Editorial: Christmas Movies and Traditions

batman returns christmas movies
Batman Returns (1992) | Warner Bros. Pictures

Happy holidays, everyone! There are many festive celebrations to participate in this time of year. Whatever you’re observing — if you celebrate at all — I’m hoping all expectations get met and you end 2020 as satisfied as possible. As for me, I’ll be honoring Christmas. I wanted to share a special selection of my favorite Christmas films and with that some of my favorite holiday traditions I have cultivated for myself and my family throughout the years. 

This movie list is in no particular order, just a heaping pile of cinema that is comforting and warm. These films all have a special place in my heart, as they hold many fond memories. Even with some of the more rough years that I’ve had (and boy, have I had a few of those), watching these films has become rather requisite. I’ve felt grounded and secure when screening them, somehow knowing that everything will be alright. 

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I think it’s only fitting that these precious types of films come at us when they do — at the end of the year. Christmas time, and the holiday season in general, tends to bring out the better in people. I can mull over the rough patches the last year has doled out. But more often, I am thankful to still be above ground; hopefully surrounded by friends and family. 

I won’t presume to speak for everyone. I know the holidays can indeed brandish their own set of boxing gloves, and be a painful or lonely time for many. But maybe that’s why we have certain festivities to reel us back in and make us feel safe. That’s why with every movie I list here, I’m going to tack on a special part of the season. A tradition that I find comforting and very rewarding. 

I’ll throw some films in at the end as honorable mentions. Just know that my list will invariably be different from yours. I love this art form. In my opinion, film is art’s highest form and, therefore, has a widest breadth to entertain people with. 

So, here we go. 

Home Alone

home alone
Home Alone (1990) | 20th Century Fox

Starting off my list is the 1990 Chris Columbus picture Home Alone. By extension, I’m including Home Alone 2 in this as well. This one is so memorable. I love Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin wise up and grow up, fending off his house from the two bumbling burglars. I love the score, the message, the many scenes of the house being booby trapped and just how darn rewatchable this film is. 

The Christmas Mood

The first festivity I want to talk about is the Christmas mood itself. I honestly feel more excited in the many weeks leading up the big day, then the big day itself. As soon as Halloween ends, the season ramps up. After Thanksgiving, everyone is off to the races. But it’s not so much about the shopping and presents. The atmosphere with the lights up and the music playing is so culturally widespread here in America. It’s practically bred into the land. I’m not religious these days, and I understand the potential hypocrisy of celebrating a holiday where the major tenets are ostensibly of the Christian theology. But that is the ubiquitous nature of this season. It can touch everyone.

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Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon (1987) | Warner Bros. Pictures

Next on our list is 1987’s Lethal Weapon, directed by Richard Donner. From the violent opening credits, to the officers singing carols around the halls of the police station, to Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) taking down cocaine dealers in a Christmas tree lot, Lethal Weapon just delivers on all fronts. I love this movie’s energy. The partnership between Riggs and Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is so sincere. They have great chemistry and play off each other well. In many ways, this is more than a Christmas movie. It is larger than life and I can’t go a year without it.

Christmas Music

Speaking of Lethal Weapon’s opening credits, which were graced with “Jingle Bell Rock,” I’m brought around to Christmas music. I’m going to try and keep this section a little shorter because I know I might never shut up otherwise. From rejoicing praises sung in church, caroling “Here Comes Santa Claus” in the streets, to headbanging to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, my ears long for this time of year constantly. Even that damn Mariah Carey song still has its charm (even if it is considered a pariah). Give me Christmas music in every key it comes in. 

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Gremlins

Gremlins (1984) | Warner Bros.

Next up, we have Gremlins. This 1984 Joe Dante picture added a little horror to the mix on my list. It’s a bit cute, a bit creepy and definitely not the best for smaller children. Even the adorable creature Gizmo is not enough to stop this film from meandering to holiday hell after its innocent beginning. This flick also boasts a great score, which is memorable and catchy. What a wild ride. 

Christmas Past

I often use Gremlins to look at my past. I was a kid when I saw it for the first time. It has since maintained this mystical anchor to my past. I now find myself taking the holiday times and pulling out all photo albums to look through. And I mean real photo albums in books and plastic sleeves, thumbing through my Christmas past. It’s a good way to keep myself humble with wisdom and hungry with pursuit. It is important for me to never forget the past. My perspective is: if your past was bad, you have a roadmap of what you’d like to avoid in the future. If your past was lovely and quaint, it reinforces your appreciation of where you are now, not taking people and places for granted.

