The film before Christmas

The Santa Clause (1994)

Christmas hasn’t started until The Santa Clause comes on our screens. If there’s one film that stirs up memories of Santa letters and nibbled carrots, this is it. Santa’s untimely death one Christmas results in Tim Allen having to fill the big black boots. As a non-believer he is slow to accept the job assigned to him but there’s no denying it when he starts to grow the beard and the belly. Hilarious and heart-warming, there’s something about this film that brings out the inner child in us all.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

If there’s one film that proves Santa really does exist, this is it. It tells the story of a man who claims he is the real Santa. Nobody believes him except for a little girl and it is up to her and a lawyer to prove to everyone that he exists. From the very start you find yourself wishing it really is him. One not to be missed this Christmas and sure to restore your belief in the man in the big red coat.

A Christmas Carol (1938)

This is one of those films that has been remade more times than one could remember but the original black and white cannot be beaten. It follows the story of an old “scrooge” who sacrifices his family and friends, and all that loved him, in desperate attempts of becoming richer. He is visited by three ghosts who show him the error of his ways and try to get him to change. This is a classic Christmas tale with a strong message to treat your fellow man as you would want to be treated.

The Grinch (2000)

Now this is not an original, but it’s a brilliant adaptation of the famous book How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. All the Whos of Whoville love Christmas, but the Grinch hates their falseness, waste and greed. So he decides to steal Christmas to teach them a lesson. Jim Carrey takes the lead role as the Grinch and does it superbly, with narration throughout the film done by Sir. Anthony Hopkins. The film’s storyline is updated to create a funny, vivid motion picture, but retains the important message of how Christmas can too easily be thought of in material terms.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is the story of Jack Skellington from Halloween town who opens a portal to Christmas Town. He becomes obsessed with Christmas (aren’t we all?) and organises for the village to steal it from Christmas Town. A stop motion fantasy film, The Nightmare Before Christmas has received acclaim for its originality, use of music, and technical creativity. It began as a poem written by Tim Burton, transforming into a feature length success, and later reissued as 3D in 2006.And unlike A Christmas Carol has been held sacrosanct by Tim Burton who refused to make a sequel, but hey, all the more reason to cherish this one.

Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone is a classic family comedy about an eight year-old boy named Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin), who’s left alone in his house after his family forget him when they leave for their Christmas vacation. It’s one of those feel-good movies packed with lots of Christmassy stuff, but also of course the lesson that family is what the festive season is all about. Aw. If warm and fuzzy is not what you’re looking for, then watch it for some funnies because it’s actually pretty hilarious. Despite being redone four times, (they couldn’t leave well enough alone) the original is definitely the best.

The Snowman (1982)

While by no means a blockbuster feature film, the 26 minutes of The Snowman film is nevertheless a creation that has achieved illustrious fame since it was aired on Christmas Eve in 1982. It is based on the book of the same name, written by English author Raymond Briggs. The animated movie, like the book, is wordless and the story is told through pictures and the expressive music of composer Howard Blake’s score.It has become a firm establishment of Christmas popular culture and it’s more than well worth a half an hour of your seasonal viewing schedule.

Gremlins (1984)

What is also good, as well as sentimentality, is something that relefcts the insanity of Christmas. And you’re not going to find a Christmas movie more off the wall than Gremlins. Something about the nihalistic wackiness and merciless humour of this movie will tell you more about Christmas than almost anything else. Who needs misteltoe when you can fire an old women out of a window? It also features unequivocally the best, most perfectly nuanced and maudlin speech in moive history. “When did you stop believeing in Santa?”