My (5) Favorite Christmas Movies

Because it’s that time of year.

The 1940s were clearly the best decade for Christmas movies. Only one movie outside that decade made my list. And no, White Christmas (1954) isn’t it. Don’t get me wrong — White Christmas is great. But it didn’t crack the Top 5. Here are the ones that did:

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

This is a no-brainer. It’s not only my favorite Christmas movie. It’s one of my favorite movies of any kind. Even though I made fun of all you crazies who watch Christmas movies before Thanksgiving, I will make an exception for It’s A Wonderful Life. I could watch this movie year-round because it’s so much more than a Christmas movie.

Believe it or not, though, I’ve met people (that’s plural, as in more than one person) who don’t like this movie. I don’t understand. They must not have hearts.

Once upon a time, when I was a freshman at JPCatholic, my directing professor gave us an assignment to analyze a scene from any movie we wanted. I chose a scene from It’s A Wonderful Life — the scene where there’s a run on the bank and George Bailey gives away all but two dollars of his own money, money meant for his honeymoon with Mary, to keep the Building & Loan open. Frank Capra was already one of my favorite directors, but that assignment deepened my appreciation for Capra’s masterful storytelling.

Remember the Night (1940)

I only discovered this little gem a few Christmases ago, but it quickly climbed my chart of Christmas favorites. Like It’s A Wonderful Life, there’s much more going on here than a simple holiday romp. With a script written by Preston Sturges, you know there will be plenty of laughs and plenty of heart. And while the premise stretches imagination, Sturges convinces us — with the help of Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck’s performances — that a romance between a prosecutor and a petty shoplifter is not only possible, but worth rooting for.

In his book Save the Cat!, Blake Snyder talks about the Emotional Color Wheel — the concept that, whether you’re writing a comedy or a drama, the story should take the audience through all the emotions. For examples of the power of the Emotional Color Wheel, look no further than Remember the Night and It’s A Wonderful Life.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

I really debated this film’s inclusion on this list. It is indeed one of my favorite movies, but growing up, I never considered it a Christmas movie. Yes, it gave us the classic Christmas song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," but the majority of the film has nothing to do with Christmas. The story takes us through an entire year in the life of the Smith family. When I was a young child, I wanted to watch this movie every single day, regardless of the season. Apparently many people do consider it a Christmas movie, however, so I would feel guilty leaving it off the list.

Meet Me in St. Louis is the first memory I have of seeing myself in a character on the screen. The makeup of my immediate family is oddly similar to that of the Smith family. I am the youngest of five — four girls and one boy — and I connected deeply with the character of Tootie when I was a little girl. I wasn’t nearly as morbid, but I identified with her desire to prove herself to Agnes’ friends and her longing to be included and acknowledged.

Elf (2003)

It’s quite possible that my fondness for this film is a result of when it was released. Everyone thinks that the movies and music that were popular when they were teenagers are the best that ever were or will be. I wouldn’t go quite that far — obviously, I am a much bigger fan of movies made half a century before I was even born — but I do have a special place in my heart for the movies I saw in theaters with my friends at that age. This is one of them.

But come on. You have to admit that Elf is hilarious. What makes the comedy even better is that it doesn’t stoop to the kind of raunchy humor one expects from a Will Ferrell movie. It never made me afraid to watch it with my young nieces and nephews. In 2003, that was refreshing.

3 Godfathers (1948)

A Christmas Western, anyone? John Ford is happy to oblige. I have to confess, actually, that I didn’t care much for this film the first time I saw it. Of course, I didn’t generally care for Westerns the first time I saw it. The older I get, however, the more I enjoy Westerns and the more I appreciate this film in particular. It’s a remarkable story of redemption, and the religious themes are impossible to miss. John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, and Harry Carey, Jr. turn in poignant performances as gritty outlaws with enough humanity left to keep their promise to a dying woman — to protect her newborn baby and bring him to safety, no matter the cost.

And let's be honest: does anyone shoot breathtaking Western vistas as beautifully as John Ford? No. It’s simply gorgeous.

**As an Amazon associate, I earn on qualifying purchases.