Christmas movies

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Christmas films

Christmas films are movies in which the Dec. 25 holiday is important to the plot. They make up an important -- and lucrative -- genre.

1 Introduction
2 Categorization
3 Category 1 Christmas movies
- 3.1 Made for TV Christmas Movies
4 Category 2 Movies -- Related to Christmas

[edit] Introduction

Christmas films are important for study because the canon contains some of the most influential and beloved ever made. In more recent times, filmmakers have used Christmas stories to highlight, parody, satirize and comment on society. Additionally, watching films during the holidays, particular in the days leading up to (as well as on the holiday) is a well-established tradition in Western nations, particularly in the United States.

Christmas movies are lucrative, particularly in the United States, as Christmas sees perhaps the largest cinema audience of any day of the year.

[edit] Categorization

Christmas films can be divided into two categories:

1. Films entirely, or in large part, about the Christmas holiday. Films in this category always feature important references to the holiday's symbols, such as family gatherings, trees and decorations, the Christ child or Santa Claus. A Christmas Story (1983) is perhaps the most successful example.

2. Films in which Christmas is incidental to the plot. The holiday may be important to the story, but as in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), it is not central.

It can be hard to decide which category to file a movie under. Not every movie with the word "Christmas" in the title goes in Category 1.

For fun, here are two lists created by using the above criteria:

[edit] Category 1 Christmas movies

Category 1

Bad Santa (2003) -- A conman poses as Santa to rob stores on Christmas Eve.
Bishop's Wife, The (1947) -- An angel helps an Episcopalian bishop rearrange his priorities.
A Christmas Carol (1951 and later versions) -- Charles Dickens' ghostly meditation on the holiday.
Christmas Child (2003) -- A life-sized nativity leads a man to learn about his past.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945) -- Fibbing columnist must entertain war hero for the holidays.
A Christmas Story (1983) -- All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun.
Christmas with the Kranks (2004) -- With daughter away, parents decide to skip Christmas.
Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) -- Furry green creature wants to ruin the holiday.
Elf (2003) -- A human, raised at the North Pole, searches for his family in New York.
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) -- Everyman-type Ernest helps Santa.
The Family Stone (2005) -- Uptight woman wants acceptance from eccentric clan at Christmastime.
Holiday Inn (1942) -- Musicians prepare for a white Christmas at cosy lodge.
I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998) -- A college student finds it hard to get home for the holidays.
It's A Wonderful Life (1946) -- Classic tale, climaxing at Christmas, of a man who gets to see what his hometown would be like had he never lived.
Jingle All the Way (1996) -- Dad, while searching for season's hot toy, finds season's true meaning.
Joyeux Noël (2005) -- World War I trenches go silent during the "Christmas truce" of 1914.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947), remade (1973 & 1994) -- Macy's Santa, with help from the U.S. Postal Service, restores little girl's faith.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) -- As usual, Griswold family plans turn to disaster, this time at Christmas.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) -- Inhabitants of Halloween land do a number on Christmas.
The Polar Express (2004) -- Magical train takes riders north.
Prancer (1989) -- Girl nurses wounded reindeer.
Preacher's Wife, The (1996) -- Remake of The Bishop's Wife.
Remember the Night (1940) -- DA falls for Christmastime shoplifter.
Scrooged (1988) -- Dickens' holiday spirits visit cynical TV exec.
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) -- Biopic for the fat man in the red suit.
The Santa Clause (1994) and sequels -- Santa's accidental killer takes over his job.
Surviving Christmas (2004) -- A young millionaire pays a family to spend Christmas with him.
Trapped in Paradise (1994) -- Kindly town's hospitality melts Christmas burglars' hearts.
'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1914) -- A boy gets a ride in Santa's sleigh.
We're No Angels (1955) -- A trio of escaped convicts helps a man and his wife avoid financial ruin and help their daughter find romance on Christmas Eve.
White Christmas (1954) -- As in Holiday Inn, musicians bring Irving Berlin's lyrics to Vermont lodge.

[edit] Made for TV Christmas Movies

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983) -- A church Christmas pageant touches the hearts of a family of jeuvenile deliquents.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) -- Charlie Brown searches for the true meaning of Christmas, by directing a Christmas play while shunning the hyper-comercialization of Christmas.
The Christmas Box"" (1995) -- Based on the bestselling book of the same name, a couple and their daughter move in with a widow and discover a box containg the answer to the first gift of Christmas.
The Christmas Secret (2000) -- Scientist tries to make reindeers fly.
Home for Christmas (1990) -- A thief befriends a young boy at Christmas.
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971) Pilot episode of [[The Waltons]] where John Boy searches for his father on Christmas Eve.
The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972) -- A widower, still grieving from his wife's death, refuses to allow a Christmas tree in the home, to the dismay of his young daughter.
Like Father, Like Santa (1998) -- Greedy business man travels to the North Pole to takeover Santa's workshop.
Mrs. Santa Claus (1996) -- Santa's wife ends up in New York in the early 1900s near Christmas.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) Claymation adaptation of the popular song where Rudolph, and Hermey the Misfit Elf, overcome rejection for their differences and help Santa Claus make his Christmas Eve trip.
Stealing Christmas (2003) -- A criminal hides in a small town and takes a job as a Santa.
Santa Jr. (2002) -- Santa's son, mistaken for the 'Christmas Bandit,' is held under house arrest two days before Christmas.
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus (1974) -- An animated account of young Virginia O'Hanlon's letter to the editor inquiring on the truth of Santa Claus.

[edit] Category 2 Movies -- Related to Christmas

Category 2

Black Christmas (1974, remade 2006) -- A stranger terrorizes sorority girls during the holiday break.
Bush Christmas (1947, remade 1983) -- Aussie children quest for stolen horses at Christmas time.
Die Hard (1988) -- on Christmas Eve, terorists seize control of an LA skyscrapper.
Die Hard 2 (1990) -- Terrorists take over an airport at Christmas Eve.
The Family Man (2000) -- Flimsy remake of It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Gremlins (1984) -- Bad things happen when Christmas gift gets wet.
Holiday Affair (1949) -- Romance blooms between a young widow and a sales clerk at Christmastime.
Home Alone (1990) -- Accidentally abandoned kid defends home from holiday burglars.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) -- The wrong plane takes kid to New York for Christmas as his family travels to another city.
Jack Frost (1996) -- Dead serial killer comes back as snowman.
Jack Frost (1998) -- Dad gets second chance as snowman.
Lethal Weapon (1987) -- A young suicidal cop spends the holidays with a veteran officer and his family.
Love Actually (2003) -- Britons, including hottie prime minister, seek love as Christmas approaches.
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) -- Hobbled New York wit makes Christmas Eve broadcast from Ohio.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) -- In one chapter, Missouri family has itself a merry little Christmas.
Rabbit Test (1978) -- Billy Crystal gets pregnant and spoofs the Nativity.
The Ref (1994) -- Burglar mediates bickering family at Christmastime.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) -- Cult film with self-explanatory title.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) -- Bickering store clerks pine for pen pals as holidays approach.
Stalag 17 (1953) -- American POWs fight among themselves a few days before Christmas.