Posted by
What holiday traditions have you kept or created as your lives have changed?
Currently my husband and I live in my childhood home with my father. Every Christmas here we do what my dad has always done. As... Read more
Most of us have some holiday movies and shows we watch every year: Rudolph, Frosty, A Christmas Story, Love Actually, Christmas Vacation.
The staff here got to talking about it and it got… weird. I mentioned a Christmas horror movie I dig, someone else mentioned A Very Brady Christmas. It got funky, nostalgic, and super ’80s really quickly. I decided to round up some of the weirder ones (and some of the BEST overlooked ones) that we simply have to watch each year around the holidays.
Sure, we’re all watching Elf, but what are we watching secretly in our beds with the cats and the rest of the advent calendar?
Sales Manager Tiff
A Very Brady Christmas. A classic! I mean, if Carol Brady singing “O Come All Ye Faithful” doesn’t get you, perhaps you are dead inside. And this comes from a hardcore atheist.
Santa Claus: The Movie. Dark and awesome origin story of Santa. And John Lithgow as the evil toymaker? Come on.
One Magic Christmas. Sigh. So much to say. Peak ’80s dark factor. Fun fact: this is a Disney movie! What!
“So Called Angels” episode of My So-Called Life. Delicious ’90s goodness! Julianna Hatfield as an angel? Yes please. Shedding light on the plight of runaway teens? Thank you, television.
Former Editor Megan
The Muppet Christmas Carol is my favorite Christmas movie AND Muppet movie combined.
Oh and Die Hard!
Oh and Scrooged!
Former editor & copyeditor Caroline
I’m very passionate about this topic, thank you for asking. A Muppet Family Christmas is my all-time fave.
An ex used to watch A Junkie’s Christmas every year. That’s definitely weird!
Sr. Editor Catherine
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale — a surprisingly awesome and definitely unconventional horror-meet-Christmas tale from Finland.
Mickey’s Christmas Carol — because Scrooge McDuck needed to play Ebenezer Scrooge at some point.
The Simpsons: The Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire — The introduction to Santa’s Little Helper and a fun Christmassy tale from way back in season one.
Nomination for a new tradition: A Christmas Prince from Netflix. It’s DRIVEL. It’s every cliche in the holiday book. And I’ll definitely watch it again.
Publisher Ariel
I am a basic bitch and will say that Tavi and I seem to watch Frozen every winter, but now he’s got his new lyrics (as seen on my Instagram stories). [Spoiler: the new lyrics are “Let it go, let it go, let the toilet overflow!”]
Developer Kellbot
YOUR TURN! What weird, silly, lesser-known holiday films are you watching? Share in the comments so we can add ’em!
About the Author: Catherine Clark
Catherine Clark loiters at her local library, makes art, watches movies en masse, plays video and tabletop games, poorly cooks healthy things, cuddles with her feline fur babies, and blogs at BijouxandBits.com.
I rock it old school. For me it’s all about the 1970s stop-motion animation specials.
“The Year Without A Santa Claus”: It’s not Christmas if Heat Miser and Cold Miser aren’t going at it.
“Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”: Burgermeister Meisterburger!! Also? Young sessy Santa! Courting young sessy Mrs Claus! Mreow.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Need I say more?
Oh ok one more: Love Actually.
YES A Muppet Family Christmas! Most people don’t even know what it is. Our old vhs recorded off the tv from the 80’s was wearing thin and it was hard to get a DVD copy because unedited versions were never released in the US. Had to buy a bootleg off eBay from the UK. So good. Fraggles, Sesame Street, muppet babies, AND traditional muppets.
Same, right down to the bootleg (though mine was procured by a friend).
Oh man. Muppet Christmas Carol, the year without a santa Claus, olive the other reindeer, Garfield christmas, the first home alone, christmas vacation, the snowman… And those are just off the top of my head!
Mr Magoo’s Christmas Carol is a favorite from when I was a kid. The first version of “A Christmas Carol” I ever saw, I was just 6 when it was first shown on TV.
Muppet Family Christmas a favorite that we first saw when my daughter was a baby 30 years ago, one of the best Muppet specials ever!
Muppet Christmas Carol and Die Hard are my two must-watches, and my husband grew up on Mickey’s Christmas Carol (which I honestly can’t stand, mainly because I have to cover my ears whenever Donald’s on screen).
But I will always have a soft spot for Santa’s Slay, featuring the dramatic stylings of one Bill Goldberg of WCW fame.
The Garfield and Pinky and the Brain Christmas specials have a long history in my family.
Yes to Muppet Family Christmas, which is preceded on my taped-from-tv VHS by Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and A Claymation Christmas Celebration. I have no clue when my parents taped these for me, since I was born in ’87 and the specials are my age or older, but that’s my bizarro Christmas Canon.
I tend toward Christmas fare with a slightly darker undertone:
A Charlie Brown Christmas. (Between the minimalist animation and dialog, as well as the killer soundtrack, I never considered it a kids’ cartoon. I watched the premiere in 1965, back when Peanuts was considered a cool and edgy comic strip.)
Nativity! and Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger (Yeah, they’re both kinda screwball, but there’s deeper stuff if you get past the fluff. Plus Martin Freeman and David Tennant!)
Flint Street Nativity. (Because the child is the father of the man. Just watch it and see what I mean. Extra points if you’re a Ballykissangel fan.)
Oh, and my definitive production of A Christmas Carol? The 1970 Albert Finney production of Scrooge. The “Thank You Very Much” sequence is priceless!
Ren and Stimpy: Have yourself a stinky little Christmas.
My family has watched that almost every Christmas for about 20 years. Ever since my brother got the orange VHS as a kid.
The common ones I gotta watch are The Santa Clause, The Holiday, and the original Miracle on 34th Street.
I LOVE a Muppet Family Christmas, and this year I saw Joyeux Noel for the first time, which will definitely be a new go-to choice for Christmas Eve.
I like the Doctor Who special with the flying sharks, and also Warehouse 13 and Eureka had some fantastic Christmas episodes I like to watch when I can find them.
A Smoky Mountain Christmas!
Dolly Parton! The Fall Guy! Cute kids! A WITCH!
It’s THE BEST.