My favorite holiday movie is "It's a Wonderful Life." What's yours? A few years ago, the features staff wrote about their favorite holiday movies. Here's what I had to say.
Director: Frank Capra Released: 1946
Length: 130 minutes
Cast: James Stewart (George Bailey), Donna Reed (Mary Hatch Bailey), Lionel Barrymore (Mr. Potter), Thomas Mitchell (Uncle William "Billy" Bailey), Henry Travers (Clarence Oddbody), Beulah Bondi (Ma Bailey), Frank Faylen (taxi driver Ernie Bishop), Ward Bond (Officer Bert), Gloria Grahame (Violet Bick), H.B. Warner (druggist Mr. Gower), Frank Albertson (Sam Wainwright), Todd Karns (Harry Bailey), Samuel S. Hinds (Pa Peter Bailey)
Why it's my favorite holiday movie: Every year at Christmas, my husband, sons and I watch thisholiday favorite together. It always brings tears to my eyes. Have you ever thought about what life would be like if you had never been born? This is what businessman George Bailey gets to experience through the help of an angel named Clarence, who after 200 years has yet to earn his wings. George, who considers himself a failure and is contemplating suicide so his family can benefit from a life insurance policy, gets to see what the town he lives in, Bedford Falls, would have been like without him. What George learns is that each one of us makes a difference. He learns that it's not what we have but how we live our lives each day that counts, and that we often are unaware of the impact our actions have on others.
There are so many great lines in themovie, but my favorite is when Clarence tells George, "Remember, no man is a failure who has friends." George learns that friends and family make us wealthy beyond our wildest expectations. And that's what I want my children to understand. That it's not materialistic things that make us rich, but the love that comes from family and friends -- something that can't be bought in a store and wrapped in shiny red paper. Just as George discovers, it's family and friends who embrace us and help us cope with life's cruelest and darkest moments. And it's family and friends who rejoice with us as we celebrate God's incredible blessings. It truly is a wonderful life!
“A Christmas Story”
Director: Bob Clark
Released: 1983
Length: 94 minutes
Cast: Peter Billingsley (Ralphie), Ian Petrella (Randy Parker), Scott Schwartz (Flick), R.D. Robb (Schwartz), Tedde Moore (Miss Shields), Yano Anaya (Grover Dill), Zack Ward (Scut Farkus)
Why it’s my favorite holiday movie: “You’ll shoot your eye out! You’ll shoot your eye out!”
When I think of “A Christmas Story,” this — perhaps the movie’s most famous line — is the first thing that comes to mind. Then, I think of the scene in which Flick sticks his tongue to a flagpole on a dare and his friends run off to class, leaving him literally stuck there.
This film, set in the 1940s, has become such a classic that TNT broadcasts a 24-hour marathon of it beginning on Christmas Eve.
Yes, it’s that good.
If you’ve ever had your eye set on something as a child, it’s easy to sympathize with little Ralphie Parker, whose mother doesn’t want Santa to bring him the Red Ryder BB gun he wants so badly.
And if your mother has ever insisted you bundle up in 20 million layers and top it off with a puffy snowsuit before you set foot outdoors in the winter, you’ll know exactly how little brother Randy Parker feels when he can’t put his arms down once he’s all packed into his.
This is a movie for anyone who has experienced the holidays as part of a less-than-perfect family. When all’s said and done — and the Parker family ends up eating duck for Christmas dinner in a Chinese restaurant because the dogs ravaged their turkey — the movie reminds us that it’s all about your attitude, not what happens.
Old favorite: "Miracle on 34th Street"
There are a couple of reasons I liked this one. First off is because the main character's name is Susan. My older sister Sarah was always talking about how her name meant "princess" and that mine meant "lily," which in her mind were those slimey green leaves that float on top of ponds. I liked having a movie where a pretty little girl shared my name. The second reason was more sentimental. My dad would always put in "Miracle at 34th Street" sometime after Thanksgiving for the family to watch. Since the only thing he ever watched on TV was "60 Minutes" watching this moview as a big deal.
New favorite: "Elf". That scene where Will Ferrell leaps on the Christmas tree to put the star on top always leaves me rolling on the floor.
Definitely got to go with the classic "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. It ain't a Nann family Xmas without it. My sister and I did a great rendition of "Sisters" the one year we forgot to take the DVD with us to Florida.