My Christmas Movie Faves & the Stories Behind Them

Yes, this is yet another Christmas related post, but I just can’t help myself… it truly is the best time of year! 

Tis the season for building a fire in the fire place, turning on all of the Christmas lights, and snuggling up on the couch with a good Christmas movie.  There aren’t many that I don’t like, and I love to watch our favorites every season.  I could probably list at least twenty that I love, but I won’t overload you since you’re probably busy doing nine million things in preparation for Christmas and #AintNobodyGotTimeFoDat. 

Here are my top five and the reasons why I adore them. 

O N E – Love Actually 

Not only is this my favorite Christmas movie, it is also my favorite movie.  Like ever.  Of all time.   

Brian and I first watched it in either 2004 or 2005 (unfortunately I can’t remember which, but we’ll just go with 2004 so we can say that we have watched it every single year since its debut on DVD) and then we ended up watching it every year during Christmastime after that for several years until it just naturally became a tradition.  I believe that it was in 2007 when we actually made it a point to watch it to carry on the tradition.  We watched it on the plane on the way back from our honeymoon in Hawaii, and we have watched it every year since.  This year will make the 12th (or maybe 11th… I guess we’ll never know…) year in a row.  #WeAreOld 

Anywho, this movie is just so good and it makes me so happy every time I watch it.  When it’s over, I’m always left with this sense of peace and it always feels like everything is right in the world. 

If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it this Christmas season.  But warning, it is rated R for a reason, so please don’t mistake this for a Christmas movie to watch with the little ones.  I assure you, you would have a lot of explaining to do if little eyes were to see a couple of the R rated scenes in this movie!   

Yikes, I’m cringing even thinking about it.

T W O – Home Alone 

Buzz, your girlfriend – WOOF!

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t seen this movie?  It came out when I was eight years old, and I’ve seen it every year since.  And there were some years when I watched it multiple times.  Aaaand there were some summers when my brother and I watched it a bazillion times when we were out of school.  Shoot, there were some days where we watched it more than once in the same day.  I think it’s safe to say that we were are obsessed.  We can both quote the entire movie from start to finish.  If I had to guess how many times I’ve seen it, I would say probably between 200 and 300 and that’s probably being on the conservative side.  <Insert monkey covering his eyes emoji here> 

What’s even crazier is that when this movie came out, my oldest brother who is 3.5 years younger than I, was just slightly younger than Kevin was in the movie, and he looked very much like him.  From the strawberry blonde hair, to similar facial features, right down to the same jacket and toboggan that Kevin wears in the movie… #Twinning 

For years everywhere we went we would hear gasps and whispers from strangers –  

“Oh my goodness, it’s that kid from Home Alone!”   

And most of the time, people weren’t even saying that he looked like him… they actually thought that it was him!  I can even remember someone saying something about it in church one time when we were walking past them to get seated in the pew.  It was plain crazy.  I wish I knew how many times we heard that throughout the years… I would venture to say that it was probably fewer times than my brother and I have seen the movie, though.  ;o) 

Anyway, we still watch it every Christmas Eve at our parents’ house, and we will probably still be doing the same thing with our grandkids when we’re eighty.   

Because - Keep the change, ya filthy animal!   

T H R E E – Serendipity  

I’m not even sure if this technically qualifies as a Christmas movie since parts of it take place during other times of the year, but Serendipity will always be a Christmas movie in my book.  It captures quintessential New York City at Christmastime, and that is why I love it so much.   

After seeing that movie, I was dying to go to NYC at Christmastime just so I could see and do all of the things from the movie.  In 2012, Brian and I finally planned a trip for December for our fifth wedding anniversary, and I used that movie as my travel planner.   

I wanted to have Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity, I wanted to go to Wollman Rink in Central Park to see the famous ice skating rink with the gorgeous NYC skyline behind it, and I wanted to see all of the beautiful store fronts decorated to the nines for Christmas, as well as to go in to Bloomingdale’s where John Cusack buys the famous gloves in the movie. 

And you know what?  We did just that.  All of it.  And it was my very favorite trip that I’ve ever taken in my entire life so far.  So now when I watch that movie, it makes me even more warm and fuzzy because it brings back memories from our trip.  :o)

F O U R – The Santa Clause 

Another great one, and another one that I’ve seen numerous times!  So clever and original, and who didn’t think that Charlie was the cutest little boy ever?  We watched this one with Jacob for the first time last year and he was completely enthralled.  I don’t think he moved a muscle the entire time.   

F I V E – Miracle on 34^th Street 

This one is one of my favorites from when I was a little girl, and I actually like the newer version from 1994 better than the original.  Blasphemy to some of you, I’m sure, but it’s the one that we watched the most growing up.   

I’m so excited because this is one that Jacob has never seen, so we will hopefully be watching it this year.  I love seeing everything through his fresh, innocent eyes… it’s like watching it for the very first time.

In other news, I’ve never seen It’s a Wonderful Life.  <Insert cringing emoji here>  I know, I know… I’m ashamed to have to admit that, but I hope to remedy that sometime soon, and maybe it will even make the list of favorites! 

Happy watching, everybody!