Before judging my selections, please keep in mind that I’m not really a fan of sappy, sentimental holiday movies. And I never really related to A Christmas Story. I promise, I tried. Especially, since they played it on repeat for 24 hours Christmas Day (do they still?). “You’ll shoot your eye out” just never resonated with me.
With those caveats, here are my favs:
THANKSGIVING MOVIES
I used to think that there was only one true “Thanksgiving movie” worth watching every year (Number 1 on my list below), but some recent, in depth research led me to a few more movies that, while maybe not technically “Thanksgiving movies,” make the cut:
Home for the Holidays
my all time favorite dysfunctional family Thanksgiving movie…why aren’t there more like this??
Rocky
A turkey is literally chucked out a back door. Does it get more festive than that?
Grumpy Old Men
Pieces of April
A little dark, a little dirty…the way Thanksgiving should be, maybe?
Funny People
CHRISTMAS MOVIES
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
“Merry Christmas. Sh&*!ter was full.” may be the best line from a holiday movie EVER
ELF
But “Son of a Nutcracker” is a close second
Home Alone (1 & 2)
When we were kids, my friends and I would prank call people using that Talk Boy cassette recorder thing that changed your voice by either slowing it down or speeding it up
Nightmare Before Christmas
Great to watch anytime between Halloween and Christmas, really
Scrooged
The (original) Grinch Who Stole Christmas
A Christmas Carol
(I’m noticing a pattern with these last few)
When Harry Met Sally
SO many holidays represented in a movie with SO many pop cultural references
Little Women
One of my all time favorite stories. I’ve probably read the book at least a dozen times, but that sloppy kiss between Jo (Wynona Ryder) and Laurie (Christina Bale) in the movie made me question whether that was something people ought to be doing.
It’s a Wonderful Life
Honorable Mentions: Bad Santa, Love Actually, Gremlin’s, Bridget Jones’ Diary (And They Should’ve Stopped There, IMO), Surviving Christmas and The Preacher’s Wife (because, you know, Whitney)
NEW YEAR’S MOVIES
200 Cigarettes
Very 90s
Four Rooms
Because, you know, Tarantino
The Poseidon Adventure
Sleepless in Seattle
Don’t we all?
While You Were Sleeping
Another movie that spans several holidays, but there are less New Year’s movies than Christmas, so there you go
