Wednesday 22 December 2010

My Top 5 Christmas Films

Christmas is fast approaching. The lights and decorations are up, every shop seems to be filled with gifts and the famous Coca-cola advert is constantly on TV. So I decided it was time to do a Christmas-related post. These are my five favourite family films to watch at Christmas time.

1. Home Alone
How can anyone not love this film? The story of a young boy called Kevin who is accidently abandoned when his family goes on holiday. When he realises his home is going to be targeted by burglars, he sets a number of traps to catch them. Home Alone is, without a doubt, the Christmas film.

2. Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
I have to say that I enjoyed this film more when I believed in Father Christmas (which was about 10 years ago!). Six-year-old Susan does not believe in Father Christmas but when her mother employs Kris Kringle to work as Santa Claus in a department store, Susan starts to reconsider the possibility that the myth is real. This is a very enjoyable family film.

3. A Christmas Carol (1999)
This is the perfect film to watch and reflect upon. Charles Dickens’ messages about the way we behave, the consequences of our actions and, most importantly, helping those who are less fortunate, are definitely things to think about over Christmas. I love this film, as it is both entertaining and thought-provoking.  

4. Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie
I watched this film every Christmas for about 5 years. Rudolf is not like other reindeers, he has a red nose. Rudolf is bullied by his peers for being different. But this film shows him becoming Santa’s most famous Reindeer! It’s obviously one for younger children, but I still love it because it’s just so humorous and holds so many memoires for me.


5. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Although this is not actually about Christmas itself (it’s about Thanksgiving), it still has that Christmassy feel to it. It’s about the importance of family being together and the lengths that people will go to, to make that happen. The film has one of my favourite film moments of all time. The scene where the two are trying to sleep in the hotel room and Neal finally cracks. This leads to Del’s “You wanna hurt me?” speech – which always brings tears to my eyes.