Five Essential Christmas Movies to Watch With Kids
Vacation season is just around the corner, which means you will have the opportunity to sit in front of the TV and watch Christmas movies with your child (s)! But there are so many of them. And most of them are terrible.
The films below are not scary. These are the best, five absolutely greatest Christmas movies of all time in film history. It is very important that you watch them with your children (if, of course, you like all the “Christmas” ones).
Elf
What person doesn’t like an elf ? Will Ferrell’s portrayal of a huge, stupid man who thinks he is an elf is perfect, and the story of a fish out of water is dynamic and contains all the elements of an ideal Christmas movie: Atonement – from cynicism subplot, romance, a message of acceptance and tolerance, and even the appearance of Santa himself Claus.
It’s not just for kids; even the most cynical adults will appreciate Ferrell’s meta-humor and amazing comedic skills. There is a bit of profanity – the occasional “wicked” or “hellish” – and the sequence of actions can be overwhelming for the youngest kids, but overall, Elf is one of the best Christmas movies for people of all ages.
Christmas song
The classic story of Charles Dickens essentially invented Christmas.The first version of the film was released in 1910 (!), And since then this story of the curmudgeon’s redemption has been created, reworked, rethought, rebooted and reinterpreted in so many different ways that it’s impossible to choose the best version. so here are some options …
As for the classic film version, you can’t go wrong with 1955 A Christmas Carol if no one minds whites and whites and your child has enough attention. But Mickey’s short colorful Christmas song from Disney will appeal even to young children. Or you can share the difference and try A Muppet Christmas Carol , where Michael Caine plays Scrooge perfectly. For older kids, like those over 12, put on Scrooge , the modern (well, 80s, anyway) version with Bill Murray in the title role.
Warning: Most versions of A Christmas Carol contain scary things – ghosts have to be terrifying for the story to work, and Scrooge has to start with a very bad person, so especially sensitive little souls may want to stay away completely. My 11-year-old, for example , didn’t want to watch Scrooge because Bill Murray’s character was too mean. He was basically like, “Eh, fuck this asshole. I’m out.”
Christmas story
This gentle, hilarious snippet of American nostalgia has been playing 24 hours on TBS starting December 24, and I can probably watch the entire episode.A Christmas story, without a single mistake, runs along the thin wire between honestly earned emotions and sweet nonsense. Ok, maybe there is one mistake: racial insensitivity in a Chinese restaurant. Live , released in 2017, hilariously turned the Chinese restaurant scene around, so maybe check out this version … although it’s too long and the original songs probably aren’t destined to be holiday classics. So maybe show this to your kids with the caveat that making fun of people’s accents isn’t cool.
Alone at home
The kids love it. Parents hate it. If anything, a lot of parents hate it. In this classic 1990 film, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister brings every child’s secret dream (and every parent’s nightmare) to life when his family accidentally leaves him at home alone for Christmas. His week of watching violent movies, eating ice cream for dinner and reading Dad’s Playboy magazine is interrupted by a pair of dumb burglars forcing Kevin to defend his home with booby traps and dangerous surprises.
Home Alone is filled with slapstick, witty kids, ignorant parents, and other naughty childhood fun, but it rarely goes beyond truly disturbing material, unless your child is particularly frightened by separation anxiety. It’s (barely) bearable for adults too, especially when director John Hughes pulls it all together in a teary final act.
It’s a wonderful life
Frank Capra’s Christmas epic tells the bittersweet story of philistine George Bailey, a super-nice guy who can’t seem to rest. This is the best Christmas movie ever made (IMO) but not ideal for young children. Adult themes, George’s rhetoric of suicide, and the old-school pace are likely to disagree with younger ones. Still, teens and teenagers will relate to the way George fought his whole life to make his dreams come true, provided they can put up with black and white photography long enough to give history a chance. I challenge anyone at any age not to cry in the finale.
Warning: times have changed since the 1940s, and while it is clear that no one wanted This Wonderful Life to be problematic, the sexist and racist mores of the era sometimes appear. For example, George Bailey is terrified that his wife could become a “spinster librarian” (although old librarians are the coolest people on earth!) personifies outdated images of “happy” slavery.
(Semi) honorable mentions
Miracle on 34- th Street: Christmas film artists, perhaps, for this I unclench, but it’s “Santa real?” history doesn’t support me. Yes, it’s Christmas-like, but it’s not dramatic, too sentimental (even for a Christmas movie) and just boring. I do not recommend it.
The Polar Express : I know a lot of people like this movie, but because of the early CGIs it was too cold and creepy to shout “Christmas Classic” to me and make the final cut. He may be in the top ten, but not in the top five. Your mileage may vary.
Die Hard and Others : Recently, Internet pranksters and adversaries have defined films like Die Hard , The Nightmare Before Christmas , Gremlins , Hunter ‘s Night and others as Christmas movies. Sorry, this is not the case. They might be set for Christmas or have some sort of Christmas content, but they don’t primarily have to do with redemption, joy, and holiday season gifts, so they don’t count. We need boundaries, people.