Lux Winter Faves: Top 10 Christmas Movies
One of the best parts about this time of year is getting cozy with your friends and family to watch those classic Christmas movies we all know and love! While there are dozens to choose from, we broke down the LUX Daily Top 10. Make it a Holiday boob-tube night and drift off to the land of candy canes and Holiday cheer with these faves. After all, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!
1. Elf - It's just pure Christmas magic, endlessly quotable, you still scream (Santa! OMG! Santa, here? I know him!) this every time someone says that Santa is coming to town, you also know exactly what a false Santa smell like (beef and cheese) and pushing all of the floors in an elevator to light it up like a Christmas tree is your dream! Let's face it, Elf is just TOO good.
2. A Christmas Story - Whether you were alive when it came out, everybody at least remembers the first time they watched Ralphie Parker practically shoot his eye out. Conducting interviews with the cast, crew, and others involved with the film's history, New Jersey writer Caseen Gaines compiled a fascinating book entitled A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic, describing the film's growing cultdom over the years (it was only a moderate success at the box office). From the unexpected merchandising (bobbleheads!) to the hit Broadway musical, A Christmas Story has made everything right with the world. Here are a few things we learned from reading Gaines's book.
3. Love Actually - Feel it in your fingers? Feel it in your toes? On Nov. 7, 2003, this awesome film was released in 576 theaters in North America. Written and directed by Richard Curtis, the film earned $6, 886, 080, over its debut frame, a pittance of what would come: $246 million in global grosses and a permanent place alongside some of the other known classics that are a must-watch during the holiday season.
4. How The Grinch Stole Christmas - What is the Grinch? Well, Jim Carrey’s version is nothing more than an amalgam of other people’s characters. Cross Oscar the Grouch with Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, give him a disturbing dog obsession and you have Jim Carrey’s Mr. Grinch. Brilliant! And all sorts of funny!
5. Christmas Vacation - On December 1, 1989, a new chapter of Griswold family dysfunction was unleashed upon the world when National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation made its debut in movie theaters and an instant holiday classic was born! With heaps of funny moments that will have your cracking up over and over again, this pick was a no-brainer!
6. The Muppet Christmas Carol - Brian Henson, the son of Muppet founder Jim Henson, took over directing duties after the untimely death of his father for The Muppet Christmas Carol, a sluggish re-telling of the Charles Dickens tale. Michael Caine, surrounded by legions of fuzzy, felt puppets, plays it straight as the crotchety Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who could care less about Christmas and the joy the season brings. We love the music and of course all things, MUPPET!
7. The Holiday - Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy Holiday stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two women who exchange houses in order to get a new lease on life. After each suffers her fair share of romantic disappointments, Englishwoman Iris (Winslet) and L.A. woman Amanda (Diaz) meet on-line at a website devoted to helping people exchange houses for vacations. Each agrees to spend the Christmas holiday at the other's home. While each suffers from a minor case of culture shock, both women also end up becoming involved with a man. This is where the love struck hook comes in and all women on every couch are oooohing and awwwwing the rest of the way through!
8. White Christmas - This Christmas classic starring Bing Crosby is a romantic tale that takes place in a Vermont lodge- where it is almost always, a White Christmas. The costumes, singing, dancing and overall performance of this flick will leave your heart happy, feels cozy and limbs inspired to get up and dance like nobody's watching!
9. Holiday Inn - Bring on the cast we can't get enough of! With the combined talents of Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Irving Berlin working in its favor, Holiday Inn is a seasonal classic. All of the timeless ingredients of this film make for a delightful musical!
10. The Polar Express - Cinematic, with a dash of hot chocolate, dazzling dancing on a train, in a endless PJ party that takes us all on a snow-clad adventure to learn of friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas! In this one, there's a deeper, shivery tone, instead of the mindless jolliness of the usual Christmas movie. The Polar Express creates a world of its own, like "The Wizard of Oz" or "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," in which the wise child does not feel too complacent. Amen to that!
Feast your eyes on some our favorite moments from a few of these epic flicks:
