‘Tis the Season for Christmas movies

We all have our favorite Christmas traditions and growing up mine was gathering with my family after the presents had been opened to watch “It’s A Wonderful Life,” the black and white version, of course.

A true favorite of mine, and one I could not wait to make my kids watch, is “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” I know there is a re-make, but I have not checked it out yet so I cannot compare the two. I can say the book, written by Barbara Robinson, is also great, though nothing compares to the cinematic joy of watching the original Imogene Herdman, played by Megan Hunt, threaten to shove a pussy willow so far down the ear of the obnoxious Alice Wendlekin, played by Ocean Hellman, that no one will ever be able to reach it and she will have to go the rest of her life being the girl with a pussy willow bush growing out of her ear. While it may not sound like it, through the six trouble making Herdman children, viewers get a front row seat to the true meaning of Christmas.

A childhood classic is Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” and while there are too many versions to count, I have always been partial to Disney’s. Having watched Jim Carrey’s 2009 version, I do have to say my kids and I really enjoyed it, and I am no Jim Carrey fan.

As a child of the eighties I feel I would really be remiss if I didn’t mention the claymation “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or the “Little Drummer Boy.” The latter may not have the best quality with all the glitz and glamour of today’s cinema magic, but its story is endearing.

Though not a Christmas movie, my favorite claymation is “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” with poor baby Happy’s giant ears.

In the Monica household we are all Dolly Parton fans and so no Christmas movie list would be complete without mentioning “Unlikely Angel.” In this movie Dolly’s character dies but isn’t allowed into Heaven because of the life she lived on Earth. To make amends, Dolly must bring a family back together again before Christmas.

When thinking of all time favorites, I can’t leave off “Home Alone.” My sister and I used to spend hours discussing what we would do should we ever find ourselves in Kevin’s shoes.

I know there are a lot of “Elf” fans out there, myself included, though I am not anymore a fan of Will Ferrell than I am of Jim Carrey. I love Zoey Deschanel in this and even I have to admit Ferrell did a great job.

My husband will cry if I leave off “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”- after all who can’t relate to struggling with Christmas lights?

For those who aren’t scared by a classic- “White Christmas” starring Bing Crosby, Phil Davis, Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney is a great Christmas musical. Beyond the musical numbers, there is enough action, comedy, and romance for “White Christmas” to become an easy holiday favorite.

It is no secret I have a deep love for Rowan Atkinson, in particular his portrayal of Britain’s beloved Mr. Bean. “Merry Christmas Mr. Bean” will have you laughing or we can’t be friends.

For those who just can’t let go of Halloween, I give you the “Krampus,” “Black Christmas,” and “A Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Toni Collette stars in “Krampus” and the story is about a child who no longer believes in Santa and his disbelief calls down the Krampus on his family and town. While not particularly scary, it is good for a holiday jump scare or two.

“Black Christmas” is very similar to John Carpenter’s “Halloween.” There are two versions of this movie, 1974 and 2006. I have only seen the 2006 version and it has a great cast that includes Andrea Martin.

Underneath the musical numbers of “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” is the unfolding love story of Jack Skeleton and Sally; who isn’t a sucker for that?