Ash's Holiday Picks (Top 5)
Oh the Holidays.... that time to eat delicious food, bake cookies, wrap presents and unfortunately spend time with people you barely see or have anything in common with, right? Krampus is a Halloween/Holiday hybrid movie like A Nightmare Before Christmas and it really wakes you up to the reality of Christmas. I loved this movie from the first time I watched it because it was warm, relatable and had a character in it that my brother thought of years ago but we won't get into that. Krampus is what happens when you forget what the Holiday is truly about and to cherish those who you spend it with. The monsters were awesome, the folklore behind Krampus is a German tale of the frightening variety and it just makes you want to double check the corners in the attic where you keep all the decorations....
5. Krampus
4. The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Muppets have been around since the dawn of creation. I'm talking "On the 7th day God said let there be light and Kermit hit the switch". No matter what age you are, muppets will always be one of the best parts of being human so naturally they needed to make a Christmas film. This movie follows the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge who was always an evil grumpy old soul and worked his crew to the bone but after being visited by 3 Christmas ghosts had a change of heart. Adding Muppet characters to the story just puts a little extra flare to the tale. My nieces love the Muppets and we watch this with them every Christmas Eve, as they love to sing along to hits like "Marley & Marley" and love seeing Gonzo do just about anything. If you have young children this is certainly a great story to enjoy together as a family during the holidays.
3. Office Christmas Party
Admittedly this one is for the adults in the house who work a corporate job and just get it. If you like Office Space and The Office, well this is going to be the spiked egg-nog version you've been waiting for. A recently divorced man (Jason Bateman - my fav actor) and his hot yet intelligent co-worker Tracy have to knock the socks off of an investor in order to save their company from being shut down by the CEO (Jennifer Aniston). Aniston kills every roll she ever plays and in this one she is a delightfully evil villain who comes around after the Christmas Party of a life time changes every employees holiday. Weird hook-ups, hilarious party dates and a few lines of "Christmas Snow" make this one a magical yet hilarious holiday movie addition.
2. The Family Man
I never skip a holiday without watching The Family Man. This is the story of what could be and what happens in our lives when 1 decision is left to chance. A wealthy business man Jack Campbell has everything a man could dream of..a luxury million dollar condo in Manhattan, a gorgeous sports car, master of his Industry and any woman he likes at his front door... but was this how it was supposed to be? A magical chance of circumstance comes across him one night and an angel shows him what the other side of life could be like had he made a different decision after college. This movie deals with the magic of choice/circumstance / fate and plays with the question...."What if?".....
1. Miracle on 34th Street
Of all the holiday movies this one remains so dear to me. The original one is just as magical but there was just something about the golden age of Mara Wilson that touched your soul no matter what movie she was in. Coming from hits like Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda this girl was on fire as a child actor and Hollywood wasted no time banking on her ability to pull us in during Christmas. The classic tale of a young girl who just wants a full family and her mommy to be happy on Christmas. A Woman who seems impossible to love and very cold after her most recent divorce is dating the most loving and caring man God could have cooked up. Her ability to trust and be open to love has been severely damaged but lucky for her that adorable daughter she has saves her life and the lives of millions of children around the world by saving Santa.
Honorable Mention Classics
