I love Christmas movies! They ask you to dive into magic, to believe again in the possibility of the unexpected. Once upon a time, I waited until Thanksgiving to watch Christmas movies. But in the last 3 or 4 years, my indulgences all things cheesy has moved up my timeline significantly. This year I was watching Hallmark's Christmas in July, and I picked up again in October (pre-Halloween!) Old me would tell current me, "thats ridiculous." Current me would reply, "the world is about to get really hard... these movies will be waiting for you."
So, without further ado, I present to you a Christmas Movie Watch List
Must Watch Annually
While You Were Sleeping (I know that title gave it away!)
The Holiday (I mean, Kate Winslet and references to His Girl Friday, yes please)
All I Want for Christmas (saw this when I was a kid and my own parents were getting divorced. I loved it and I love it still)
Oh So Cheesy
Let It Snow (these teens are adorable!)
The Holiday Calendar
Feliz Navidad
Holiday Rush
A Christmas Treasure
Silly Christmas Movies
A lot of Christmas movies qualify as sappy, but these have me laughing out loud every year.
Friday After Next (Im not going to tell you how often I quote this movie)
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Last Holiday (its sappy too, but Queen Latifah is delightful in this movie)
Black Christmas Movies
The Preachers Wife (I know every word, every ohh and ahhh)
Jingle Jangle
The Best Man Holiday (I was prepared for comedy and was shocked when I found myself crying by the end)
Black Nativity (Angela Bassett is always going to be a yes)
Classic Christmas Movies
Now, you know this list would be super incomplete without some important classics...
Home Alone
Home Alone II (I have to admit, I actually love this one more than the original!)
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Muppet Christmas Carol (one more sleep!)
A Christmas Story
Animated Christmas Movies
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
The Star
Klaus (I enjoy this more every time I watch it)
Old Christmas Movies
Okay, so here is the thing about being Black and loving old movies... You gotta decide what to do with the racism and/or racist undertones. Sometimes that involves out right racism. Sometimes that involves erasure. Sometimes there's a weird combination of the two. So you have to be careful about when you watch these movies and perhaps hold the remote close so you can fast forward through some scenes. For example: I love The Holiday Inn but the black face number in the middle- sigh. SO with those caveats, here are my favorite vintage Christmas movies:
The Holiday Inn
White Christmas
Meet Me In St Louis
Miracle on 23th St
Okay, I also have an honorable mention. If you haven't yet, please make sure you watch The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, which follows the iconic Debbie Allen and the cutest kids you've ever seen.
Final note, Im not putting Die Hard on this list, and Im not sorry. If ever I make a romcom list however, I might add it because Bruce Willis and Reginald VelJohnson clearly formed a bond and that should be recognized... just not for Christmas. lol