My Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies of All Time
Over the course of the past month I have watched many of my favorite holiday films with my kids. It was fun to share these with them as it brought back great memories of my own childhood. So I thought I would put together a list of my favorite Christmas movies to share with everyone.

#10 - Rich Little’s A Christmas Carol It has probably been many years since this has been seen on television but, I can remember watching this every Christmas with my Dad when I was a kid. Rich Little plays all of the major characters himself including a drunken Scrooge.

#9 - Mr. Magoo’s A Christmas Carol When I was a kid this was my favorite Christmas special. I like Rudolph and Frosty and all those but it was Mr. Magoo that I loved the most. maybe that was because I used to watch him on Saturday mornings when I was really little. Mr. Magoo is a character they really should try to bring back again.

#8 - Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town This is one of the Rankin & Bass animated Christmas specials. It tells a non-traditional story of how Santa became Santa. The story is actually pretty bad and not even believable for kids but, it holds a special place in my heart.

#7 - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer This is the other Rankin & Bass animated special to make my list. Rudolph’s story is also somewhat non-traditional for example there is no mention of Hermie the elven dentist, the Snow Monster, or The Island of Misfit Toys in most versions of the Rudolph tale but who cares? Everyone loves this Christmas classic.

#6 - A Muppet Christmas Carol Growing up in the 80’s everyone knew and most of us loved the Muppets so it is little wonder that their Christmas special has made my list. My favorite part is Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat who play the role of the narrator. Unlike some of the Muppet’s other movies like Muppets in Space or The Muppets Take Manhattan this one is actually really good.

#5 - National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Who hasn’t had a Christmas like this with their families? Well, I guess, I really haven’t but you almost believe it could happen. This movie is great in that it captures all of the cliche bad-things that can happen at Christmas, uninvited guests, crazy relatives, bad presents, etc. takes them to the extreme and then puts them together into one film. My kids probably love this one even more than I do.

#4 - A Charlie Brown Christmas What can you say about this. Charlie brown has been part of Christmas for decades. It is a great reminder to all of us what the season is really about when we get distracted by parties, decorations, and presents. I was really glad the music from this special has made a comeback as well.

#3 - How The Grinch Stole Christmas The Grinch has become a real part of the Christmas tradition. While he hasn’t quite reached Santa status yet, he is still one best known Christmas characters. Just like Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph every kid knows the Grinch. None of them believe Santa would actually leave them coal, they’re not quite sure if the Grinch might not come and steal whatever Santa left.

#2 - A Christmas Story This is a sorry that takes you back to 1950’s America. A time of innocence and a time when many of the Christmas traditions we take for granted today were just getting started. This is a funny yet touching look at the Christmases we all wish we had as a kids. A have never been a big believer in the claims of an instant classic. I hate to say it, but A Christmas Story is one.

#1 - Scrooge Scrooge is the movie adaptation of the musical of the same name seen on Broadway and in London. Albert Finney plays Scrooge and he is the quintessential scrooge, mean, dirty, old. The details in this movie are incredible right down to the dirt under Scrooge’s fingernails. When I think of A Christmas Carol this is the version I think of. My family had a tradition of watching this together every Christmas Eve when I was growing up and to this day I still watch at least once every Christmas. If you haven’t seen it (and I’m sure most of you haven’t) I can’t recommend it highly enough. I’m not a big fan of musicals but this one I really enjoy to the point that I even have the soundtrack on my iPod.

Honorable Mention

Emmet Otters Jug Band Christmas
This is a great movie for the kids produced by Jim Henson. While the characters are muppets, they are not the usual muppet characters and there isn’t the silliness typically associated with the Muppets. I just saw this for sale in Best Buy the other day so I know you can still get it if your interested.

When I first developed this list I did not include Its a Wonderful Life. When I showed it to friends and family before I posted it everyone asked ‘Where is Its a Wonderful Life?” Yes Its a Wonderful Life is a Christmas Classic. Its not even that I don’t like the movie. I just can’t watch it anymore. Several years ago when Turner gained the rights to the movie it felt like it was on TV none stop on one channel or another every hour of every day from Thanksgiving until Christmas. I got so sick of that movie that I haven’t watched it since. To this day even hearing the name makes me groan, “Not again.” It was at this point that I decided to change the title of the post from the Top 10 Classic Christmas Movies of All Time to My Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies of All Time. I will post separately what I feel to be the Top 10 Classic Christmas Movies of All Time.

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