I guess I'm not much for Christmas movies. I do like Die Hard, and will add a couple other set-at-Christmas-but-not-really-Christmassy movies: Lethal Weapon and Trading Places, which has a scene where Dan Akroyd crashes Christmas party dressed as Santa and stuffs a smoked salmon under his red coat.

I do love the cartoon holiday specials of my youth, like the Grinch (which I think is brilliant) and a Charlie Brown Christmas. Netflix's animated "Klaus" is pretty good.

The mention of Krampus reminded me of the Finnish movie Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. It definitely strays toward horror, but packs in some humor along with it. Northern Europe has some very dark takes on Christmas.

I was hoping to hear of some worthy movies actually at the theatre. Die Hard?? --hard pass. I will stick to White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life. If there were kids about we would watch the original A Charlie Brown Christmas/Rudolph/Frosty the Snowman/Grinch ORIGINAL only and Little Drummer Boy. While setting up my tree I had a fire roaring and carols playing in the back ground. A few years ago my adult offspring introduced me to the Home Alone franchise. That is worth a look again.

bpath, you said:

Love, Actually. Definitely. I think I have finally figured out that Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson’s characters are former partners.

I thought that Liam, Emma, and Hugh Grant are all siblings!

I have never seen Die Hard either! I was always under the impression that it was just a violent movie.

Two of our holiday favorites that haven't been mentioned are Desk Set with Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracey and Gig Young, and We're No Angels with Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, and Aldo Ray.

Yes, those three are siblings.

Emma is such a phenomenal actress. It always hits me in the feels when [a certain few scenes of hers].

I was hoping to hear of some worthy movies actually at the theatre.

arcy, go see The Holdovers. A wonderful film that takes place at Christmas, it's heartwarming without being saccharine, and the performances are excellent.

I thought that Liam, Emma, and Hugh Grant are all siblings!

Emma and Hugh Grant are siblings. Liam and Emma are friends - I believe she and Liam's late wife were very close. The best relationship in the movie, IMO, is the one between Bill Nighy and his manager.

Ahh, I’ve had it wrong then (about siblings).

Yes, I love Billy Mack and Joe. :)

I thought she mentions their brother-sister relationship in the early scene where Liam phones her. :p

This site says that they are all siblings:

Collider.com: Love Actually relationships

For a new movie, I highly recommend The Holdovers which is set at Christmas in 1970. Wonderful movie, may still be in some theaters, also on streaming.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holdovers

This site says that they are all siblings:

Hmmm. I just googled, and other sites say differently. She doesn't say they're related when he calls her; he says something about being sorry to bother her, he didn't know who else to call, which would be an odd thing to say to your sister. In any event, we'll have to do a close rewatch!

ETA: https://screenrant.com/love-actually-secret-lost-love-story-theory-karen/

I may have missed it...but...The Sound Of Music. I watch it every year. It's on Dec 17th this year.

I can't stand Elf. Love Diehard...I may even own that movie on VHS. :0)

Hmm, bookwoman, I don’t think Karen and Daniel are currently in love with a future. They are past sweethearts. I love the intimacy when they both reach into the cereal box, but it doesn’t feel like a romantic intimacy, just two people who have been, in the past, and are now the two people they know best. Daniel loved his wife so much, I don’t see him going back to Karen, although I imagine him eventually rermarrying, and someone he meets through Sam. Like Carol. (although, a cynic could see him as the newly-available hot parent at school, and when Carol says ”I’ll make sure we do (run into each other again)l, I find that a little off-putting.)

In no particular order, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone 1 & 2, Charlie Brown Christmas, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th St (once is enough), Die Hard (although we don’t consider it a Christmas movie, we watch it occasionally), Grinch. I am about burned out on A Christmas Story but it has been a family favorite for years.

bpath, I agree. I just linked that because it shows they certainly aren't siblings!

Just remembered Gremlins is technically a Christmas movie as well 😃

I've never watched Die Hard either - not my cuppa tea.

Desk Set is a fave of mine too - I'd forgotten it's a Christmastime setting.

And Meet John Doe is another Capra classic with a Christmas setting.

And Rogers & Hammerstein musicals - in fact most of the Technicolor musicals of the 40s/50s make for pleasant holiday fare, IMO. Pajama Game conjures up memories of my childhood, decorating cookies while it was on TV.

Yes, Always watch DIe Hard in December, and Love Actually. I suppose I will be adding a few that grand will like, but he's too little, only 2. I love a Christmas Carol with George C. Scott, the most beautiful scenes and best actor!

