A Thinker in Space

I started off this series with the things we sometimes watch during Christmastime, continued with things we usually watch, and now we have arrived here, at the shows and movies we always watch. Every year, we watch and enjoy these Christmas specials, trying to fit them in wherever we can in the season. The Christmas season is always jam-packed, and fitting these in is challenging, but we somehow manage to do so yearly! Organizing this list was tricky, since priority is a bit weirder when everything is watched every year. In the end, I was able to organize it in a loose order based on how disappointed I would be if we somehow had to skip something. These are also shows and movies that I will not watch in part – for most of them, I want to sit down and watch them. I try not to see any pieces of them before I watch them for the first time of the year (though then all bets are off).

10 – Garfield’s Christmas

This is one of the more esoteric additions to this list – the Garfield Christmas Special released in 1987 is not what you would call a Christmas Classic. But we love watching it every year – it is an entertaining special that has become a family classic. We watch the Halloween special every year as well, and occasionally the Thanksgiving one, but this is the best of the three – it has a bit of a bittersweet twinge to it that was unexpected when watching it the first time. Is it top-notch media? I wouldn’t say so. But it is a household classic, and so we try and watch it yearly! I could see this one getting bumped to the High Priority list in the future, but so far it has been an annual tradition.

9 – The Ho, Ho, Ho Job (Leverage)

I have already talked about Leverage in my Season-by-Season review of Season One (more of these to come in the new year). It is one of my favorite shows of all time, and I have rewatched it again and again. I started watching The Ho, Ho, Ho Job yearly in college, and when we were married my wife joined in on the tradition. Now, we find a time to watch this episode every year! It is some absolutely classic Leverage antics wrapped in a Christmas bow, with some classic dialogue and great sequences.

8 – Polar Express

I watched Polar Express back in 2004 when it released, and was… less than impressed. I watched it at least once when I was older, and had the same attitude towards it. Then, I forgot it existed, until I married my wife. She and her family watch this one every year, and now I do too. It took a few watches for me to appreciate this movie, but now I look forward to watching it. It is just… such an odd film. It’s uncanny animations, bizarre characters and plotline that is held together with duct tape and prayer becomes way more enjoyable after a viewing or two, and now is a blast to watch through. I have always loved the enduring message of Christmas present in original Polar Express story, and though this film takes you through a whirlwind of nonsensicality on its way, it gets you there too. The bell remains a strong symbol, and Tom Hanks delivers the ending speech beautifully. If you have seen this movie, I highly recommend checking out Ryan George’s Pitch Meeting on this film. It is a gem.

7 – Jingle All the Way

Another bit of an odd cultural phenomenon is Jingle All the Way. I’m not going to stand here and say that this movie is a masterpiece. As a matter of fact, the reason it is so good is because of its complete and utter absurdity. Hidden in this bizarre gem are some fantastic scenes, some incredibly memorable performances, and some holiday antics with questionable effects. It’s a recipe for a movie that easily becomes a holiday classic for those who can appreciate the nonsense it throws at you. I look forward to watching this one every year!

6 – Phineas and Ferb: Christmas Vacation

Phineas and Ferb is one of my favorite shows of all time, as I stated in my Nourishment for Gifted Minds – Winter article. This Christmas episode is one of my favorite Christmas episodes of any show. This is Phineas and Ferb at its best, with some absolutely fantastic dialogue, story beats, and gags. I have watched this every year for years, and intend to continue, watching it with my family as we continue to grow in years and number!

5 – A Charlie Brown Christmas

A veritable classic – A Charlie Brown Christmas is a classic that graces our screens every year (though now is exclusively available on Apple TV, which is a bit frustrating). It is a classic for a reason, and brings that Christmas feeling to the household when it is played.

4 – Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Now we get to the “big four”. These are movies I have watched since my childhood, and are some of my favorite movies of all time. All of them were on my Top 160 films, and I love each one. I love the original 1947 release of this movie – the remakes all are poor comparisons to the charm and beauty of the original story. We tend to watch this movie around Thanksgiving, at the very beginning of the season, as the movie begins at this time of year. Somehow, the great lines, gags, facial expressions, and messages of this movie don’t get old year after year, and the characters keep their charm throughout. There are some great story beats here, and its take on Santa is an interesting interpretation of the mythos.

3 – Nativity Story

Nativity Story is a beautiful portrayal of the birth of Jesus. I talk about this a lot in my blurb on it in My Favorite Movies, but it is one of the strongest if not the strongest biblical adaptation I have ever watched. It tells the story with historical accuracy, giving us a picture of what Mary’s life might actually have been like, and the consequences of her unexpected pregnancy. We watch this on “Christmas Eve Eve”, which is what we in our family have labeled December 23^rd!

2 – A Christmas Carol

This is one of my favorite movies of all time, bar none. I admit its flaws, but the movie is an excellent depiction of the Christmas Carol story. Not only is much of the dialogue directly taken from the novel (with some modern cleanup), but there are some of the best versions of Dickens’ classic characters, including my favorite Past, Present, and Future, and both best Fred and Bob Cratchit. I also am a huge fan of Patrick Stewart, and this was the first role I ever saw him play, and I love his performance here too.

1 – It’s a Wonderful Life

This is my second favorite movie of all time. It is one of the best films I have ever seen, with a ton of heart, emotional moments, and a story that continues to be relevant and meaningful all these years later. Lately, we have been watching this movie on Christmas Eve, and I look forward to watching it every year. The story is beautiful, the characters are memorable, and the messages are enduring – everything that one wants in a Christmas story.

Final Thoughts

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. The joy, goodwill, and spirit of gift giving is near and dear to my heart and has always been so since I was a child. The stories and movies that are watched and read during this season all have the spirit of the season ingrained within them. It is a time of celebrating joy, love, hope, and peace, and the birth of Christ. Even in secular media, these themes trickle through, because the spirit of the season is, at its core, wholesome. It promotes kindness and goodness, and virtues are honored by all. These movies and shows are not the only good Christmas content out there, but they are the ones that my family (and I) gravitate toward, and the ones we love the most out of the hundreds of Christmas stories around.

It has been a great year of writing here, and I am super excited for next year!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!