Thursday, December 15, 2011

Our Family's Top Picks in Christmas Movies

I’d really love to share Christmas décor pictures with you, but since my house doesn’t seem to be able to stay clean long enough for photos these days (between all the running, crafting, wrapping gifts, cooking, and all the Christmas season busyness), it’s just not happening today.

So…..since it’s also the season of Christmas movie watching, I thought I’d share our family favorites. We don’t have cable or satellite, so all of our viewing is on VHS, DVDs or instant streaming from Netflix. We even get limited local stations. So I am basing our favorites on what we have access to watching.

I’m going to list each of our "top three" favorites. Without revealing our favorites to each other, this is what we came up with.  And these in our top favorites are watched multiple times during the Christmas season!  And let me just say right here that I told Jason he cheated.  :)  He made his second choice a tie.  Believe me, it was hard trying to put it in just 3 top picks.

Tammy’s:

#1 - It’s a Wonderful Life
#2 – A Holiday for Love (known on TV formerly as Christmas in my Hometown)
#3 – The Christmas Card



Jason’s:

#1 – It’s a Wonderful Life
#2 – Tie: A Holiday for Love & Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
#3 – The Christmas Card



Colt's:

His are in no particular order. These are just his favorites when asked to name three favorite Christmas movies.   No surprise, his are all comedies.  :)

Jingle All the Way
I'll Be Home For Christmas
The Santa Clause



Joy’s:

#1 – It’s a Wonderful Life
#2 – The Christmas Card
#3 – Christmas With a Capital C



Luke’s:

#1 – Christmas Comes to Willow Creek (Because it has an 18-wheeler in it which he LOVES!).
#2 – Bob the Builder - Christmas to Remember
#3 – Kipper's Christmas Eve



And seriously, It's a Wonderful Life is in a category all its own because none really compare to it in my book.

Now, we narrowed it down to the top three, but there are several more that we make a point of watching every year. These additional ones always include: A Christmas Romance, A Holiday Romance, A Holiday to Remember, Smoky Mountain Christmas, Comfort and Joy, Holiday Affair, Prancer, Mary Christmas, Christmas At Plum Creek, and Borrowed Hearts. Oh and I also love Annabelle's Wish, but we have always rented it and haven't found it this year and I really want Luke to see it!  It's a sweet one!








For anyone taking note of these, I do want to warn you that Christmas Comes to Willow Creek does have a couple of words in it that I could do without, but since we know where they are, we can skip through it.  Also after just watching Comfort and Joy again, please note that there are a couple of situations and lifestyles in there that we don't approve of in her "old life". 

Actually the most wholesome movies listed above include:  It's a Wonderful Life, A Holiday for Love, The Christmas Card, A Christmas Romance, Christmas With a Capital C, A Holiday to Remember, Christmas At Plum Creek, A Holiday Romance, Borrowed Hearts, Annabelle's Wish, Mary Christmas, and Prancer.
The movies we seem to enjoy have “that Christmas feeling” about them. It’s hard to describe. It just feels like Christmas. It is cozy and family centered, with a good moral story, and those with lots of snow definitely helps too. Speaking for myself, I also love to look at the houses and décor in the background. For example, A Holiday for Love, A Christmas Romance, Christmas at Plum Creek, Smoky Mountain Christmas, and a Holiday to Remember have “my kind” of décor, country/primitive/farmhouse/rustic charm, in the homes.

What about you? What are your favorite Christmas movies and why? Are we missing some really great ones that our family would love based on what I revealed about our favorites? Tell me.......... :)

Oh, and I definitely hope to be back in a couple of days with Christmas photos of our home and The Cedar Loft.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day!  And be sure and grab a big bowl of popcorn, snuggle up, and enjoy some Christmas movie watching!  :)

10 comments:

Penny said...

Hi Tammy!
Thanks for sharing your faves.... many of the movies you have on your list I have not heard of and will be looking for them. We always try to watch a movie a few times a week during December....
I find "It's a Wonderful Life" to be one of my faves, as well, but also LOVE "A Christmas Carol" (we watch 3 different ones), and "Miracle on 34th Street," which is always a Thanksgiving tradition for us (in between football games, of course!). Did you ever see "Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas?" It is a Jim Henson show.... not really a movie.... but oh, did my girls LOVE that when they were little. They still watch it every year, even though my youngest is 25!!
Enjoy the season!!

Unknown said...

My Husband loves "Stony Mountain Christmas", I had never seen it before he asked us to sit down and watch it with him one year.

My all time Fav. is " White Christmas" with Bing Crosby!

Merry Christmas!

Hollie said...

So many of the ones you listed are my favs also!

It’s a Wonderful Life
The Christmas Card
Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
A Holiday Romance
Smoky Mountain Christmas
Prancer
Annabelle's Wish

JoAnn SweetPepperRose said...

Hey Tammy! It's A Wonderful Life has always been one of my favorites, but the other is A Christmas Story. I never get tired of watching Ralphie. I have never seen The Christmas Card, so I'll have to look it up on Netflix.
Merry Christmas!
JoAnn

Anonymous said...

Tammy, Thank you so much for taking the time to put together this list of favorite movies, some I have seen and some are new to me. I am going to check Netflix and see what is available of your list through them, that is pretty much my source for TV at this point. I know I will love them all. Happy Holidays to you and your family. Dianne Fuller

Sandi @ The Primitive Skate said...

These movies are all wonderful. Oh and Annabelle's Wish is my favorite. My kids have it in VHS and they watched it over and over and over. They are 22, 21 and 10 and it's still their favorite, Lol!
If I see a copy, i will let you know.

LynnMarie said...

I have watched all the movies on you list and I too love "It's a Wonderful LIfe" best of all. And you are right, there is Feeling of Christmas that I love and wish we could keep all year round. Have a great week.

basketsnprims said...

Love It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th st. The Holiday and one I saw this year with James Garner and Annabell Breslin, forgot the name. It was a Hallmark movie. Thanks for sharing, Tammy.
hugs,
pam

Joy ~ Doodlebug ~ said...

Mama,

If I could pick other favorites, they would be a Christmas Romance and a Holiday to Remember.

I loved this post--it was so fun!

I love you! 8!

God bless you and Merry Christmas1
Love,
Joy :D

Nancy M. said...

It's a Wonderful Life is my favorite too! I also like a lot of the ones on y'all have listed. Some of these I haven't seen yet, but will be on the lookout for!