My Top Five Favorite Christmas Watches

*From Flicker.com, TrustedReviews.com, and ThePlaylist.net*

December 18, 2023

Zach Myers, Journalism Club Member

As we slowly approach the Christmas season, the best way to get into it, is by watching Christmas movies/TV specials. Here I will be ranking my top five favorite specials/movies to watch during the Christmas season. No Hallmark movies will be included in this ranking, as I believe they are single-handedly ruining people’s perception of viewing Christmas media early due to their over-cheesiness.

5: “Frosty The Snowman”

We start with a classic among Christmas specials. “Frosty The Snowman” is a 25-minute TV special from 1969 about a magical snowman named Frosty (voiced by Jackie Vernon). When the school children are building the snowman, they find a magical hat on the ground that makes the snowman come to life. Then an evil magician named Professor Hinkle (voiced by Billy De Wolfe) attempts to “nicely persuade” the children to return the hat. After his convincing does not work, Professor Winkle attempts to run down Frosty and one of the children who joined Frosty as a companion, a little girl named Karen (voiced by June Foray). Together they run away from the evil professor, trying to preserve Frosty’s magic and save Christmas.

This was a popular Christmas viewing experience growing up and it still stays with me today. What I like most about Frosty is how they were able to package so much Christmas spirit and good messages into only about 30 minutes of viewing time.

The voice acting is done very well, particularly on the part of Professor Hinkle, who really does sound like an evil magician. The animation and effects from that time still hold up well to today's standards and I would argue it is even better than some animation in modern TV specials.

While the ending where Frosty melts and comes back to life is a bunch of twists and turns, the transition is what makes this such a great special. It is something I would highly recommend to all families as while it can be dark at times, it is an overall light-hearted viewing experience, and there are some real lessons to be learned from watching, such as being grateful and appreciating what you have before it is gone.

4: “Elf”

Arguably the most well-known modern Christmas movie. Buddy (played by Will Ferrell) is not your average Christmas elf, as he stands 6 '3 while other elves are usually under 3-4 feet tall. This is because Buddy is actually a human who was sent to the North Pole when he was a baby and now as an adult longs to find his family.

When it is revealed to him by his North Pole father, Papa Elf (played by Bob Newhart), that his real dad is on Santa’s naughty list, he attempts to travel to New York to find and reconnect with him. On his journey, he encounters new things he never got to see at the North Pole, including a fake Santa Claus (oh no!) and another human-sized elf (played by Zooey Deschanel). While Buddy’s dad (played by James Cann) is ultimately disapproving when he finds out that Buddy is his son, that doesn’t stop Buddy’s cheerful attitude and trying to change his Dad for the better while saving Christmas in a town seemingly devoid of the holiday spirit.

As said above, “Elf” is arguably the most iconic modern Christmas movie and for good reason. There are so many great moments from this movie that hold up great today in memes and in Christmas media. What makes it even better is the ability to appeal to the comedic sides of both adults and children. Buddy’s child-like antics as well as the appearance of Santa and the elves provide a cute and funny comedic side that children enjoy. The dry comedy provided mainly by Buddy’s real-world dad and Papa Elf, who say things bluntly, that often sound funny in their voices, appeals greatly to adults.

I would gladly play this movie in a family environment as I believe it has bits and pieces that fit each age’s comedic sense that most other movies cannot accomplish.

3: “Daddy’s Home 2”

This is a more adult twist on Christmas with a star-studded cast. Co-dads Dusty (played by Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (played by Will Ferrell) are attempting to make amends for previously having two different Christmases with their kids, Megan (played by Scarlett Estevez) and Dylan (played by Owen Vaccaro).

While the arrival of Brad’s father Don (played by John Lithgow) brings happiness to the family, when Dusty learns his father Kurt (played by Mel Gibson) is arriving with him, Christmas in his eyes is basically ruined. To elevate the Christmas spirit and to “unite” the family, Kurt books an AirBnB at a luxury cabin where the family can bond. Quite the opposite happens, as there are many twists and turns that seem to disassemble a family that has worked hard to rebuild itself after the divorce of Dusty and the mom Sara (played by Linda Cardellini). Somehow, the event of a snowstorm and being stuck together, is the event that unites the family once and for all.

