My Top 10 Christmas Movies

When it comes to Christmas I turn into a giant sentimental, nostalgic, emotional sapp. It’s true. It is the one time of year where I put all of my cynicism and resentment aside and embrace the joy and hope that comes in the form of a wee small baby.

I love to bake, decorate, give gifts, see lights, attend sing-a-longs and watch really cheesy holiday movies on Lifetime. Yes, I am that kind of Christmas loving freak.

When I was a kid, my favorite tradition was when, as a family, we would decorate the tree. My dad and brother were in charge of the lights and my mom and I did the cookies. We all put on ornaments and listened to Christmas tunes. I think the last time we did this together was when I was around 16. I remember being sad when the tradition stopped.

As I got older I created my own Christmas traditions with friends. We would make pilgrimages to see Christmas lights in all of the forms from the elegant and grand to the simple and modest.  LOVE IT!

So in honor of all things reverent and irreverant that I love about the Christmas holiday, here is my top 10 list of favorite Christmas (Holiday) movies, in no particular order.

1. White Christmas (1954) - Bing  Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye. A fantastic score. Who could ask for anything more?

2. Scrooged (1988) – Bill Murray retelling of this classic tale in a way only he can. Love Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas present

3.  A Christmas Story (1983) – takes place right here in Cleveland, OH. You can even visit the house where it was filmed, but don’t shoot your eye out. Buy one of the leg lamps instead.

4. Meet in St. Louis (1944) – Judy Garland – Tales of a family

5. The Shop Around the Corner(1940) – Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan. The basis for You’ve Got Mail.

6. Love Actually (2003) – Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Kiera Knightly, Emma Thompson.

7. The Bishop’s Wife (1947) – Nothing says holidays like a guardian angel named Cary Grant.

8. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – Chevy Chase, Classic Griswold story of Christmas gone awry. Love it!

9. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and (1994) both versions are great!

10. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) – the original. It’s a holiday institution.

What’s on your list?

Filed under: Pop Culture , christmas, Christmas movies, classics, holiday, top ten

Stellar Day

Today was a good day.

I got to leave work while it was still light outside.

I got to do some christmas shopping.

I got parking spaces up front at every store I went to. Seriously good parking karma.

I bought a karaoke machine and songs for Christmas day fun.

I got an early christmas present today as well – a new Sony H50 to replace what was stolen in October. I was shocked and amazed. Crazy excited to take some pictures. WHI-HOO!!

Filed under: Things I love , christmas, good day, present

No Christmas Spirit

I can’t believe its December 21st.

Christmas is in only 4 days. I haven’t even started Christmas shopping. I just don’t feel it this year. Christmas feels like a task. In some respect I feel like I’m just marking time.

Maybe because I’m working 14-15 hours a day, including weekends. In some respects that’s great. It means we’re busy. It other respects it means I have less of a life than I did before.

We didn’t put up a tree or put out any decorations this year. I don’t think that’s helping either. Usually my favorite thing to do is sit up at night and stare at the christmas lights.

I’m just in a whining mood I guess.

Filed under: Living in Ohio , christmas, malaise, whining