It's that -wonderful- time of the year once again. Christmas is here and people all around the world gather in their living rooms and enjoy that Christmasy feeling with their families. Is there a better time to lie next to the fireplace, covered up in a fluffy blanket and watch a film that feels warm and safe and makes you forget all your problems -at least for a little while-? I think not. So, here are some of my favourite Christmas films that I happily enjoy every year if I happen to catch one.
1. A Nightmare Before Christmas
It's been 20 years since this wonderful animated film was released in cinemas, but to this day Tim Burton's most playful and whimsical creation, that's directed not by him but by -the constantly ignored- Henry Selick, still manages to win the hearts of those who watch the efforts of Jack Skellington and his Halloween friends to take over Christmas.
The Nightmare Before Christmas may be my all-time favourite Christmas film, one that I watch every single year without getting tired of its beautiful atmosphere.
2. It's A Wonderful Life
It might be the most classic Christmas film of all time. The story of a family man's journey through depression and despair until he realises that the most important things of all are the ones we already have. Frank Capra directs a delightful James Stewart who witnesses what life would be without him as he struggles with his own demons and with one of the most evil film characters ever: Lionel Barrymore's Mr.Potter.
3. Little Women
The 1994 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's famous novel is third on my list even though it isn't a "Christmas Film" per se. It is the story of the four March sisters who live with their mother while their father is fighting in the American Civil War. Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst and Christian Bale star in this family film that's all about love, heartaches, passionate emotions, family warmth, sibling competition and the endeavours to make one's dreams come true. If that's not a Christmas-like film, what is? And, hey! The film begins and ends at Christmas time, so that's something.
4. A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens's famous novel has been adapted to the big screen many times but the universally-acclaimed best version is that of 1951 that stars Alastair Sim in the role of the old miser Ebenezer Scrooge. It is the well-known story of an old mean Londoner who is visited by three ghosts and is given a last chance to change his cruel ways and atone himself. If you haven't seen this version, try and find it. It's a must-see.
5. Joyeux Noël
Directed by Christian Carion and starring many big European names such as Daniel Brüll, Diane Kruger and Guillaume Canet, this Oscar-Nominated Film shows that humanity and compassion are still there even during a heart wrecking event like a war. This is a trully touching Christmas film.
6. The Shop Around the Corner
Before You've Got Mail (1998), two other people fell in love via correspondence and they were James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan in this 1940 movie.Both are employees in a gift shop in Budapest and they cannot bare each other. While they're making each other's life a living hell, they do not know that they are anonymous pen pals who are also falling in love. Soon, romance blossoms and the two have to overtake the obstacles they've made up for themselves and just be together!
7. Love Actually
Now that we've mentioned love and romance, how can we ignone this British sensation that gathered all English talent into one romantic Christmas film? Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Martin Freeman, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Chiwetel Ejiofor (remember him from this year's 12 Years a Slave) Andrew Lincoln and Colin Firth are some of the actors who star in this.The film tells the stories of 8 different couples who struggle with love and life during a busy Christmas month in London. It is a wonderful, light-hearted film but be careful! If this Christmas finds you single and a little sensitive, it may not be the best choice for a carefree evening.
8. The Polar Express
So, here we arrive to another animated feature that came out in 2004 and it was one of the first big films that used the technique of "motion capture". Starring Tom Hanks, it follows the story of a boy who catches the Polar Express that travels to the North Pole and Santa Claus' home. It is an emotional story about innocence and its loss, about the journey of self-discovery for all the -little or older- kids, and about belief. After all "seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see".9. A Charlie Brown Christmas
10. Miracle on 34th Street
We've reached the final film of this list, which is one of the most classic Christmas films of all time, so it wouldn't feel right to exclude it. Miracle on 34th Street, released in 1947 -and remade in 1994-, is the story of a nice old man (Edmund Gwenn) who gets a job as Macy's Department Store's Santa Claus. The delightful and charming old man forms a relationship with Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), the events director and her daughter (a young Natalie Wood) but also claims to be Kris Kringle -the real Santa Claus himself. Even though his claims are peculiar, everyone starts to notice how special the man is and how great his efforts to advance the Christmas spirit are. This surely is one of the most wonderful Christmas films of all time.So, there you have it. These are some of my favourite Christmas Movies. Make sure you watch some of them -or any other for that matter- and never let the Christmas spirit desert you. Happy Christmas!
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