Just remembered another old classic - It Happened On 5th Avenue - a group of homeless people wind up spending Christmas together in an unoccupied mansion. It has a song I love:

P.S. @ Jilly - Hoopla digital service has Scrooge with Albert Finney. We get it through our public library for no extra charge.

Okay, we picked up Die Hard at the library today and watched it this evening. Um. okay, I would call it an antidote to the holiday sweetness of other movies.

I’m countering it now that Dh has gone to bed, with Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas.

So many good movies. It is a family tradition to enjoy back-to-cack Christmas movies on Christmas Eve. We mix it up a bit but always watch A Christmas Story. DH is wanting to include Die Hard this year, have not seen since it was in the theaters.

Throughout the season I always watch the old Christmas specials with Peanuts, Frosty and Rudolph. My top favorite movies are the classics; Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, Christmas in Connecticit, The Preacher's Wife and Holiday Inn. Then the more recent movies Love Actually, The Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation and others. Also like the Disney short Prep and Landing.

Not a big fan of Elf or It's A Wonderful Life. My family likes Polar Expess, me not so much, although I do like the hot chocolate scene.

Have seen It Happened on 5th Avenue once, would like to see it again, really enjoyed it.

For those of you who have not seen Die Hard, and especially for those who say they never want to (and also entertaining for those who have watched it, whether they liked it or not), the Cinema Therapy YouTube channel analyzed Die Hard as marriage therapy.

Watch the 1st minute and half or so, anyway.

FWIW, I'd much rather read Polar Express than watch the uncanny valley movie. It's a lovely book with beautiful illustrations.

Another fave holiday film is a special I saw first on PBS back in the 1980s called Simple Gifts. It's a compilation of short films by a number of graphic artists/illustrators like Seymour Chwast and Maurice Sendak. The subjects vary from silly to profound. It's in segments on a YouTube playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2tbVaDqHXA&list=PLuFJnfYs5uW5p6owE4Wg2ZGEeK5NGnNNn

Lars, I love both Auntie Mame and Mexican Dominoes.

I’m hard to teach when it comes to learning new games; it took me a while to learn that one! I always enjoy it.

I forgot that Auntie Mame redecorated regularly, to accompany her changing interests and wardrobe. Thanks for the reminder, Lars, I will watch it again! I also like dreaming over the city apartment apartment and country house in Christmas in Connecticut. (and wondering, where is the dining room?)

Thanks for that reminder, Lars. I love both Auntie Mame, and Mame, the musical starring the great Lucille Ball & Robert Preston 😊

Especially love this number:

She may not have had the best singing voice, but she didn't need one, IMO.

Watching 34th street for the umpteenth time, and see something I didn’t notice before. Fred visits Kris in Bellevue, and as he leaves Kris says ”Fred, I believe in you”, and goes up on tiptoe, like a child, to peer throught the door window as Fred leaves. And, yes, Fred delivers. Faith is everything, whatever you believe in.

Last night we watched “The Santa Clause” once again. Every Christmas Season and it never gets old. But after that, DH wanted to watch a Christmas movie that we haven’t seen before. And so, seeing Eddie Murphy‘s new Christmas movie, “Candy Cane Lane” was on TV we watched that next. I wanted so much to like it but, sadly, it was the worst Christmas movie I’ve seen in years.

If anyone is thinking of going out to see a movie, I would not reccommend Dream Scenario. Interesting premise, some good acting, but it falls apart and meanders... despite being a NYTimes critic's pick.

P.S. Want to mention Scrooge with Albert Finney is also available free on Plex as well - hubby's watching it rn 😀

Thanks for the warning on "Candy Cane Lane" @LynnNM. I thought that "The Christmas Chronicles" with Kurt Russell was the worst Christmas movie, but perhaps it has been beat!

I was just reminded of The Bishop's Wife - another classic not mentioned yet, with Cary Grant, Loretta Young & David Niven...

Are we allowed to talk about new movies, too? Saw Maetro last weekend. It was quite good, though it had less of the details of his life and art than I might have liked; it was really about his marriage IMHO. The story of Leonard Bernstein is very interesting and I'd have preferred more details about him but the movie was long as it was!

We are looking forward to Maestro -- based on the clips, Bradley Cooper did an amazing job in the role. I did pick up that it might be a little more focused on his relationship(s)/marriage.

