The Foorce

ALERT: After much discussion, we have decided to rest at a Top Nine this evening. Though there are other Christmas movies that we really enjoy individually, there were no others that we felt fit the bill as far as being entertaining and appropriate for a 1 yr old, 2 yr old, special needs 11 yr old and two adults.

But it feels funny to have a Top Nine, like I’m not quite finished (but I am). So feel free to leave your ideas for #10 in the comments section along with the reason why it’s your favorite!

1. Elf: An instant classic, Will Ferrell is at his best here. Something for all ages to enjoy, we watch this at least 10 times every holiday season and still laugh hard every time. The NYC setting makes it extra fun for the kids (and us!).

2. A Christmas Carol (Jim Carrey version): Not to be outdone, Jim Carrey is also at his prime as Scrooge in this remake. The graphics are gorgeous (think Polar Express but even better) and the story stays true to the Dickens classic, often word for word, yet still remains accessible to young children.

3. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (both versions) We read the book and own the original movie, but the newer Jim Carrey version is pretty good too. Very simple bad-turns-good Christmas spirit theme for young children while reminding adults to enjoy the holiday and stop grumbling about the noise noise noise noise!

4. The Polar Express: Tom Hanks, snowy train rides, hot chocolate dances and beautiful images have entranced my entire family (including my husband, who has a man-crush on Hanks).

5. Christmas Eve On Sesame Street: Made even better with some great original songs, I can’t help but tear up every time I hear “True Blue Miracle.” Yes, it’s Sesame Street, but I’m pretty sure that I’m the reason we watch this one more than once every season. And my kids LOVE Oscar on the stairs (watch to find out what I’m talking about!)

6. Miracle on 34th Street (1994 edition) Mara Wilson is adorable as always in this one, but the kids really enjoyed all of the NYC references, especially since we just saw the balloons being inflated for the Macy’s day parade (an opening scene in the movie).

7. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (stop-motion): the kids love the characters – Hermey the Misfit Elf, the Abominable Snoman, Yukon Cornelious, and of course, Rudolph. I love the message of “celebrating one’s unique talents”on more than one level.

8. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (stop-motion) explains how Santa came to be (and he’s a redhead, which my daughter finds incredible)! Yes, it’s obvious that it is from 1970, but 41 years later it still makes an annual appearance on TV which puts it right up there with Charlie Brown.

9. Charlie Brown Christmas – though this one seems like an obvious choice, I think it made it onto the Top Nine purely on a nostalgic basis. Honestly, the kids in this movie are pretty mean to each other (especially Charlie Brown!) which seems to fly in the face of Christmas spirit (something my husband and I didn’t notice until our toddler watched it and started calling people “blockheads.”) But, my husband still cries at the Linus verse every time, earning it a spot on the favorite Christmas movie list.

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I’d love to hear from you – what movies have we been missing?