The nineties were a golden age for family programming. Here are some of our holiday favourites.
Home Alone
Home Alone is a Christmas tradition in many households. Young Macaulay Culkin is hilarious, his family is the right mix of loving, frustrating, and kooky, and his battle of wits with the two nefarious Wet Bandits inspired so much childhood dreaming about rigging the house with defences. The sequel is pretty good too.
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Jingle All the Way
Arnold Schwarzenegger went from tough guy to kid-friendly comedy actor so gradually we didn’t even notice. Anyone who’s ever tried last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve or who has tried to find that perfect but sold-out toy will relate to Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as they hunt down and battle it out for a Turbo-Man action figure. In fact, most of us can probably name that one toy that either made a Christmas memorable because of how hard it was to get or the toy a parent just couldn’t find and became a proverbial white whale.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Kind of a Christmas Movie, kind of a Halloween movie, this Tim Burton classic can be played non-stop from late October onwards. The stop-motion animation is gorgeous, Oogie Boogie is just scary enough to carry a kid’s film, and the premise is so unique that The Nightmare Before Christmas will always have a special place on the holiday film shelf.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Every single cartoon and most family TV shows have put their own spin on Charles Dickens’ classic story, but none have done it better than the Muppets. From classic lines like “No cheeses for us meeces” to the perfectly cast two Marleys played by the hecklers to all the wonderful songs like Bean Bunny’s version of “Good King Wenceslas”, the Muppets make Christmas magical.
The Santa Clause
Not only a why-don’t-you-believe-in-Santa film, The Santa Clause is also aimed squarely at every Christmas cynic out there. After all, if a sarcastic Tim Allen can become giving, joyful, and festive thanks to a “clause” that makes him Santa, even the most Scrooge-like person can crack a smile at this Christmas classic. Plus, this movie has commando elves, and that’s pretty neat.
Miracle on 34th Street
Yeah, Grandma likes the original ’47 film, but we grew up with this one and she’ll watch it with us anyway because she likes the message and the completely unironic love of Christmas. Richard Attenborough made a Santa Claus believer out of us, and his prosecution by the US Justice Department seemed like the most unfair thing ever. But goodness and decency win out in the end, and that’s all we really want out of a Christmas movie.
Die Hard 2
If Die Hard counts as a Christmas movie, then so does Die Hard 2.
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