Some may say that this movie is overrated, but I completely disagree.. While it is not a family Christmas movie, it provides that adult twist to the Christmas season that is needed. It is a perfect comedy that provides many twists and turns that will keep the viewer on their toes.

Despite the star-studded list of actors/actresses in the movie, there is no overshadowing of the characters seen. Each actor’s character compliments one another in some way that fits the movie.

While there are plenty of funny moments in the movie that make it a classic comedy, there are also those sentimental moments making it a perfectly balanced movie.

2: “The Year Without A Santa Claus”

Another old-timey classic TV special. There is shock at the North Pole as Santa (voiced by Mickey Rooney) decides that he is too ill and tired to take his annual Christmas ride throughout the world. On top of that, he feels that the Christmas spirit is lost throughout the world. His wife Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth) tries to convince her husband that there is still some Christmas spirit present but he is unwavering. To further convince him, Mrs. Claus sends two elves named Jingle Bells (voiced by Bob McFadden) and Jangle Bells (Bradley Bolke) to find some Christmas spirit still present.

While an obstacle may be just finding a younger child who may not know any better, getting down to the human world may be hard to do due to the butting heads of Heat Miser (voiced by George S Irving) and Snow Miser (voiced by Dick Shawn). On Jingle and Jangle’s journey, they encounter a non-believing boy named Ignatius (voiced by Colin Duffy) who is eventually moved by their story, and through their journey, Santa is eventually convinced by others to go on his Christmas journey.

There are so many aspects of the Christmas season in only an hour of viewing, while also including many messages about belief. There are many abrupt transitions from not believing in Santa to believing, back and forth. It is a perfect family viewing experience, especially for those whose children are growing out of Christmas. This film does great work in restoring the beliefs of the characters in it and I believe it can have that same effect on humans because of the influential music/comedy that the film uses.

It has the ability to connect to young children because they are always going to be at the age of believing in Santa and having happy beliefs. Showing this film to older children brings back some nostalgia that is key in this age. The point is that while this short film is a comedic work, it is a great way of restoring our beliefs in not just the holidays but in our life morals.

1: “The Polar Express”

The single greatest Christmas movie of all time. “The Polar Express” is based on the book of the same name, and with the voice of Tom Hanks voicing multiple characters (Hero Boy, Conductor, Santa, Hobo, and Scrooge).

The hero boy is at the age where he does not believe in Santa Claus, and on the night of Christmas Eve, he desperately wants to believe although his research refutes it. His journey starts and changes, however, when a magical train appears outside his house. When he goes outside to see it, he is met by the conductor of the train who encourages the boy to come on. At first, he is reluctant but eventually climbs on. He meets a plethora of people, including the hero girl (voiced by Nona Gaye), the know-it-all kid (voiced by Eddie Dezeen), and even the big man himself, Santa Claus. This journey will challenge the boy’s belief not only in Santa and the meaning of Christmas but in life’s journey as well.

This movie is number one for me for a combination of reasons but mainly pure nostalgia. I remember being in elementary school with only a few days before Christmas vacation. We were allowed to dress in our PJs and drink hot chocolate for the day while we watched “The Polar Express”. It was a childhood memory I will cherish forever and that will most likely carry over into my adult life.

While it may rank a tick below some of these other movies, it is number one for me because there are so many memorable scenes and moments. I firmly believe that this movie is the penultimate Christmas movie for families because the message of the movie perfectly connects with viewers of all ages in a way that I think cannot be topped by any other movie.

The message of belief even in the face of doubt is a message that parents should be enforcing on their children early because we live in a world where often that may not seem possible. This movie perfectly incorporates this message while providing viewers with a glimpse of the true Christmas spirit as well as a feeling of happiness and hope. This is my favorite Christmas movie of all time and will stay that way forever.

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