for your Christmas entertainment

I don’t know about everyone else, but I have been a Christmas movie and book addict so far this season. I don’t even mind Mickey and the Roadster Racers or Vampirina as much so long as they are Christmas specials.

Okay I won’t lie…I don’t usually mind Vampirina at all…that’s a good one. But you know what I mean.

The same can be said for story time. We have a lot of books, and I do get bored with some of them (although the kids don’t and that’s what matters). Still, it’s so nice to read bedtime stories that I enjoy, too!

Here I have compiled some of the movies and books I can’t get enough of each December.  Some for kids some for adults. I’d love any suggestions from you all! Especially on Christmas books, because Santa likes to deliver a new one to us each year.

BOOKS

The Grinch – this is a long story but it’s so much fun for me to read. Per Dr. Suess’s usual, it flows perfectly and is great for read aloud. Plus, I like doing the Grinch voice. “It came without ribbons!”

The Polar Express – we read this last week and I actually cried on the last page like an emotional Christmas weirdo. “At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell….” SOB. I think it made me think of my kids growing up and how short the magic is. (See this post.). I just don’t enjoy the movie version very much… probably because the book is so perfect as is.

Carl’s Christmas – this is great for little ones, especially if you have or love dogs. It has no words but some of the most beautiful illustrations I’ve seen. I always recommend it and gift it. I have memories of reading this at my aunt’s house growing up and it’s so interactive because you can ask the children what’s going on with the wordless pages or tell the story differently each time. Everyone who picks it up will “read” it differently.

The Gift of the Magi – I have yet to find a children’s version that I like, but I’m on the hunt. The full version is actually my favorite short story ever (Christmas or not). I feel like that’s something only my English Major self would say, but it’s true. “These two were the wisest.” I can’t make it through this without crying but it’s a good cry.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – If you didn’t read this in grade school, you aren’t too old to check it out. I vividly remember my 4 th grade teacher Sister Judith reading this out loud to the class. I bought it on my Kindle and then found it at a yard sale this summer for 50 cents and cannot wait to read out loud to the boys. They are a little young, but that doesn’t stop me from reading this myself every year (and crying, duh). You just have to read it. In case you aren’t attending any garage sales soon, here

Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus – okay so this is really more just a short letter than a book, but I enjoy reading it every year. The words are a little advanced for little kids, even though the letter is intended for an 8 year old (darn the demise of the English language). But, I think they’ll get the message.

 

MOVIES

It’s a Wonderful Life – it would appear I am compiling of lists of things that make you cry. This movie makes me so happy at the end I can’t keep it together. Don’t be like Phoebe on Friends and turn it off before the end, ha! “No man is a failure who has friends.”

The Family Man – okay this isn’t a classic like the one above but it IS a re-imagining of It’s a Wonderful Life that I have grown to love. Nicholas Cage even looks a lot like Jimmy Stewart! Anyway, this movie makes me so thankful for my husband, our two little wild animals (uh, kids) and our every day life. Oh and I cry, shocking.

Christmas Vacation – With all this boo hoo-ing I do, I have to include a funny one. Quite possibly the most quotable Christmas movie there is. I could watch it again and again. “Where do you think you’re gonna put a tree that big?” NEVER GETS OLD.

The Snowman – this never comes on TV anymore but I found the full length on youtube. I remember watching it on TV as a kid and I just love it. There are very few, if any, words. Mostly music about how snowmen come to life after dark and what they do. I think it’s beautiful to watch and listen to.

The Grinch – I like all THREE versions now. We saw the newest in theaters just this last weekend and it was very sweet. I couldn’t pick a favorite if you made me sooo just plan to watch them all!

The Preacher’s Wife –Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston are great on screen together. And she sings so of course that is wonderful. I love the story of a preacher struggling to keep his church afloat and a Christmas angel sent down to help (although he does get a little mixed up). It’s so worth watching and over the years has become one of my very favorites.

A Christmas Story – I am sure I have seen this movie no less than 150 times in my 30 Christmases. I love the humor and it will always always remind me of Christmas growing up. The old man makes me laugh more each year and the frazzled mother is now more relatable than Ralphie–ha!

The Family Stone – this is one of those strange instances where I saw it for the first time and didn’t like it at all. (The same thing happened with Step Brothers!! Which I now love.) Anyway, the more I watch it the more I love it. I love how the family isn’t cookie cutter and are a little all over the place. If you’re like me, it WILL make you cry. I should put a cry alert by most of these.

The Santa Clause – Sam has fallen in love with this (seen it probably 8 times since Nov 1) and I don’t mind a bit! It could never get old for me. Funny, magical, quotable! “A BEE sting?!” It would not be Christmas without it.

Four Christmases – I remember seeing this in theaters in college and knowing I had found a new Christmas classic! Dwight Yoakum absolutely makes this for me. “A rum pum pum pum, Brad!”

Well, that got out of hand quickly. I would like to say that even though they aren’t Christmas movies, excellent chick flicks for this time of year are: While You Were Sleeping and Sleepless in Seattle (Meg sings “harses, harses, harses” so it counts).

There are more, no doubt, but I won’t bore you with every last one. These are my highlights but I’d love suggestions if anyone has a few favorites to share!