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Trading Places

Trading Places (1983) | Paramount Pictures

Next up, we have Trading Places. This movie is so damn funny, I can never get enough of it. This 1983 classic, directed by the incomparable John Landis, boasts a killer cast telling the classic story of role reversal in a class system. Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd shine in every scene they’re in. And of course, the beautiful Jamie Lee Curtis steals the show. I don’t think I can even look at a mall Santa without thinking he might be a little drunk with a salmon tucked under his fake beard.  

Christmas Dinner

Speaking of salmon, let’s talk about food. Christmas dinner is Thanksgiving dinner with lower expectations. The food seems less anxious and more enjoyable. My family usually has the classic ham for Christmas, leaving turkey privileges strictly to Thanksgiving. But over the years, Christmas dinner has gone under many revisions. Going against the grain of generational expectations is not as much of a faux pas as it used to be. In recent years, we’ve served seafood and steak. One year we even did a potluck and everyone involved had a great time. My bigger enjoyment comes from Christmas Eve’s tradition of getting Chinese food, which has slowly transitioned to sushi. No regrets here.

Batman Returns

Batman Returns (1992) | Warner Bros. Pictures

In the same dark vein as Gremlins had, my next film, Batman Returns, probably doesn’t conjure up the idea of holiday spirit for most people either. This was the last good Batman film (excluding Mask of the Phantasm) until Christopher Nolan rebooted the whole damn thing in 2005 with Batman Begins. But this 1992 Tim Burton film is a very dark sequel to its 1989 predecessor and, for some, has lost some of its luster in later years. However I cannot deny it’s ambience, it’s aesthetic, it’s total immersion into the cold and glow of Gotham City. This isn’t the best Batman flick or Christmas flick, but it’s sure pretty to look at and gets me into the holiday spirit with no problem.

Christmas Lights

It’s only fitting that the next tenet of Christmas celebration I cherish be the Christmas lights themselves. Whether they are strewn on the tree, trimming the house, or in the case of my apartment, draped across nails around my living room walls. It’s their vibrancy; they’re like little sirens calling for our attention. A favorite pastime of mine for years is getting a thermos of hot cocoa and driving around the neighborhood seeing all the pretty lights. Occasionally I swoop by some rich guy’s place who has a whole damned light show, tuned up and cranked out to some of that Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

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National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) | Warner Bros.

My next film knows all too well about Christmas lights — National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik and released in 1989, this movie is the gift that keeps on giving. I am pretty sure I can quote the thing end to end – especially the tirade that Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold gives at the end of the film, decrying his terrible boss. You know the scene. This is a Christmas Eve staple for me – along with another film on this list that’s to be announced.

The Christmas Tree

Since Christmas lights have already been mentioned, another inspiring feature that Christmas Vacation holds is the tree. The Christmas tree is the linchpin of holiday decorating. It’s the smell, the ornaments, the lights. The sum of those little parts weave a delicious tapestry across the evergreen branches. My mother would put out a ceramic Christmas village (of which she has painted most of herself) that would be adjacent to the tree. Sometimes we’d even have a small model train running in a circular lap around the tree’s base. 

Scrooged

scrooged
Scrooged (1988) | Paramount Pictures

This next film is not quite as dark, but certainly has its dark moments. It’s the second Richard Donnor film on my list, 1988’s Scrooged. I just have to say, I freaking love Bill Murray. The man has never failed to make me laugh. He really shows off his range in this film playing this aloof, sleazy, and douchey TV exec who gets the Dickens treatment with three ghosts visiting him to show how much of an aloof, sleazy, douchey guy he is. The ending of this film is a great tender moment, albeit a little cheesy. Despite Scrooged’s tonal shifts, it still works its magic on me every time. 

Put a Little Love in Your Heart

Scrooged is about giving back love received; giving more if you can spare it. What this means to me, in an act-locally-think-globally type of way, is love yourself, your family, your neighbor and even your stranger. I suppose this aspect of Christmas is a little on the heavier side compared to the other parts I’ve mentioned. I could’ve left this at the bottom of this list to make for a more solid ending. But why wait? There are familial activities such as decorating the house, singing carols, sending out personalized holiday cards that amplify this effort. It continues with more selfless acts of giving to those who are in need, this is a part of the holiday season that punches at a higher weight class. I won’t presume to get too preachy, just know that it’s very much tied to my earlier recitations of reflection and gratitude I mentioned earlier.

