The Third Best Holiday Movie of All Time

We are on our first of three movies on our Holiday Movie countdown! Are you getting your hygge on for the holidays? We sure are: hot cocoa, warm fairy lights, blankets on the couch, and so on. Yeah, Southern California may be getting a little confused on its seasons this year (80 degree high in December?! Come on! I want some cold weather), but there still can be a slight chill to the air and anyhow, the magic spirit of the holidays is coming alive. What better way to invite the holiday magic in than sitting down to watch your favorite holiday movies? You might recognize some of the contributors below from our previous movie braintrust. Here’s the #3 out of the Top 3 Best Holiday Movies of All Time! 

Andrew (Hungry’s brother) – “Elf”

My top three will have different themes. My #3 is “Everyone of all ages.” When Elf came out, I was a big Will Ferrell fan but I did not like it. It later grew on me and has become a Christmas favorite of mine. I could watch it all year round.

Sophie (Fit’s basically sister-in-law) – “Home Alone” (1990)

This movie is every kid’s dream, to have the house to yourself and successfully fight off bad guys! But as millennials have grown up, this movie has become a part of our cultural identity. Macaulay Culkin as Kevin Mccallister is adorable, funny and heartwarming, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are the quintessential bad guys down to Harry’s gleaming gold tooth. Add in the heartfelt story of the neighbor, one-liners that have become a part of our everyday jargon and a soundtrack of Christmas classics, now synonymous with the movie, Home Alone had become an essential part of our collective Christmas story.

Cole (Hungry’s sister) – “A Chipmunk Christmas” (1981)

Alvin thinks of more than just himself for a change when he finds out Tommy might not make it through Christmas – unless of course he gets a golden echo harmonica. Is there nothing that can’t be solved by giving presents?!?! The clincher for me is that Mrs. Claus is the hero of this movie. Not too bad for a movie made in the 80’s – #feminism.

Po (Hungry’s friend) –  “Elf”

It’s hard to create a new Christmas classic, but John Favreau & Will Ferrell (somehow) pulled it off. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll maybe even see reindeer fly (actually, you’ll probably see me cry during that scene…Did I mention it has an absurdly great soundtrack song too?).

I’m a sucker for ol’ Will, and any attempt to salvage the spirit of what Christmas is supposed to be about — so, in that sense, gotta put Elf on the list. (Not the goddamn shelf.)

Randy (Fit’s dad) – “The Santa Clause” (1994)

While the kids were growing up, our family always watched this 1994 comedy during the holidays. Tim Allen plays Scott Colvin, a rather selfish divorced businessman who, at the beginning of the movie, accidentally causes Santa to fall from his roof on Christmas Eve and due to an interesting contract has to take Santa’s place. Scott’s beard grows in a day, he puts on 50 lbs. in a week, little kids start to be drawn to him to tell him what they want for Christmas. Judge Reinhold is especially funny as the psychologist husband of Scott’s ex-wife who sees Scott’s transformation as a serious mental illness. Scott’s son Charlie helps Scott undergo a spiritual transformation to match his physical changes – all in the spirit of Christmas. John Pasquin directed The Santa Clause after working with Tim Allen on the TV series Home Improvement.

Eva (Hungry’s mom) – “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” 

This a retro Rankin and Bass Christmas Special, back from the days that I was young. However, this does teach social acceptance for being different far before its time.  This is a wonderful message to always send: that we are not the same. That we may feel like misfits, but there is always a place where anyone can feel that they belong.

Hungry – “Eight Crazy Nights” 

Animated movies matter too! There’s a good chance you haven’t seen, or heard of, this movie before now. For most, it was forgettable, but Adam Sandler (on the tail end of his days of brilliance) used his Jewish heritage to create a unique and twisted version of a modern-day Scrooge. While it has moments of utter ridiculousness, it relates more than most holiday movies. It’s a sad tale with a happy ending, but brings some laughter to a holiday season where so many favorite movies are surrounded by crazy love stories. 

Fit – “A Christmas Story”

A classic! A story of a boy struggling through puberty after one hilarious thing (to the audience) after another happens to him. It’s a great family holiday story filled with laughs and cringe-worthy moments. All he wants is his BB gun, but everyone says he’ll simply shoot his eye out if he gets one. The family’s journey through the holidays–and the narration that goes with it–is simply one to remember and cherish. TBS also plays this movie on repeat Christmas day. 

So that is everyone’s third favorite holiday movie: are there any on this list that you would put on yours? Tell us in the comments below! Happy holidays and, as always, stay hungry and fit!