As an occasionally snotty internet contrarian, I understand the urge behind people intoning that “Die Hard is my favorite Christmas movie”, as though they came up with the idea themselves. Indeed, I have resigned myself to it, especially since I don’t like to nerd-shame people for the things they say and do, regardless of what Otter Disaster claims. Even so, I’m still a fan of the annual viewing of ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and ‘Frosty The Snowman’ that CBS has done since time immemorial (or the mid-60s, which is the same thing), and look forward to seeing Peppermint Patty’s inappropriate freakout after inviting herself and a group of friends to Charlie Brown’s house without so much as a ‘by your leave.’ Given the business of the month in my house (multiple birthdays, multiple holiday traditions, as well as school concerts and such), these old TV friends help to offset possible frustrations, leading to today’s once-a-year query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) also likes the Slapsgiving episodes of ‘How I Met Your Mother’, as my family traditions likewise have subtle undercurrents of violence, asking; What shows/songs/books/all-mouse interpretive dance troupe recitals constitute your favorite holiday entertainment?
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Driving through neighborhoods looking at the lights.
We spend a lot of time doing that as well!
My brother and I have a long standing tradition of watching a marathon of the South Park Christmas specials. My personal favorite is Mr. Hanky’s Christmas Classics where it’s a full episode of Christmas songs done in the typical SP manner.
We have planned viewings starting on the day before thanksgiving, which is when we watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. On thanksgiving day we tend to watch fox cartoon xmas episodes (family guy, bond burgers, futurama) while we trim the tree and decorate the house. Every weekend in December is then jam packed with a mixture of all holiday rifftrax episodes, Scrooged, Santa with Muscles (which we pair w/ Jingle All the Way for an exceptionally muscular evening), xmas episodes of married with children, the ABC Rankin Bass and Peanuts line up, and just about anything else we can find. Then, sometime between xmas day and New Year’s Eve, I watch Robocop. I do this every year so I know that I have, at some point, watched Robocop this year.
That’s bob’s burgers not bond burgers. Bond burgers sounds a little more violent
Bob’s Burgers can be violent if you count the episode of “Archer” where Archer had amnesia and believed he was Bob Belcher.
http://archer.wikia.com/wiki/Bob_Belcher
I’m not really a fan of “Archer”, but I thought that episode was hilarious.
My favorites are as follows
1. Love Actually – A movie set completely around Christmas time and all the ways that love can manifest itself. The ways it helps, hurts, and astounds us every day.
2. Die Hard/Dard Hard 2 – As you pointed out, this is a typical nerd comment, but it is the truth. Both movies are about a man who, through no fault of his own, finds himself in a crazy situation in which he has to fight tooth and nail to save his wife and many other people. Hes out-manned and out-gunned, so he has to resort to tricks, traps, and cunning. Really, it’s a grown up Home Alone (and both franchises are set at Christmas as well).
3. Scrooged – A classic Christmas story with Bill Murray as the lead. What more do you need?
Love Actually is a given for Christmas for me too! I could never turn away from anything with the great Alan Rickman in it.
The first Die Hard is also a perfect movie. (See previous comment re: Alan Rickman)
But any holiday seems somewhat empty without a Twilight Zone marathon showing (thanks, Syfy!)
“The Nightmare Before Christmas”, which I firmly consider a Christmas movie and not a Halloween movie, is something I always watch multiple times through the holiday season along with various holiday episodes of TV series I like or liked in the past.
I also like listening to classic Chipmunks Christmas songs because it has the dual benefit of being something that makes me happy and nostalgic while also driving my adult family members crazy. The kids love it for that last reason too. And since I’m hard of hearing, I have to play them at a high volume.
And of course, Bob River’s “I Am Santa Claus” song that parodies the great classic “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath.
I have always loved Xmas vacation and tend to watch it 9-10 times between thanksgiving and Xmas. But the biggest tradition since in it’s been on is the tbs the Xmas story marathon in does not go off my tv. My wife “loves” it.
I have been called a heartless monster because those are two of my least favorite Christmas movies. I can’t stand either of them, and Elf is right up there with them, but that’s because I find Will Ferrell’s “screaming manchild” character to be grating.
Easily National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. No other film perfectly captures what it really is like to deal with family on Christmas, and it is the only tradition my family has for the holidays.
2nd Place-Gremlins, just a wonderful movie, and one I’ll watch every year.
3rd A Charlie Brown Christmas Special- because everyone knows why.
4th Justice League’s Comfort & Joy episode where J’onn J’onzz learns the meaning of Christmas.
5th- Tie between Lethal Weapon & Die Hard, for when I want to be snarky.
That Justice League episode is one of my favorite holiday episodes of any series. It is a little cheesy (like the hilarious scenes with Clark being almost childlike innocent), but it isn’t so cheesy that it makes it ineffective or difficult to watch.
The wife and I have an annual tradition of watching Kevin Spacey, Dennis Leary and Judy Davis in ‘The Ref’ about a Christmas truly gone wrong. Funny movie.
Die Hard is what I call an UnChristmas movie, meaning you can pull out all of the Christmas references and visuals and the movie remains largely unchanged. Its an action movie that takes place during Christmas.