It releases on Netflix 12/20 so it is on the list for our Great Christmas-->NYE movie marathon. I need to research what else will be available. We have saved a few for the marathon -- as of now, we have Oppenheimer, Slow Horses (Apple TV), Past Lives and a few documentaries on our list.

Any other NEW or RECENT movies you all recommend? Should I start a new thread .. or can we keep this one going?

New movie not holiday oriented: Blackberry. It’s about the rise and fall of Blackberry and we enjoyed it.

Funky I liked Wes Anderson's Asteroid City

The Man Who Came to Dinner

I love the ice skating scene with roasted sweet potatoes. :)

@cawaps

Thanks for the youtube above. I haven’t watched Die Hard, and I still don’t have any interest in doing so, but that was entertaining.

Thanks--all!

@bpath Blackberry is one of the documentaries on our list! Also one about the man {Pinball Wizard) who helped overturn NYC's long time ban on pinball! Both sound really interesting and get great reviews. I forget the others on the list.. but I know there is on on Louis Armstrong and a bet we watch Squaring the Circle again!

Mtn, we watched that when I was there in August. I fell asleep (hanging head in shame!)

@party_music50 is there a new remake? or are you recommending the 1941 movie? (I see the old one is available on HBO Max)

I often fall asleep watching movies on TV, even ones I like. Too comfy.

I didn’t know Die Hard was a Christmas movie either, but I have not seen it.

Our rector loves Elf. Last Sunday he remarked how wonderful it would be if we were as enthusiastic and happy about God as the Elf was about everything. He himself is pretty excited about religion and manages to be so without being (overly) dorky. 😎

Love Actually and A Christmas Memory (Geraldine Page) are my favorite Christmas movies. Also like Jim Carey’s Grinch and Christmas With the Kranks.

Funkyart, the original with Betty Davis.

I absolutely love Elf. and I absolutely love being joyful and dorky about religion.

I had enjoyed Skipping Christmas so when the movie came out, I saw that. As is often the case, I felt that the movie didn’t fully capture the book, and went a bit to the silly side. Similarly, for the Grinch, I don’t think that Dr Seuss transfers at all well to live action, and for animation it all depends on the screenplay. A lot of the fun of Dr Seuss is in the text and narration, and of course his illustrations.

Last night I watched White Christmas and Miracle on 34th street again, mainly because they were streaming and I was too lazy to get up to put in a DVD. I should watch the Mara Wilson version again sometime.

I’m going to have to buy the DVD of A Charlie Brown Christmas to be able to watch it. The CD is already my Christmas party music of choice!

Well, I had never seen Love Actually, but on all the fans here, I watched it. I thoroughly enjoyed it even with my crying. So thanks for the recommendations. Have always thought (still do-he has aged well) Hugh Grant was a cutie. Now, I guess I had better watch Elf. We always like to watch the 1951 Scrooge with Alastair Sim.

Speaking of non-Christmas movies, DH and I just saw ”Killers of the Flower Moon” at the theater the other night. What a fantastic, well-directed, acted and filmed movie! DH, who was born and raised in Oklahoma, was shocked that he had never heard, read or was taught in school or college there about what had happened, as this is a true story. Anyhoo, I thoroughly recommend it!

FYI, you can stream 'We're no Angels" on Pluto, free. I watched it the other night and just kept cracking up.

Did anyone mention ”Remember the Night”? I’ve been wanting to see it.

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyk are in it … love them in “Double Indemnity”. (Fred is a major crush of mine.)

Jilly, I never heard of that movie! Looks like it streams everywhere. TY! :)

I finally saw The Muppet Christmas Carol last night! True to Muppets form, it isn’t necessarily a kids’ movie, and had all the cleverness of the Muppets. The effect where Scrooge and Christmas Future emerge on the street was amazing.

Oh hey - came across this list and saw a few not mentioned before. I'd totally forgotten about Edward Scissorhands and Little Women...

https://www.romper.com/entertainment/movies-you-didnt-realize-are-christmas-holiday-movies

Die Hard's first on the list 😁

I forgot to mention one of our favorite Christmas movies: “The Holiday”! With Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black. We watched it once again last evening. Such a good movie!

I thought I mentioned this already, but it was on a different thread with a different topic. Toys with Robin Williams and Robin Wright is a Christmas movie - released Dec. '92. It's very quirky, surreal and sweet - about a son who must save his father's toy factory from his military-minded uncle.