It is that time of year
again! The time of year when Rudolph’s nose lights up, Charlie Brown finds the
real meaning of Christmas and just about every possible Santa Claus origin
story is told. As we are just one week away from Christmas day, it has become
nearly impossible to change the television station without finding a Christmas
movie or special on. I decided since avoiding the holiday entertainment is not
an option that there is no better way to discuss it all then to rank it all (5
of them that is).
Before I get into the
list I have created, let me first explain how I went about it. First of all I
want to say that these rankings are my top five favorite Christmas films so if
you are looking for a list absent of bias than you may want to go back to your search
engine of choice and find a different list as I let nostalgia be by guide,
opening the door for plenty of bias. I figured since it is the holiday season,
a time that is often associated with feelings of nostalgia, that it may be
acceptable to momentarily set the more critical lens aside. Who knows, maybe
something about my top five will take you back to your childhood or remind you
of a special holiday moment. This list also includes both Christmas movies and
specials. I define specials as any feature that is not full length, originally
aired on television or a direct to video release. I think the rest is pretty
self-explanatory so without any further adieu, I give you my top five Christmas
movies or specials.
1.Elf: This is a film
that would most likely find its way towards the top of my favorite comedies
list if I had one as I find something new to laugh at each and every time I
watch it. In Elf, Buddy the Elf (Will
Ferrell), after years of believing he is an actual elf, is finally told that he
is not an elf but a human. After this revelation, Buddy travels to New York
City to find his father, Walter Hobbs and the adventure that ensues couldn’t be
any more enjoyable. The thing that makes Elf
such a memorable Christmas movie is a solid character, Buddy the Elf. Buddy
is new to the human world and this is where the humor stems from. Buddy is as
charming as he is naïve as he always strives to cheer a person up. Like
Children do, Buddy believes that the holidays are a time to be joyful,
something that adults forget to do in the midst of the hectic holiday season
and because of this he is the perfect character for a major theme of the film.
Its other major theme is the importance of staying true to oneself and that
everyone has a purpose which is seamlessly combined this theme with the holiday
message by Director John Favreau and writer David Berenbaum.
2.
The Santa Clause: I
remember watching The Santa Clause in
theaters for the first time when I was just five years of age and just being
fascinated from start to finish. The thing that really wowed me the most was
the shown transformation of Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) into Santa Clause. The way
that they showed him gradually gain weight and acquire white facial hair blew
five year old me away. Even though I still find that to be a notable aspect of
the film, after several years have passed and advances in technology have been
made, I can’t say that I am as still in complete aw like I once was. The
transformation of Calvin becoming a much more caring father and person is what
I find most impressive now as it is the realistic counterpart to the fantasy
transformation of Scott Calvin becoming Santa Claus. Oh, and yeah, Tim Allen is
hilarious. With his sarcastic, somewhat cynical comedic style, Allen makes for an
enjoyable Scott Calvin but also a fresh take on Santa Claus.
3.
It’s A Wonderful Life: A
close resemblance to A Christmas Carol,
It’s A Wonderful Life tells the story
of George Baily (James Stewart). On Christmas Eve, discouraged from financial
and family troubles, George feels that the world will be better without him so
he decides to end his own life but before he has the chance, his guardian
Angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) comes to earth to show him how the world
would be if he never existed. As far as impact and legacy goes when it comes to
holiday films, It’s A Wonderful Life is
the granddaddy of them all. It’s compelling narrative along with its relatable,
heartfelt characters makes It’s A
Wonderful Life hard not to love. Stewart, gives a grade A performance as he
makes it impossible to take your eyes off him. George is a character that is
seen at the lowest of lows and the highest of highs which Stewart effortlessly
moves from one to the other. The sound of his voice is enough to have me sold
as I could listen to Stewart talk all day.
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas: What
better way to share the frustrations of the commercialism of Christmas than
through the eyes of Charlie Brown. As
far as popularity goes, A Charlie Brown
Christmas is the It’s A Wonderful
Life of the Television arena. In this made for television special, Charlie
Brown is fed up with the how Christmas has become nothing but dollar signs.
Charlie Brown agrees to direct the schools Christmas play after Lucy suggest
that if he were to get more involved, happiness may follow. Things just get
worse though, as he has no control of any of the plays performers. As Charlie
Brown really starts to wonder what the true meaning of Christmas is, Linus
reads a Bible passage from the book of Luke, verses 8 through 14. Verses 10 and 11 read “And the angel said
unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord”. It is really cool to see this message of what
Christmas really is in such a popular Christmas special.
5.
Annabelle’s Wish: You
will find the previous four films I have recognized on several different rankings
but Annabelle’s Wish is one that you
will really have to dig deep to find on another list. Annabelle’s Wish tells the story of Annabelle, a calf born on
Christmas Eve that wants nothing more than to be one of Santa’s reindeer. If
there ever was enjoyment of something based solely on nostalgia, it is Annabelle’s Wish. This Christmas special
originally aired on FOX in the mid 90’s but I watched for the first time on
home video. I remember enjoying it immensely and returning to it year after
year. Looking back at my viewing history of holiday movie and specials,
Annabelle’s wish is one of the first to come to mind so I felt that it would be
wrong not to include it in my top five.
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