I am going share some creature of habit ways with you.  I tend to have my meals at set times throughout the day – three-square meals and then wine.  I plan every trip I take with a detailed agenda. I always cut up fruit before I eat it and I don’t like fruit mixed with savory food.  Never put strawberries in a salad for me 😊.  I always have an espresso at 3pm in the afternoon and most importantly, I watch all my favorite holiday movies the week building up to Christmas Eve!  BTW, I do have a legit movie collection – not online but actual DVD movies.  I like owning them and I like going through them when I am not sure what to watch instead of getting stuck perusing Netflix or Prime for hours on end – too many to choose from!

So, I was thinking about the movies I watch every single year and will likely watch for many years to come and it was really tough to narrow it down but I did it! 

Coming in at #5 – Elf 2003

For me, Elf is the funniest Christmas movies ever! Earnest and heartfelt with truly laugh out loud moments that just make you want to love Will Ferrell even more as Buddy, the Elf who discovers he is human and travels to New York to find his real father. The movie follows a pretty bog standard script for any feel good family movie so no major surprises, just delight and lots of big grins. The movie has fantastic memorable lines like “SANTA, I know him” and “I’m sorry I ruined your lives and crammed 11 cookies into the VCR”. If you need a good laugh this holiday season, which let’s be honest I think we all do, it’s a must watch.

My #4 slot goes to A Christmas Story 1983

I have been watching this movie since I was a kid in the UK. All 9-year old Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun. Imagine the cutest blue-eyed, glasses wearing little boy who only wants one toy for Christmas and will try to negotiate, manipulate and charm anyone into getting it for him.  This is a warming, fond memory (for me) inducing movie of the innocence of a child whose life will only get better with that one toy.  The greatest scene is of course his friend, Flick who got triple-dog dared to put his tongue on a frozen pole. Brilliantly funny and instantly a classic movie moment. Watch if you want to remember those times when just one thing would make all the difference.

#3 goes to the fabulous rom-com The Holiday 2006

I am a sucker for a romantic comedy. I could literally watch three or four in one day!  I know it could never happen in real life, but I have often thought about wanting my own meet-cute.  The Holiday starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and the very handsome Jude Law is a favorite of mine. A woman in a little town in the South of England and a woman in LA troubled with man problems decide to swap homes with each other. The plan is to get away to a place where no-one knows you and there is no hope of meeting someone and falling in love. Well, what a silly idea for a romantic comedy. With Cameron’s spot on comic timing as Amanda who can’t cry and Kate bringing her A-game as the love-forlorn Iris to the rom-com world, this movie is an absolute pleasure.  There are such sweet scenes with Iris and an old man, Arthur Abbott who is an icon of the Hollywood golden era and even Jack Black as Miles who is not my favorite actor but plays a lovely, kind man who falls for the bad girl and you really want him to find love. Jude Law as Graham, Iris’s brother is a ridiculously good looking, widowed father who is not embarrassed to shed a tear. He also has two adorable daughters who steal your heart. If you want a cheesy and obvious boy meets girl/girl meets boy type holiday movie, this is a good one.

#2 is the classic to beat all classics, It’s a Wonderful Life 1946

A timeless movie for the family that warms even the coldest hearts with laughs, drama and a little tear. Meet George Bailey, an indebt family man played by the excellent James Stewart.  George doesn’t think he is worthy of life – I know not a good start to a holiday movie but stay with me. God has a little chat with Angel Joseph and they decide to send Clarence, an angel who is trying to earn his wings down to earth to help George want to live again. Clarence decides to take George on a look-back journey into his past and all the people he has had a positive impact on since childhood. We learn how he met his wife and his selflessness in working hard so that his brother can go to school. We also meet the scrooge-like Henry Potter who is a greedy business man,  We don’t like Mr. Potter at all. While I love this movie in its entirety, the relationship between George and Clarence is the best part and Clarence must find a way for George to see how everyone’s life would be if he had never been born.  What will happen?  Watch the movie to find out. Also, for those who don’t watch movies older than 10 years, try something a little different and see how a 64 year-old movie stands the test of time.

#1 for me can only go to Love Actually 2003

I would not be lying if I told you I have seen this movie about 30-40 times, maybe more. I also know there is a true love/hate of this movie with movie goers and critics. I clearly loved it… actually 😊. It might be a British thing but the second this movie opens with Hugh Grant doing the voiceover of a happy, hugging, and kissing loved ones scene at Heathrow Airport, I am dropping the first tear of quite a few. An all star cast including Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Allan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson Laura Linney and my favorite, Collin Firth bring you a compilation of love/angst stories, which weave and wind together to become a memorable holiday movie. There is so much going on I don’t even know where to start but let’s try just some of it.  An aging Rockstar who lived his heyday on drugs and rock n’ roll realizes the love of his life is his manager. The stand-in actors doing an, ahem ‘love’ scene for the real actors and end up falling in love. The jilted writer who goes to France to heal his heart and falls for the non-English speaking, Portuguese house keeper, which gives me one of my favorite lines of the movie… “just in cases.” And Sam, the young boy who is in love and says to his stepdad – “worse than the total agony of being in love?” There are so so many more stories to this movie so if you haven’t seen it, I think it’s worth it… actually. Oh and they have an outstanding soundtrack, which fabulously comes to life in a scene with the classic Pointer Sisters song, Jump where Hugh as the Prime Minister (seriously) dances through 10 Downing Street – brilliant!

Viewing will start with Elf this Saturday.

Of course, I am missing lots of movies but these are my faves. 

What's your favorite Holiday Movie?

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