‘Tis the Season for Christmas Films

As the title says, ‘Tis the season to watch Christmas films! and with everywhere having a bit of snow this year (even Cardiff saw some sleet), what better excuse to stay in, make some nice hot chocolate with marshmallows, sit back and watch your favourite Christmas Films. There is so much to choose from that you probably struggle picking your favourite! Here are a list of Christmas film you will want to watch again and again this season.

All the films listed below are absolute classics for me! Some of them you will definitely have heard whilst other might become amazing finds. All of these films are fantastic and I cannot recommend them enough. Some are incredibly funny while others will have you wailing into you’re pillow (I dare you not to cry during The Snowman, I dare you!). I hope you do get round to watching some of these and if you do tell me what you thought!

Home Alone
Released: 1990
Director: Chris Columbus
Writer: John Hughes
Actor(s): Macauley Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
Plot: When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O’Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must protect the family home.

Love Actually
Released: 2003
Director: Richard Curtis
Writer: Richard Curtis
Actor(s): Rown Atkinson, Alan Rickman, Martin Freeman
Plot: Nine intertwined stories examine the complexities of the one emotion that connects us all: love. Among the characters explored are David, the handsome newly elected British prime minister who falls for a young junior staffer, Sarah, a graphic designer whose devotion to her mentally ill brother complicates her love life, and Harry, a married man tempted by his attractive new secretary.

Scrooged
Released: 1988
Director: Richard Donner
Writer: Mitch Glazer, Michael O’Donoghue
Actor(s): Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe
Plot: In this modern take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). But after firing a staff member, Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.

The Muppet’s Christmas Carol
Released: 1992
Director: Brian Henson
Writer: Jerry Juhi
Actor(s): Michael Caine, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy
Plot: The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge. Other Muppets — Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle — weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases — past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness.

Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Released: 2000
Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Jeffrey Price
Actor(s): Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Christine Baranski
Plot: In this live-action adaptation of the beloved children’s tale by Dr. Seuss, the reclusive green Grinch decides to ruin Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville. Reluctantly joined by his hapless dog, Max, the Grinch comes down from his mountaintop home and sneaks into town to swipe everything holiday-related from the Whos. However, the bitter grump finds a hitch in his plans when he encounters the endearing Cindy Lou Who.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol
Released: 1988
Director: Richard Boden
Writer: Richard Curtis, Ben Elton
Actor(s): Rowan Atkinson, Miranda Richardson, Hugh Laurie
Plot: Blackadder’s Christmas Carol is a one-off episode of Blackadder, a parody of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It is set between Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth, and is narrated by Hugh Laurie. After a genial spirit shows the benevolent Ebenezer Blackadder visions of his unscrupulous ancestors, he resolves to mend his generous ways.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Released: 2010
Director: Jalmari Helander
Writer: Jalmari Helander,
Actor(s): Onni Tommila, Ilmari Järvenpää, Jorma Tommila
Plot: A young boy named Pietari and his friend Juuso  think a secret mountain drilling project near their home in northern Finland has uncovered the tomb of Santa Claus. However, this a monstrous, evil Santa, much unlike the cheery St. Nick of legend. When Pietari’s father captures a feral old man  in his wolf trap, the man may hold the key to why reindeer are being slaughtered and children are disappearing.

The Snowman
Released: 1982
Director: Dianne Jackson, Jimmy T. Murakami
Writer: Raymond Briggs
Actor(s): David Bowie, Raymond Briggs
Plot: On Christmas Eve, a young boy builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. Out of all the films you may be tempted to watch, I recommend this one the most! It’s touching and heart warming and beautiful to watch. Have your tissues at the ready you will become a blubbery mess.