The holiday season is approaching us once again, making it the perfect time to gather with friends and family, grab some eggnog, and pop in a Christmas flick. If you’re looking for a heartwarming tale or you just feel like a good laugh, choose from one of these five holiday staples to help make your holiday complete.
5. Four Christmases
This is the most recent movie on the list, released in 2008, but it is bound to become a Christmas classic. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star as an unmarried couple who avoid their respective divorced parents and siblings every Christmas by traveling to an exotic destination. Unfortunately for them, a canceled flight prevents them from escaping, and they are forced to visit four different family gatherings, encountering a number of hilarious obstacles along the way.
4. Miracle on 34th Street
This beloved film centers around the delightful Kris Kringle himself, and a little girl named Susan who does not believe in Santa. When Susan’s mother Doris hires Kris to play Santa at Macy’s department store, she is completely unaware that he is in fact the real Santa Claus. Kris begins the challenging task of restoring a skeptical Susan’s belief in Santa and showing mother and daughter the magical wonder of Christmas.
3. A Christmas Story
This is a Christmas classic that provides non-stop laughter throughout. The story centers around a little boy named Ralphie, who’s only wish for Christmas is to have a Red Ryder BB gun. His quest is thwarted by every adult along the way telling him, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” This iconic quotation is one of the many memorable and humorous moments in this film, along with a lamp that resembles a woman’s leg, a ruined turkey dinner, and the accidental utterance of a certain “F” word by Ralphie. This movie is usually shown repeatedly every year, so you’ll definitely have many opportunities to catch it.
2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Chevy Chase stars in this well-known comedy as Clark Griswold, an optimistic family man who is determined to have a “good, old fashioned, family Christmas.” However, his plans quickly begin to go awry with a series of hilarious mishaps. From a Christmas light debacle to a surprise visit from cousin Eddie, Clark has a difficult time maintaining the Christmas spirit.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life
The Christmas movie of all Christmas movies! And a major tear-jerker at that. Jimmy Stewart gives an incredible performance as George Bailey, a broken man who is prepared to end his life on Christmas Eve. He is saved by a guardian angel named Clarence who shows him the positive impact he has had on the community and the people around him. Watch this one with the people you love, and pass the Kleenex!