The 40 Movies of the Christmas Holidays, Part Two (The 12 Days of Christmas Viewing)

Welcome to your 12 Days of Christmas Viewing post, the second part of the A Cute Film Addict 40 Movies of the Christmas Holidays. If you missed Part One, check it out here:

Now that you’re caught up, grab your eggnog, remote and let’s get started.

12. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

Did you know that two of the five Oscar nominees in 1948 were holiday movies? Along with a certain miracle that happened in midtown Manhattan, this is the other one. In The Bishop’s Wife, Henry Koster directs Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven, and Monty Woolley in a tale about an angel with quite the to-do list; help a bishop, build a church, and save a marriage.

11. White Christmas (1954)

Consider for a moment the significance of this film. For a film that’s mostly remembered as a warm, nostalgic holiday movie rather than one of the all-time great musicals, White Christmas certainly commands a lot of star power and and pop-culture status. Bing Crosby was the #1 box office star in the country and “White Christmas” was already the most successful song in American history, a record it would maintain for many more decades. I mean, who doesn’t know and love that song?

As someone who adores the film, even I will admit the plot is thin, but Crosby and costar Danny Kaye are terrific as a top song-and-dance act who take a vacation in Vermont with a pair of sister entertainers, Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney. Studio, Paramount, believed in the film so much that they chose it to be their first movie produced in VistaVision, their widescreen answer to CinemaScope.

And they were not wrong in their assessment. The holiday classic delivered as the highest grossing film of 1954, thanks to Bing Crosby and costars, and their ability to bring some fine Irving Berlin songs to life including “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing,” “Sisters,” “Snow,” “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me,” the Oscar nominated “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” and of course “White Christmas.”

10. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

We all know that Michael Caine singing to a bunch of puppets should not work, and yet, somehow it does. The Muppets slide perfectly into Charles Dickens Christmas’ tale, but bring their own anarchic comedy stylings with them, for example, “Light the lamp, not the rat!” Clearly having no place in the 19th century, Gonzo does a credible job as narrator, using language lifted straight from the book for the most part, and throughout it all, Caine somehow keeps a straight face to give us one of the most faithful Scrooges, and a convincing one as he undergoes his transformation from miser to mensch.

9. Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone is basically a live-action cartoon with a clever John Hughes script and it’s a great bit of fun, and in it’s own unique way, the film emphasizes the importance of love and family just as much as It’s a Wonderful Life. Similarly to Capra’s tale, being deprived of his family and safety makes Macauley Culkin’s Kevin realize how much he needs them, and fending off the Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) all alone gives him a unique appreciation of the Christmas spirit. Also, he gets to shoot a BB gun directly into one of the culprits nether regions, so that’s fun.

8. The Holdovers (2023)

The Holdovers is last year’s gem that hits all the Christmas notes just right, earning its inclusion high on this list. Alexander Payne’s bittersweet dramedy is all about finding unexpected connections amid difficult circumstances. The film stars Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and an Oscar-winning Da ‘Vine Joy Randolph as a boarding school teacher, student, and cafeteria manager, who find themselves leaning on each other during Christmas break, and the result is equal parts hilarious and moving.

7. Miracle On 34th Street (1947)

Edmund Gwenn plays an older man working as a Macy’s department store Santa who claims to be the genuine Kris Kringle, along the way he convinces innocent children and even some of the most cynical adults in this undeniably sweet perennial classic.

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

If you’re like my father-in-law and think the Jim Carrey version is a little over-caffeinated, Chuck Jones’ animated made-for-TV take on the Dr. Seuss classic is the one you want to watch year end and year out. “The Grinch hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season. Now, please don’t ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn’t screwed on just right. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small.”

* I think I got that right, it was all from memory. I trust that if I didn’t, someone will let me know in the comments below.

5. Klaus (2019)

Did you ever want to know how Santa Claus really got his start? If so, you will appreciate this gorgeously animated Netflix film as it offers up a compelling origin story about a young postman and a toy maker in 19th-century Norway who pair up for each other’s benefit to have kids write letters in exchange for toys. If you find yourself tiring of the same old Christmas movie tropes, I dare say you will appreciate the creativity behind the storytelling of this fine film.

4. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this one was made for TV, but that hasn’t stopped it from winning a place in everyone’s hearts for coming up on 60 years. The film showcases a Charlie Brown that finds himself depressed as the Christmas season approaches and can’t figure out why he isn’t onboard with the decking the halls and the being jolly. After visiting everyone’s favorite psychiatrist, Lucy, he gets involved in directing the school nativity play, a Christmas tradition. Thinking this will help, but with the other characters running wild and things rather difficult, Charlie Brown is still down. In the end, however, everyone rallies round, helping Charlie decorate his tiny, but real tree and remembering what Christmas is really all about (thanks to Linus bringing it all together) with a singalong to Hark the Herald Angels. Give this a watch and no doubt you will find your heart warmed by the true meaning of Christmas.

3. The Apartment (1960)

Certainly this film can be watched anytime of the year, but the story takes place around the holidays and makes it perfect viewing for right now, and honestly there’s not much better a Christmas present to yourself than the adorable coupling of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine on screen together. How do you follow up 1959’s Some Like It Hot, without question one of the greatest comedies ever made? That was the question facing screenwriter Billy Wilder. His answer was with The Apartment, another all-time classic, and once more starring Jack Lemmon. Lemmon is C.C. Baxter, a New York insurance drone who attempts to climb the corporate ladder by loaning his brownstone to the company’s executives so they might commit adultery in peace. Trouble comes about when Baxter, himself, falls for one of his boss’ favorites, elevator operator Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine). Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, certainly rare for a comedy film, but this timeless picture is no ordinary comedy, it’s also tender, cynical, and risqué. So much so, that some entertainment papers of the time, dismissed it as a “dirty fairy tale.”

2. Die Hard (1988)

Now when my wife reads this, there will be a conversation. You married guys out there will understand what I’m talking about. Now it’s not that she doesn’t like this film, she very much enjoys it, but she falls on the other side of the Christmas movie argument. But since this is my list, I win (for now). Die Hard has bullets, beatdowns, and the classic barefoot stunt, but the real reason it’s so perennially popular is that it has bagfuls of spirit (Christmas spirit). Smart in its simplicity, John McTiernan’s skyscraper scrapper Christmas film is given an extra boost of charm and holiday cheer by Bruce Willis’ John McLane. An odds-fighting hero taking down terrorists with guile, wit, and improvisation and all in one magical night, much like the jolly guy delivering presents to all the good boys and girls out there. Willis’ embittered but sardonic role set the standard for a thousand copycat movie protagonists to come. With no fat at all on its evenly-paced runtime, a fantastic sense of location, and Michael Kamen’s peerless score, Die Hard lives on as the perfect Christmas movie. Yippie-Ki-Yay! (I’m pretty certain that means Merry Christmas!) and to all a good night!

And now, if you have followed along accordingly, as you get here it should be Christmas Eve. Hoping you are on the nice list and not the naughty list like this guy:

Or these guys:

But you know what? It’s the Christmas season and to put the Christmas spirit on display, whether you’ve been perfectly nice, slightly naughty, or a little bit of Cotton-Headed Ninnymuggins, I have a treat for you; two movies to close out your 12 Days of Christmas viewing.

1B. A Christmas Story (1983)

This massively popular film could easily be renamed The Adventures of a Young Ralphie. The 1940’s-set story basically chronicles Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) and his attempts to convince his parents and/or Santa Claus that a BB gun is an appropriate Christmas present for a 9 year-old. Everyone, from his teacher to Santa himself, is certain that Ralphie will “shoot his eye out,” yet he remains determined that it’s the only possible present. For us adults, it’s a great reminder of what it’s like to be a kid and obsessed with the presents you so badly desire.

And that leads us to the grand finale…

1A. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

There was never a doubt, this would be how we finished off this list. Timeless might be an over-used adjective but Frank Capra’s celluloid hug is the genuine article, telling the story of family man George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), who is driven to suicide amid financial turmoil and given a chance to review what the lives of others would be like without him via a guardian angel. The film revolves around a Dickensian twist, since used by everything from Back to the Future to Sliding Doors where George sees a parallel existence and understands the wonder of his world. The film is melancholy without being maudlin, heartwarming, but not cloying, and the five-Oscar-nominee offers a slice of Americana that is beautifully played and directed with an infectious joy in the final payoff. Sure, it’s sentimental, but it also explores bleak themes of small town suffocation, compromise, greed and weakness, and understands human fascination with the ‘what ifs’ of life. Attaboy, Clarence.