt normally my cup of tea. Im not a fan of a decent portion of their output, I respect the talent behind it and all but do not care for the company. That said nothing screams childhood Christmas Nostalgia like Mickey’s Christmas Carol and this features that and a few more classic Disney holiday themed stories. Watching this with my daughter surely places it this highly on my list but Im ok with that.
7-Gremlins
The explanation of why Kate doesnt like Christmas alone put it on my list (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueVPUsyrT0s) .That aside fun 80s vibe some horror elements but not enough to exclude your kids unless they real young. This is actually (along with Monster Squad) one of the first scary things my daughter watched. Kinda introduced her to horror and 80s style at same time, hoping to get over the shock of both at same time.
8-Christmas With the Kranks
Ok I have to admit something, I find Tim Allen really fucking grating. Buzz is cool, I’ll watch the Santa Clause stuff cause, well Holiday Magic, Tim the Tool Man was ok, and I can stomach that conservative propaganda show he did because the daughters were funny. But on the whole, I’d be ok if he was never on my TV ever again. Jamie Lee on the other Hand, now Miss Curtis is a Queen, shes as much Hollywood Royalty in my book as you can get, Id watch anything she appears in at least once. This movie would easily of been on the one and done list if not for my beautiful loving supportive wife. She has made me suffer through it enough times over the years that I know feel compelled to watch it at least once every season.
9-Rent
I do not think any single piece of media has impacted me as much as the first time I saw the Broadway production of Rent(on a third generation bootleg tape lol). As a person, as a creator, everything was influenced by that production for a few years. The film version is not that magic, its great and I think the feeling it gives is still epic, just does not hit the same as the intimacy of the stage did.
10-It’s A Wonderful Life
Ok while this is a classic up there with Citizen Kane, Shawshank and Goodfellas as the best films ever and while its moving beautiful story is matched only by the stunning camera work and occasionally the amazing acting on display here, none of these are why its on my top ten list of things to watch. See a few years back I proposed to my wife while we were watching it. It was during the scene when he tells her he would lasso the moon. Was it cheesy? Sure. Did it fit our relationship perfectly? Well happily married and still together after 13 years.
Bonus-The Snowman
My wife and daughter are not fans of this one. I think the issue is they saw the beer or soda commercial featuring it before they saw it. Or maybe its the darker more somber tone it takes as opposed to the typical fun bright Christmas feel. That said the art and music in this piece are true masterpieces.
Now Im not saying you are a bad parent if you do not share these cherished films with your kid, I’ll let them do that when they grow up. Lol No but these are some of the films that I enjoy watching with the family every holiday season, if you havent seen one of them or its been awhile, give it a try, If you have any I might have missed drop a comment below to let me know or hit me up over on bluesky at @natewalton.bsky.social and let me know what Im missing.
Do not forget to grab your copy of Christmas Chaos from Amazon today: (https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Chaos-Twisted-Holiday-Terror/dp/B0DNMJDWCK?crid=278O1PBO2L5EB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.eNuOt5M1f8OMWJDYU-m8S1FSE4E05ZkVc53OTo6JwLPGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.GOhrmGVCIRTUwwhVK1LjE553HqpXdow-lJpgt592yls&dib_tag=se&keywords=Christmas+Chaos%3A+Twisted+Tales+of+Holiday+Terror&qid=1732341599&s=books&sprefix=christmas+chaos+twisted+tales+of+holiday+terror%2Cstripbooks%2C83&sr=1-1)
