Our Favorite Holiday Movies

To help celebrate this holiday season, we’ve asked all of our bloggers to tell us about a few of their favorite things. In this post we asked about their favorite holiday movies. Some are classics, but some may surprise you.

Dan Balski: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Sandra Bergman: Home for the Holidays

This 1995 movie never fails to make me laugh! The wacky family dynamics that unfold when Holly Hunter returns to her hometown for the holidays is something I think anyone who’s done that can relate to. And the star-studded cast is hilarious – Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Dylan McDermott, Claire Danes.

Hannah Brown: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (The classic cartoon version; not that scary Jim Carey one!)

Danielle Carnes: Elf

Michaele Charles: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Rebecca Chavez: It’s a Wonderful Life

John Feeley: It’s a Wonderful Life

My children like to see me cry.

Chris Heuston: Miracle on 34th Street

We watch it every year with our kids and they refer to the altruism shown in that movie so many times during the year.

Jonathan Link: Jingle All The Way

Kathy Mennen: A Christmas Story

Though it’s a really fun movie, there are a couple special reasons why it’s my favorite. First of all, the story is set in my hometown of Hammond, Indiana, located between Gary and Chicago. That’s where the story’s author, Jean Shepherd, is from. The film is a combination of several stories from his semi-autobiographical book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. The second reason is because my late father loved it so much. It reminded him of his similarly rambunctious childhood. One of the last Christmas presents I bought my dad was a replica of the infamous Leg Lamp. Of course, he put in on display in the front window for all the neighbors to see.

April Peterson: A Christmas Carol