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The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause (1994) | Buena Vista Pictures

This next film may seem out of place when put up against the films already mentioned. But it just has this magnetism to it that I have never been able to shake off. Of course, I’m talking about John Pasquin’s 1994 flick The Santa Clause. I remember being very young watching it when it came out, being so entrapped by someone’s automatic responsibility to becoming Santa and carrying that weight – literally – around. In doing so, he becomes a better person. Now, say what you want about Tim Allen the person. He nails it as Scott Calvin in this flick. This was the mid-’90s and Tim Allen was flourishing with his hit TV show Home Improvement. A movie like this with him in the leading role was inevitable. I loved the scenes in the North Pole, how Scott becomes a better father to Charlie, and I really enjoy that elf Bernard. I want to grab a beer with that guy. He just seems like an IPA type of fellow. 

Baking Cookies

While brewing beer has never been a customary tradition in my family, baking cookies has. I have even carried on this tradition into adulthood, baking cookies on my own and bringing them to coworkers and friends. I go all out. I buy nice tins, I bake all types of flavors, and I make a day out of it. It’s just a fun way to give someone something that isn’t too expensive, but they know you gave your time. Which is still very special, if you ask me. 

Krampus 

Krampus (2015) | Universal Pictures

This next one is the most recently released addition, 2015’s Krampus directed by Michael Dougherty, who also directed the brilliant Halloween film Trick ‘r Treat. Krampus gets a spot on my list because I just dig its vibe. It’s such a fun way to bring this folktale to life. It’s not the greatest horror film or Christmas film by a long shot. But it’s a comfort film that I love a little bit more with each viewing. It has pretty good laughs, silly scares, yet still has a decent holiday lesson hovering above all the chaos on screen.

Gift Giving (and Receiving)

If you’ve seen Krampus, you’ll recall its opening scene reflecting the lousier side of humanity. When it comes to this time of year, the rushing rat race of consumerism of people trampling and fighting as they shop for gifts has become a parody unto itself. I know it’s the classy, dignified thing to say that Christmas isn’t about gifts. While that is true, I do thoroughly enjoy buying stuff for other people. I guess it’s a love language I’ve adopted over the years. It’s a way to express to people that you know them, that you see them. My gift giving isn’t always on target. But whether the item I get someone is practical or meaningful, I feel confident they know I was truly shopping with them and not simply checking a box. I’ve given lousy gifts, and I have been given lousy gifts. Gifts that you smile through clenched teeth at. Not that you are ungrateful at the gesture, but saddened that you might get the feeling that the giver doesn’t know or care to know you. What I’m trying to say is that gift giving is a gift itself. It is a way to express to someone that you see them and that you know them. That is something truly priceless.

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Die Hard

Die Hard (1988) | 20th Century Fox

Alright, last film. This 1988 action film directed by John McTiernan has dug in hard roots in the yuletide cinematic landscape. I must concede that Die Hard wasn’t aimed to be a Christmas movie. Looking at it now with a wider aperture, it really isn’t one. Do I still consider it as such? You’d be absolutely correct. There’s just so much in here to unpack that screams Christmas! Some anecdotal scenes include a dead bad guy adorned with a Santa hat, a donut-eating cop singing Christmas carols, the Christmas party that is the set piece for the entire plot! And it has a happy holiday ending to boot, with the ash of the burning building dropping like snowfall. 

Christmas Eve

My last piece of tradition plays directly into my mandatory annual screening of Die Hard, and that is Christmas Eve. This is the moment. This is the day, this is what it’s all been leading up to. From setting out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer, to reading ‘Twas the Night before Christmas, to dimming the lights and letting the stockings and tree glow incandescently. It’s more than a day, it’s an experience. It’s the anticipation, the longing, the excitement. There just isn’t another exciting day of the year for my money. 

Honorable Mentions

My honorable mentions are How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Eyes Wide Shut, Just Friends, Edward Scissorhands, Black Christmas, Jingle All the Way, the classic cartoons like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

For better or worse, these movies and customs have shaped me into who I am today. I look forward to finding new films and new pursuits to add to my catalog. I’ve included “world-healing resolution” on my list to Santa this year. Maybe this time next year, we all will have something more to celebrate, watch on repeat, and be thankful for. 


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