Holiday Movie Time with the Gear Diary Team
Posted on 19 December 2008, at 7:34 pm, by Judie Lipsett
The holidays are about to be in full swing, and after enjoying the good meals and time spent catching up, one of our favorite family activities is to watch a holiday movie…or three! I polled the team to ask what their top favorite holiday movies were, and these were the results.
Some are classics and immediately recognizable favorites. Some? Not so much. So in no particular order, here are our favorites:
Joel – mmm….hard one….but….
1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – I AM Clark W. Griswold!
warning for language
2. Diehard
Wayne – 1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – So many good scenes in this movie. The brother in law with the fake turtleneck, the squirrel in the tree…
warning for language
2. A Christmas Story – because anything that’s replayed 3,000 time during the holiday season by TV stations is bound to grow on you.
3. Charlie Brown Christmas – classic
Chris G. -
Chris S. – This one is easy for me…
1. It’s a Wonderful Life -(Jimmy Stewart reminds me of my maternal grandfather)
2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – “Haleh-LOO-ya! Holy sh*t!! Where’s the Tylenol?!”
warning for language
3. Scrooged – The whole idea is to scare the Dickens out of everybody…Nobody gets me…
Clinton – My Top 3 in order
1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – it’s a family tradition to watch this Thanksgiving night to kick off our holidays. There are a million one liners in the movie that most of my family can quote verbatim.
warning for language
2. The Muppet Christmas Carol – My favorite Christmas story (BTW, the Patrick Stewart version on TNT is fantastic as well) told with a little muppet flare. Michael Cain does a great job in the move as well.
3. Christmas In Connecticut – Old Bing Crosby movie that I just love.
Dan -
Love Actually – I don’t know why I like the movie so much, but I do.
The Holiday – I went ’cause Elana wanted to see it, and I liked to more than her…and this from a guy who re-upped netflix so he could have movies for the next two weeks, and filled the queue with horror and shoot-em-up flix!
It’s a Wonderful Life –who doesn’t love It’s a Wonderful Life?
Doug – OK. Here goes. In no particular order
It’s a Wonderful Life – The only movie that makes me cry. But come on, the end is just so spectacular when the whole town rallies behind Old George Bailey.
A Christmas Story – “You’ll shoot your eye out!”
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
OK. I know that was 4, but the last one is not really a movie either. 
Judie – Mine are:
1. It’s a Wonderful Life – Can’t help it; I am a total sap for this movie…and it would appear that I am in good company.
2. Love Actually – Joe Stirt gave me this DVD years ago off of my Amazon Wish List, and it has turned into one of my favorites. Who could forget the wedding scene? Priceless…
3. The Year Without a Santa Claus – Love this stuff: “I’m Mr. 101º!”
David -
The Homecoming (The Walton’s Christmas movie)
Charlie Brown Christmas
Chris C. -
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
In summary…
Leave us your favorites (and why they are your favorites, if you are so inspired) in the comments!
Happy Holidays from the Gear Diary Team! 
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December 20th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Deck the halls with ralls of rory — we were just talking about this funny Christmas Story song last night as we searched in a near Connecticut Blizzard for a restaurant that was still open.
December 20th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Randy Quaid was frighteningly natural in his role in ‘Christmas Vacation’. And that was a ‘dickie’ he was wearing. Yep, I had two as a kid. Just didn’t let mine show through the shirt.
December 20th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I like the “oldies”. My favorites are the originals of The Bishop’s Wife, Miracle on 34th Street, and Christmas in Connecticut.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Great lists! In addition to many of those listed above, I like the old (cartoon version) Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and almost anything wit Burl Ives narrating and / or singing in it
December 20th, 2008 at 10:56 am
@patrickj – I am with you on the Burl Ives stuff.
Loves it!
December 20th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Excellent representation of the best Christmas flicks out there.. Recently saw a French movie about a Christmas Eve cease fire in World War I, apparently based on a true story.. Can’t remember the name but had Noel in the title..
My favorite is Love Actually and had the pleasure of being in the UK when it was released and was spending a lot of time at Heathrow..
Happy Holidays ALL!!
December 20th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Good list! You got almost all of my favorites, including my #1: Die Hard. But you missed my #2 (and it’s a close second): Bad Santa.
December 21st, 2008 at 6:03 pm
LOL! This is great! I almost put “Scrooged” on my list. I don’t relate to “Christmas Vacation” at all so it didn’t make my list, and although I like Die Hard and Love, Actually, they aren’t really Christmas movies to me – they just happen to take place during the season.