Rebuilding Rob

Here’s another list that, quite frankly, I’m shocked that I have never compiled before: today I’m going to list my top five favorite Christmas movies, in no particular order. I think what amazed me most about making this list was how hard it was to narrow this list down to just five titles. I almost went with 10.

You’ll notice that this movie doesn’t include any “made for cable” holiday movies that have overrun basic cable channels, like Hallmark and Freeform for the last few years. Also conspicuous by their absence are the “made for TV” holiday specials:

A Christmas Story

I am proud that I can actually say “I liked A Christmas Story before it was cool” and actually mean it. I distinctly remember seeing the movie in theaters back in 1983 along with my sister and our next-door neighbors. At the tender age of nine, I remember liking the movie well enough. The idea that Ralphie Parker was obsessed with getting a particular gift for Christmas was something  I could relate to. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to appreciate the movie even more over time.

Even before I became a parent myself, my favorite part of …Story is that that is Ralphie’s dad – or The Old Man as he’s listed in the credits – who gets Ralphie the Red Ryder BB Gun.

Also, if you’re fan of this movie at all, you owe it to yourself to visit “the Christmas story house“ in Cleveland. A super fan who got the rights to manufacture souvenir “leg lamps“ as well as other Christmas Story memorabilia now, bought the house where the exteriors for the movie were shot. He renovated the interior to make it look like the Parker home as seen in the movie.

Home Alone

I must admit that I never thought this movie would make my top-five list. But we’re 34 years on, and people watch Home Alone as much as they ever have. The fact that Kevin McAllister bears a striking resemblance to both kid 1 and kid 2 at that age is an irony that has not escaped to me.

Finally, has there ever been a greater pick up line than “Do you know if this toothbrush is approved by the American Dental Association?”

CONFESSION TIME: like George Costanza on Seinfeld, I may have cried, maybe more than once when the elderly next door neighbor Marley is reunited with his estranged son.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

I remember seeing this movie in theaters with my high school swim team during the 1989 holiday season. My biggest complaint at the time was at all the funniest bits had already been seen in either the TV commercials or the movie trailers. Over the years, however, I’ve come to appreciate this movie. It’s a little bit crass, but it was never meant to be awesome family movie. In a lot of ways, Christmas Vacation touches down on issues families face during the holidays: dealing with obnoxious neighbors, and most of all, dealing with all the eccentric personalities that an extended family brings.

For me, the lasting moment of …Christmas Vacation is the very end of the movie. After all of the chaos of the holiday, Clark stares up to the night sky, alone, and says “I did it.” As a parent, being able to utter those three words on Christmas means EVERYTHING . Obviously, this moment means more to me now as an adult and a father than it did in 1989.

It’s a Wonderful Life

10 years ago, I probably would have Miracle on 34th Street in this place. For those who don’t know, …Life is the story of George Bailey, an account who’s on-the hook for someone else’s shady business dealings. He meets an angel who shows him what life would be like if he was never born. Once again, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate the plight of George Bailey and the realization of just how important he is to the people of Bedford Falls.

Sure the movie is very much a product of its time – and outright cheesy in some parts. 78 years later, we are still talking about it, because humans still need to appreciate the impact that their lives have upon others.

I was lucky enough to see … Life on the big screen. Despite seemingly endless reruns of the movie in TV, last year was also the first time I saw the movie, uninterrupted, in one sitting.

Elf

Elf turns 21 this year and holds surprisingly well. Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a human raised by Santa’s elves at the North Pole. He goes to “the big city” to meet his father and goes through the typical “fish out of water” escapades one would expect for an elf in the modern world.

In conflict with its own modern age cynicism, Elf is a very heart-warming story. by the end of the story, even Buddy’s business-world bio-daddy sings “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” as a sign of his renewed belief in The Big Guy.

This is my top 5 as it stands today. This list can certainly change by this time next year. My honorable mention is: The Night Before

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

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• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “Rob’s Top 5 Christmas Movies” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.