The best holiday movies make viewers laugh, cry and inspire the
holiday spirit. They are heartwarming and funny. Here's a look at the
Top 10 Holiday movies of all time:
1. It's a Wonderful Life, 1946. Actor Jimmy Stewart is George Bailey, a
man who spends his whole life sacrifices his big dreams for others-first
for the good of his family and then for his town, Bedford Falls. Faced
with a financial crisis on Christmas Eve, George is hopeless when his
guardian angel, Clarence, shows him how much his sacrifices have meant
to friends and family by showing George how things would turn out if he
had never been born. For more on this movie, read a review in
Entertainment Weekly magazine.
2. White Christmas, 1954. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star as GI's who
team up to become a song-and-dance act after World War II. The pair
meet a couple of beautiful sisters who are also a song-and-dance act.
When the sisters travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show,
the GI's follow and a series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers
try to help the General. This movie is most famously known for
featuring the songs of Irving Berlin, including the main theme song,
also called "White Christmas."
3. Miracle on 34th St., 1947 & 1994. In the original 1944 version
9-year-old Natalie Wood co-starred with Maureen O'Hara. O'Hara is Doris
Walker a no-nonsense Macy's executive, desperately looking for a new
store Santa. She hires Kris Kringle who insists that he's the real Santa
Claus. But, he has many skeptics like Doris and her six year old
daughter, Susan. Finally Kris Kringle goes to court to try and prove
himself. This delightful holiday movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor
in a Supporting Role, Best Original Story and Best Screenplay. It was
nominated for a Best Picture award but lost to Gentleman's Agreement.
For more on these movies, read reviews in People magazine.
4. Home Alone, 1990. 8-year-old problem-child Kevin McAllister,
played by Macaulay Culkin, is accidentally left behind during the
holidays when his family leaves for a vacation in Paris. Once he
realizes they've left him home by himself, Kevin fends for himself and
protects his house against two blundering burglars. Kevin's mother Kate
(Catherine O'Hara) is frantic when she realizes that she and the family
have unintentionally left Kevin behind in Chicago, and she tries to make
it back to Chicago as fast as she can. Home Alone was wildly popular-in
its opening weekend the movie grossed $17 million in 1,202 theaters,
according to Entertainment Weekly magazine. The movie continued to be
popular well past the Christmas season and made Macaulay Culkin a bona
fide child star. There are two Home Alone sequels but neither are as
popular as the original
5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 1989. It's Christmas time
in the Chicago suburbs and the Griswold family led by dad Clark are
preparing for their extended family holiday visit. Clark is jolly and
filled with the Christmas spirit until things start going wrong-like the
arrival of uninvited cousin Eddy. This is the third installment in the
National Lampoon's movie series, a series of over-the-top exaggerated
comedies centered on the Griswold family. According to Entertainment
Weekly magazine, the movie debuted at #1 at the American box office its
opening weekend and grossed a total of $11,750,203.
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 1966 & 2000. In this 1966
animated classic based on the popular book by Dr. Seuss-made into a
live-action movie by director Ron Howard in 2000-the Grinch is a bitter
and hateful being who is irritated that a nearby village inhabited by
Whos are so cheerfully celebrating Christmas. The Grinch devises a plan
to steal Christmas. He disguises himself as Santa and sets out to steal
the Whos' Christmas cheer but the results surprise everyone including
the Grinch.
7. A Christmas Story, 1983. Ralphie Parker is 9 years old. It's 1940
in Indiana at Christmas. Ralphie longs for just one Christmas present-an
official Red Ryder carbine-action 200 shot range model BB rifle with a
compass in the stock. But between his little brother, a bully and all
the disapproving adults, Ralphie doesn't know how he'll even survive let
alone acquire his coveted BB gun. At its original release this
low-budget production was a sleeper film. However, since about 1997,
when the movie began appearing every year-sometimes in 24-hour marathon
blocks-on cable television, the movie has gained in major
popularity-even cult status.
8. While You Were Sleeping, 1995. In this delightful family comedy
Sandra Bullock is Lucy, a lonely token collector on the Chicago elevated
railway. The highlight of her days is selling a token to a handsome
commuter, Peter Callaghan, whom she has a secret crush. Working on
Christmas Day, Lucy witnesses Peter being mugged and pushed onto the
tracks and she rescues him from an oncoming train. While Lucy is at the
hospital a nurse misinterprets the situation and tells the doctor, the
police and Callaghan's family that Lucy is his fiancée. Eventually Lucy
finds a way to tell the Callaghan's the truth and is surprised by the
results.
9. Elf, 2003. Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a man who was raised by
Santa's elves in this wacky Christmas movie. With his childlike
innocence, Buddy sets out on a long journey to find his father in New
York City and when he does, his father is a real Scrooge and his
stepbrother (Daniel Tay) doesn't believe in Santa. Buddy can't
understand why his new family and the people of New York City have
forgotten the true meaning of Christmas and works to bring back the
Christmas spirit to them.
10. Prancer, 1989. 9 year-old Jessica still believes in Santa Claus
so when she comes across a reindeer with an injured leg; it makes
perfect sense to her the deer is Prancer, one of Santa Claus's reindeer.
She hides the reindeer in her barn and feeds him cookies, until she can
return Prancer to Santa. Her father finds the reindeer and decides to
sell it to the butcher, not for venison chops, but as an advertising
display.
