2011 Holiday Movie Marathon (My Top Ten Christmas Movies)

One of my favorite parts about the holidays are all of the movies and Christmas specials. These are my favorite holiday movies of the year.

 10. Home Alone

From the genius writing of John Hughes, Kevin McAllister accidently gets left home alone when his family goes on Christmas vacation. Granted, it always got a bad rap for being unbelievable and a little too cutsie, but all these years later, I find the movie a fun escape. Plus, I love all the Christmas movies set in Chicago because they look just like the suburb of Columbus where I grew up… it gives me a lovely sense of nostalgia.

9. Bridget Jones's Diary

Not exactly a Christmas movie, but it does seem to be true that the holiday season does make all of us singletons question our previous year of choices. It's a perspective brought on from all the houses wrapped in Christmas lights… you know, the one where you’re yet again dateless and drunk at the turkey curry buffet. I love Bridget and it’s always a great laugh. Plus, I love Hugh Grant as the dirty-talking bad boy.

8.  Home for the Holidays

Again, not exactly a Christmas movie, but it is set in the Holiday timeframe (Thanksgiving). I’m not exactly sure where it is set, but it reminds me of home and my family. Imperfect, quirky, but still loving. RDJ (that’s Robert Downey Jr.) rocks my world in this movie and I could watch the turkey on the lap scene about 45 times a day and never find it any less funny.


7. Love Actually

The first time I saw this movie was Christmas 2003 with my Mom and sister Anissa, so anytime I watch it, I think of that day. It was a fun girls day and this is a fun girls movie. It’s sweet, sappy, and sometimes completely bizarre. My favorite of the stories are the Prime Minister, Jamie writing in France, and the little drummer boy in love.


6. The Ref

Christmas and Denis Leary go together remarkably well. This one is about a couple of robbers taking a totally dysfunctional family hostage. It it turns into some of the funniest dialog that I’ve heard in ages. It’s Kevin Spacey at his best too… angry with perfect one line snarky comebacks.


5. The Holiday

Another chick flick, but it’s one of those holiday essentials. I want Kate Winslet’s cottage on the snowy English countryside and I totally support Jack Black as a sweet, leading man. Go figure. It’s one of those movies that make you love the characters so much that you feel like you grow with them in the process and that I can always dig.


4. Scrooged

When I was a kid, I rented VHS tapes from Pharmor and I would rent Scrooged over and over and over again. It didn’t matter that it was for Christmas because this movie is amazing and funny. Bill Murray is genius as Scrooge and I love the New York setting and awesome casting of the ghosts. Of all of the versions of A Christmas Carol, this one is definitely my favorite.


3. Elf

Flat out, this movie is totally my oddball, weirdo sense of humor. Will Ferrell plays Elf so straight that it just makes every scene  a pure classic to me. It’s crazy silly and just pure fun to watch, so it always makes a place on my must watch list.



2. A Christmas Story

I had a hard time picking the number one spot because I love this movie so much. It was filmed in my home state of Ohio and just reminds me of everything amazing about being a kid at Christmastime. TBS has done all of us a wonderful favor with 24 Hours of A Christmas Story because it is lovely to able to turn on the tv at any point of the day and just knowthat you can see one of the fabulous scenes from this movie. It’s hard to watch this movie and not be filled with all of the wonder and awesomeness of Christmas.

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

I have loved this movie so consistently for so long that it had to be my number one pick. It is yet another of the John Hughes classics that remind me of Ohio and the silliness and love of my family. Chevy Chase is perfect – both hysterical and endearing. I love the family and want to spend time with them. It’s a disaster Christmas, but it’s also a loveable, fun disaster. Mostly, I would love to go sledding with them.