There's no denying how many great christmas movies there are. For every 'It's a Wonderful Life' you will see a 'Miracle on 34th Street' around the corner. But sometimes I think people forget just how many great films there are for the holiday. The problem is that people sometimes forget just how much holiday films there are that have been made. Whether it's films or TV Specials the list you are about to see is a 'Poor Man's List'. It might not be the top bill you would see in other lists, but these are films you should watch at some point in your life.
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10) Silent Night, Deadly Night
-Now if your seeing this on the list first, obviously this isn't your average list. But this is a great, B-level horror movie with an interesting plot. You know you hit a nerve when there are hundreds of protesters wanting your head on the 'killer santa' idea. Plus this film did change the way how people would ultimately see and (sadly) censor horror films. So this is an important film per say in the grand scheme of things.



9) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
-Here is the qualifier for this: I am talking more about the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version. This was the first time being introduced to the show and I have been a fan of MST3K and the crew since. It is a funny film without the commentary though. Just watch this with a bunch of friends, it's a so bad it's good kind of film.


8) Jingle All the Way
-I can't tell you how much I love this film. It isn't a good film mind you, but it has me in hysterics everytime. You can tell Schwarzenegger is trying his hardest to be good but he is just not a straight man. Anything that comes out of his mouth is just pure hilarity and gold. There's a scene of him trying to say all of Santa's reindeer and I have to stop the film because it's so damn funny. Another good thing about the film is that the co-stars are Sinbad and Phil Hartman, so what's not to like?


7) Black Christmas
-This film won my heart over and I have no idea why. It's the same old slasher film but it somehow works well with a Christmas theme. I will say that the people (mainly the director and producers) who did the voice for the crazy killer did an amazing job. It sounds legit as a crazy man what 'he' says can be quite disturbing. Maybe it is because of that performance that won me over for the film.


6) The Santa Clause
-Yes I know that it's a Tim Allen movie and he whored this out for two bad sequels. But I do find this to be a very funny film and some of the situations are great. The whole scene of Allen's character at the doctor is a funny highlight. In fact here's another qualifier: I prefer the stuff in this with Allen becoming Santa Claus then the whole 'mom and dad issues' overall. It's a miracle Tim Allen did something funn so why not have it on the list?


5) A Charlie Brown Christmas
-Next to another classic TV Special, everyone knows this Peanuts gem. Bad Christmas tree, the meaning of Christmas in general, and the great philosopher Linus is all here. I'll conceed that the animated Peanuts was not really my thing as a kid, but how can you not like this holiday special? Let me also state that SNL did a great parody of this on their TV Funhouse segment, so if you can I would try and find it.


4) Home Alone 2
-Better in everyway, I prefer this sequel then the original. It has a better story and more importantly it has better painful jokes. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern (and the stunt doubles) just took an absolute beating here. My favorite joke being the callback to the first film with the paint cans, clearly someone had to have broken something during that bit. Sure it isn't original but it is damn funny.


3) A Muppet Christmas Carol
-It's the muppets! That is more then enough reason to like this film. Seriously, this made my childhood (that and Muppet Treasure Island) and it is a tradition to watch this every year for Christmas. I also find this to be the best take on the story in any version. Michael Caine is brilliant as Scrooge he just plays the part seriously even if this is a kid's film. Then you have Gonzo and Rizzo as narrators, all the muppets used are funny in this, and the songs! I still have the opening song for Scrooge stuck in my head. This is just an entertaining film for all ages and I think every kid should see it sometime in their life.


2) How the Grinch Stole Christmas
-Another tradition in my house, thanks to my mother, of what we watch for Christmas. To me thought it is always been my favorite Dr. Seuss story and adaptation. Just beautiful animation by Chuck Jones and his staff and it totally envokes Seuss's style. No matter how crazy or difficult the story got the studio was able to make it work. Boris Karloff narration is also spot on and it's amazing how many people didn't know he did the special (let alone the voice for Grinch). Finally you have the great song in here about the Grinch and it always get stuck in my head. It is one of those endearing TV specials that will stay with us for eternity. I wouldn't be surprised if our children's children continues to watch it every year.


1) The Nightmare Before Christmas
- This was a tough choice to make. Cause any of the film on the top three had the chance to be number one. But I chose this Tim Burton classic because it is just an amazing film, even by today's animation standards. You never really saw animation like this on such a grand scale. So much movement and detail in every shot it just looks amazing. Every character has a unique look and they all stand out because of how 'grotesque' they are. The songs as also unique, and quite catchy too. My favorite being Oogie Boogie's, Blue's like song which is good because a famous Blue's singer does the voice. Although it did take me a while to know that the voice actors for Jack and Sally's singing was different. It's amazing how quickly this film got popular, even though you could walk into any Disney park and not find a single merchandise for the film. (I hear for Halloween that is a different cause but come on, in Disneyworld I couldn't find anything from the film) It's a great take on the holiday and I always hoped they could continue as a series. There were a lot of trees with different holidays in that forest....

So if you have any other Christmas films I missed please let me know. We saw the classics but now we have the crowd pleasers.

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