Holiday Movies

Nothing says the holidays for me quite like spiking my eggnog with some good Kentucky bourbon and kicking back to watch one of a favorite Christmas movies. There are so many that I love, but here are three that I always seem to come back to.

The one that I’ve seen the most in my life—by far—is White Christmas. Made in 1954, it’s about a popular song-and-dance team—played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye—who team up with two showbiz sisters—played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen—to keep a ski resort from going bankrupt and closing. With a music score by Irving Berlin, the movie is a buoyant, romantic musical designed primarily to showcase the powerhouse talents of its stars, as well as its eye-popping, technicolor palette. No question the movie wobbles and wheezes in places, but I forgive its flaws. As a child, watching White Christmas with my family was an annual event, an almost sacred tradition, I guess. So, it’s no surprise that I probably associate watching it now—as an old man—with being back in their warm, loving embrace again.

Another favorite holiday movie for me is A Christmas Story. Made in 1983, it’s a warm, wonderful comedy set in the 1940s about a young boy named Ralphie who desperately wants Santa—or whomever!—to please, please give him a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas! it’s a daunting quest for poor Ralphie because the whole world seems intent on smashing his Christmas dream, as well as making the rest of his life at home and at a school one calamity after another. Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon are terrific as his stressed-out parents, as is the author Jean Shepherd who wrote the book upon which the movie is based, and who provides the film’s hilarious voice-over as Ralphie as an adult.

Finally, I’m also addicted to 1989’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. When it’s the holidays and I’m in the mood for a sweet, dumb comedy with a good heart, this one does the trick. Watching Chevy Chase as the dad—Clark Griswold—heroically struggle against all odds to give his family the best Christmas possible, only to have his best-laid plans turn into a disaster at every turn, is pure joy for me.

As I said, I love countless holiday movies. From Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life to the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim. From Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn to Die Hard with Bruce Willis. Yes, you heard right—Die Hard. And then there are the Christmas horror movies that I cherish. but that’s another story.

In the spirit of the season, I give all of the films I’ve mentioned four out of four big bourbon eggnogs!