By John Rieg
Oh, the weather outside is frightful…among other things. Luckily the trusty old internet has you covered! Here’s 10 of the finest Christmas classics to get you in the holiday swing, while you’re stuck at home this winter.
10. “The Year Without a Santa Clause” (1974)
This should’ve been as big as “Rudolph” but it just didn’t make the cut and I don’t know why! Lots of memorable songs in this one, most notably Heat Miser and Snow Miser’s titular jams.
9. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964)
The classic story of Rudolph; made complete by the island of misfit toys, Yukon Cornelius, and Santa of course! The film teaches us an important lesson, and that’s don’t make fun of anyone because they could be of use to you. Ho, ho, ho!
8. “Die Hard” (1988)
No Christmas movie list is complete without the action packed, fun-filled “DIE HARD.” Watch Bruce Willis kick some serious ***. A Stunning performance by the late Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. Yippee Kai Yay Mutha *****!
7. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
There are a lot of versions of “A Christmas Carol” out there but such is the rule: anything is better when Muppets are involved. The first Muppet film to be produced after the death of creator Jim Henson. His son, Brian Henson, takes over directing duties in this hilarious reimagination of the Dickens classic.
6. Black Christmas (1974)
The first of two Bob Clark directed Christmas flicks on this list. (If you’re good at something stick with it, I guess!) This cult classic is one of the earliest films in the slasher genre, and is credited with pioneering common horror tropes that are still in use today.
5. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966)
Boris Karloff, best known as the also green monster, “Frankenstein,” voices the Grinch and the narrator in this popular cartoon classic. Lessons are learned, family fun ensues!
4. “Home Alone” (1990)
The movie that makes everyone say to themselves, “gee, whatever happened to that kid?” Trust me, you don’t want to know. Simply enjoy Macaulay Culkin take on Joe Pesci in this holiday classic. Shoutout to Catherine O’Hara for playing the forgetful mom that allowed for all these shenanigans to go down!
3. Gremlins (1984)
The top three Christmas flicks were hard to rank, but after much deliberation this Joe Dante directed/Spielberg produced masterpiece sits at the number three spot. A perfect mixture of family fun, holiday cheer, and horror, “Gremlins” stands tall as not only one of the best Christmas movies of all time, but one of the best movies of all time. And how cute is Gizmo, eh?
2. “A Christmas Story” (1983)
What can be said about this movie that hasn’t already been said? Perhaps the most quotable film on this list. You cannot miss this one as it plays for 24 hours on TBS every year on Christmas. There is absolutely no excuse to miss out on this laugh out loud picture this year, or any year!
1. “Christmas Vacation” (1989)
The crème de la crème of hilarity. Just too funny. This movie perfectly portrays the outrageousness of the season, and It’s a lot of fun watching Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, and Randy Quaid play on the family dynamic. If you’re only going to watch one Christmas movie this year, this is the one.
We hope you enjoyed this list! Cheers!