I love this time of year. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I have fond memories from my childhood of the entire family gathering at my parents’ house for Christmas festivities. One or both pairs of grandparents would come to the house, along with a couple aunts and uncles and some cousins. My family is a loud bunch, so you can imagine how raucous our house became and how quickly.
Many people look forward to decorating their homes, the exterior and the interior. I don’t have many decorations for Christmas, so I’m not usually someone who says they look forward to that. So, what do I love doing during the holiday season?
If you’ve been reading my blogs on a regular basis, you know by now that I’m a huge movie buff. So, watching Christmas movies is one of my favorite things to do.
I love watching movies, but I really love watching Christmas movies on the couch or in bed. Sometimes alone, sometimes snuggled up with my son. I love making hot cocoa from scratch and sipping that while watching the movies. Generally, the only thing missing from those sweet moments is snow outside.
Classic Holiday Movies
Classic movies is one of my favorite genres, and there are so many good Christmas movies. The original “Miracle on 34th Street,” starring Natalie Wood is great. I’ve also seen the remake from the 90s, and it’s cute, but it will never be the original.
It’s A Wonderful Life
Every year on Christmas Eve, I make a point to watch, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The argument can be made that it’s a depressing movie, but I fall in love with it all over again each year. Yes, it’s sad to see a man in despair over his life and how he wishes it had gone a different direction or that things had been different. But at the heart of it all is a movie that shows a man coming to truly appreciate his life and every part of it. There are a few lines from the movie that are used to this day, such as, “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”
One Magic Christmas
Another movie tradition I have is that I watch a lesser-known Disney movie called, “One Magic Christmas.” This movie stars Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton as the angel, Gideon. Steenburgen’s character has become cold to the idea of Christmas and sees it as just spending money they don’t have on gifts. This prompts Gideon to come down to Earth and talk to her young daughter, Abby. He encourages her to help her mom see what Christmas is really about and to believe in the power of Christmas again. I won’t go into the full details of the movie, but I will say that as a kid I just remembered loving it for some reason. Now, as an adult, this movie leaves me bawling at different points.
A Christmas Story
I have always loved, “A Christmas Story.” Ralphie with his Red Rider BB gun, Randy dressed in so much warm clothing that he can’t put his arms down, the leg lamp as the “major award” for the father, and the infamous line…”You’ll shoot your eye out kid.” This movie is played for 24 hours every year on TBS, and back when I had cable, I would absolutely watch it for the full 24 hours. Now, I watch it on DVD with my son, who has come to love it as well.
Why Not Give “Elf” A Shot?
One movie I never expected to like, let alone love, was, “Elf.” I remember when it came out, and I thought, “Ugh, another Will Ferrell movie.” But over the years, it’s grown on me. It’s heartwarming, innocent, sweet and can make you feel like a kid again. I’ve even encouraged my son to watch it with me at the holidays, and he likes it.
This is just a small list of movies that I love to watch during the holidays. I could go on and on, but I won’t do that to you. It’s hard to pick just one Christmas flick over the others as they’re all great in their own way.
Everyone with Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling has their own holiday movie tradition. Maybe they watch them alone or with their family and friends. No matter what movie they watch on TV, DVD or their favorite streaming service, it’s part of their holiday traditions. We hope your family is rich with traditions, whether it’s movies, food, sitting around the table together or something silly. Whatever you do during this time of year, we hope you’re spending it with your loved ones.