Must-See Holiday Movies Because IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS

As much as I've been trying to contain it until after Thanksgiving, today I transitioned into full on Christmas elf. I blasted "O Come All Ye Faithful" by Pentatonix in my car, and turned into a complete five-year-old when I spotted Santa at the mall.

So, to keep the spirit going, I've decided to share some of my favorite holiday movies that I have to watch each year before Christmas can officially occur.

1. A Christmas Story

Every year on Christmas day, I obsessively watch the TBS 24 hour marathon without getting the least bit sick of Ralphie's excitement over his new Red Ryder or Scut Farkus' obnoxious laugh. Towards the end of the night, I always need to battle my family for the remote, but complaining that it's the "last showing" and how I "won't see it again for a year" usually wins out.

It's just a story that you can't get tired of. Ralphie is your typical middle-school boy, struggling through class and bullies, and all he wants for Christmas is an "official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot, range model air rifle" but his mom keeps putting her foot down, concerned about his safety. In the end, his grouchy but loving dad comes through and gives him the gun, disguised as a present from Santa.



Watching the marathon will forever be one of my favorite yearly traditions. On Christmas Eve, my mom always makes anchovy gravy and fried shrimp, and after dinner, we break out the coffee and butter cookies as Ralphie gazes into the toy store window to get his first glimpse of Red Ryder.

2. A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott version)

There's so many versions of A Christmas Carol out there. Endless actors have done a solid job at playing Scrooge, but the version with George C. Scott is the only one that I grew up watching, and therefore holds a special place with me.

Yes, it's the same story as all the others, but there's something about his portrayal and delivery of Scrooge that adds a new dynamic to the character. You still dislike Scrooge, but there's a comical sarcasm that Scott brings to the scenes that makes you want to like him and actually root for him.

He plays greedy and mean well, but joyous and apologetic even better. When he wakes up on Christmas morning after his visit from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, he leaps up and down on his bed yelling "Merry Christmas to the world!" The scene gives you the urge to leap around your house doing the exact same thing.



A Christmas Carol is my Christmas Eve tradition (yes, I manage take a break from A Christmas Story). I'll usually start the DVD a little after 10pm, this way by the time Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning, it's after midnight and actually Christmas in real time.

3. The Polar Express

I'm going to be honest...when this first came out, I wasn't a fan. I thought it was very lengthy and that the storyline was slow. Man, was I stupid. A few years ago, I decided to give it another shot and by the final credits, ended up on my couch in tears surrounded by empty chocolate wrappers. Needless to say, I was pretty touched.

First off, the music is absolutely beautiful. It's a similar melody that plays in the background for many of the scenes, and it's perfect for the setting and storyline. Several songs are extremely catchy, including the hot chocolate one on the train, and "When Christmas Comes to Town."

My absolute favorite is Josh Groban's "Believe" that plays through the final credits. I never got chills like I did the first time I heard it - from the lyrics to the melody, it's an all around wonderful song for the entire year.

"Believe in what you feel inside, and give your dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need...if you just believe."



The storyline managed to give me chills as well. The main boy is getting older and is starting to question the reality of Santa Claus. It's not until he gets to the North Pole and physically sees him, that he fully believes. The boy receives the first gift of Christmas from Santa - a bell from his sleigh. Only people who truly believe in Santa can hear the bell's chime.

Over the years, his friends and little sister stop hearing the bell. This part depressed me to no end because I remember (spoiler alert) when I realized Santa didn't exist as a kid. However, the boy continues to hear the chime even as an adult. Moral of the story - no matter how old you get, you can't lose that magic and excitement of childhood. Reality will set in, there will be responsibilities. But through it all, you can't stop believing in happiness and dreams.

There's so many other great movies that if I kept going, Christmas would be over. So I'll leave you with quite possibly the greatest holiday song of our time...