My Favourite Christmas Films and Specials

Throughout my teenage years my attitude towards Christmas became increasingly jaded, and the excitement surrounding it diminished. However these past few years in particular have seen me become a great deal more excited about the holiday season – and I like to make the most of the build up to Christmas day, just as much as the actual day itself. One of the most significant ways in which I do this is by watching as many of my favourite Christmas films and specials as I have time for. Each one of these gets me excited about Christmas in different ways, appealing to the many different emotions that Christmas provokes in me. There are many other films and specials that I like to watch around Christmas time (I always enjoy watching the first Harry Potter film, as well as the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, even though they aren’t Christmas films, in addition to many others) but these are my personal favourites.

The Muppets Christmas Carol

Unquestionably the best adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved story (and there have been a lot of adaptations). The key to its success as an adaptation is that it follows the story very faithfully, and manages to integrate the unique quirky charm of the Muppets in a manner that doesn’t compromise the integrity of the story. The moments of comedy are well distributed throughout the film, but they know when the story needs to be serious (in particular during the ‘Ghost of Christmas Future’ section) and so they lay off the comic relief as appropriate. The film is filled with likeable characters, entertaining set-pieces and memorable songs. My personal favourite song being “It Feels Like Christmas” sung by the Ghost of Christmas Present. Michael Caine gives a wonderfully sincere performance as Scrooge, not going through the motions at all. One final factor that works in the favour of this film is that I genuinely become emotionally invested in the Tiny Tim storyline; the same cannot be said for other adaptations of the same story. There’s something about those Muppets!

Miracle On 34^th Street (1947)

A couple of years ago I watched this film for the first time, and followed it up be watching the 1994 remake as a point of comparison. As with a great many films, the original is the best version. At the heart of the film is Edmund Gwenn’s portrayal of Kris Kringle (Santa Claus) which is wonderfully sincere. It is very easy to become invested in the character and his plight concerning non-believers. He is always optimistic, even when confronted by blunt scepticism from Maureen O’Hara and Natalie Wood’s characters. There are some great comic set-pieces involving the business rivals Mr. Macy and Mr. Gimble, and the success that Kris brings their respective stores. The film also creates some genuine drama during the trial of Kris Kringle – having built up the stakes by showing the way the trial effects the lives of those involved – and the happy ending certainly feels earned when it arrives.

Father Christmas

While a lot of people rate The Snowman more highly than this feature, Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas has always been my favourite of the two. The now late Mel Smith provided the voice of Father Christmas, making sure that this much grumpier interpretation of the character is always likeable, as Smith’s voice has a lot of warmth to it. I love the artwork in this feature, the pastel drawings, and the slightly wavy manner in which things move. I really enjoy the detail that has gone into creating the different places visited by Father Christmas (both during his holiday and during his busiest night). I grew up with this story, and so it appeals to my love of nostalgia, but it has endured for me and I always feel happy when settling down to watch it, even years later.

The Grinch

I know that this is a film that is hated by many, but that does not affect my opinion of it. Over the years I have become more aware of its faults, but unlike the feature length adaptations of Dr Seuss novels which would follow, The Grinch – for all its additions – did keep the original story largely intact, and the film has its heart in the right place. Jim Carrey is at his most over-the-top, but this is a role that suits his performance style, and he has many great lines and scenes which I still find funny. The flashback sequence can easily be skipped (it’s a section of the film that I never much cared for) and there are some undeniably stupid moments here and there, but they are outweighed by the good moments (most of which come from Carrey’s Grinch). I also support the fact that the Whos are materialistic in this version, as it makes the story identifiable to contemporary audiences, before having them receive a reminder about what Christmas is really about. The film is undeniably flawed, but it has heart and humour in plentiful amounts.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol

This alternative telling of A Christmas Carol sees the protagonist altered from ‘the nicest man in England’ into a mean-spirited villain – and with a character like Blackadder this idea is perfectly executed. This extended standalone episode is filled with great lines, especially the fact that when Blackadder is ‘nice’ he is constantly being passively rude to people. The episode makes use of the settings from Blackadder II as well as Blackadder the Third in order to demonstrate how villainous behaviour yields greater rewards than being good. All of the scroungers who exploit Blackadder’s good side all get a very satisfying comeuppance at the end, which is delivered with hilarious venom by Rowan Atkinson. 

Holy – ‘Bottom’ Christmas Special

One of the best episodes from Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson’s anarchic sitcom (and there are a lot of great episodes). From the opening scene in which Richie sneaks into Eddie’s room in the middle of the night dressed as Santa, only to fall victim to an elaborate trap, to the final scenes which revolve around a misinterpreted ‘second coming of Jesus’ – Holy is an episode stuffed full to bursting point with memorable lines, hilarious visual gags and a wonderful lack of sentiment.

Joyeux Noel

I saw this film in the cinema on Christmas Eve back in 2005, and once it was over I had that rare feeling leaving the cinema that I had seen something truly special. The 1914 ceasefire is an incredibly profound moment within human history, and this film does a very good job of capturing it. A moment in which soldiers within opposing armies realised that the men they were fighting were just as eager to return to their normal lives as they were, and the shattering tragedy that they could easily have been friends in another time. The film has a feeling of authenticity to it, performed in three different languages (English, French and German) and also has a highly effective soundtrack, which unfailingly gets to me each time I watch it.

It’s A Wonderful Life

This is a film that deserves all the praise it gets, because it is so well constructed, so well paced and so well realised, that it will surely live forever. I watch this film every year around Christmas time, and always seem to notice something new, or see something in a different light. The film has such a strong ensemble cast, and manages to make an entire community of characters entirely relevant (even those who barely appear, or only have one scene) such is the quality of Frank Capra’s direction. But the key to the film’s profundity is Jimmy Stewart’s performance as George Bailey. Jimmy Stewart is an inherently likeable presence in many films, but here he represents something very sympathetic and relatable. George Bailey is a man who devotes his entire life to helping the small-town community of Bedford Falls, and yet constantly falls victim to bad circumstances. A man who gives everything he has to help others, and yet never seems to gain anything in return (supposedly). He is a compelling character, and when he reaches the ‘end of his rope’ it is genuinely hard to watch: a strong case of ‘bad things happening to good people’. If George Bailey were played by a lesser actor, the film would not work anywhere near as well as it does. 

This list is something I will likely return to in time, I'll make additions, and add extra bits and pieces to each section. But for now, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!