OT: Best Christmas Stories, Movies and Traditions

Submitted by LLG on December 22nd, 2018 at 9:57 PM

I'm wondering what are your best Christmas Story, Movie and Traditions?

We enjoy listening to SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris. 

We also have started to making Christingles, which we started as a tradition after listening to James Acaster.

On a wholesome level, we listen to A Christmas Carol (audiobook with the English accent).

If you have anything we should add, I'd love to know.

Laser Wolf

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:00 PM ^

We generally go through every Christmas movie we own leading up to Christmas day and save A Muppet Christmas Carol for Christmas Eve. That movie fucking rules.  

freelion

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:03 PM ^

My tradition is to watch It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve - mostly after the family has gone to bed and all is quiet. Besides that we will try to get in a trip to Frankenmuth most years.

MGoTrumpet

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:07 PM ^

A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott as Scrooge is amazing!  He's such a good Scrooge, and there's enough humor injected and the best drama with the story line, just an excellent version.  Plus he is the best converted Scrooge ever (Marley's ghost is pretty cool and scary too - not a show to watch with the little ones.  Still a great story of redemption of a miserable old man... great for Christmas. 

Go Blue Eyes

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:13 PM ^

A hidden gem is It Happened on Fifth Avenue.  Made in the 1940's.  Just discovered it about four years ago and now watch it every Christmas.  One of the co-stars is Alan Hale, Jr. - the Skipper from Gilligan's Island.

Couzen Rick's

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:15 PM ^

Grew up in an Indian Immigrant/Hindu family. We ripped off a Jewish tradition and order Thai food. The day of and after Christmas we raid the stores trying to find deals on discounted stuff post holiday.

Favorite movies are Home Alone 2, Elf, and heckling Love Actually  

Blue in St Lou

December 22nd, 2018 at 11:04 PM ^

First of all, it's not Christmas Day, it's Christmas Eve. There are plenty of restaurants open on Christmas Day, but -- at least years ago -- not on Christmas Eve. And here's how it started:

My father's birthday is December 24. (A great day for a Jewish boy's birthday!) When I was a kid many years ago (too many to mention) we'd go out to celebrate his birthday. But the only restaurants open were Chinese. So we always went to a Chinese restaurant. And then we'd go to a movie. We'd be just about the only people in the restaurant and in the theatre. 

As years went by, other people, especially our fellow Jews, took up the practice. One year my cousin was amazed that my parents knew just about everyone in the restaurant. And now there are many restaurants open on Christmas Eve, and movie theatres are packed.

I think my father gets the credit.

 

 

Princetonwolverine

December 23rd, 2018 at 10:23 AM ^

If you get the chance, watch the Love Actually DVD director's cut of scenes he had to delete otherwise it would have been 3+ hrs. Great scenes. But NOTHING beats the English guy going to Milwaukee and being "forced" to sleep with the girls in one bed. They being naked because they were too poor to afford pajamas. Classic. 

Yessir

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:24 PM ^

Wife and I watch Irving Berlin's White Christmas most nights.  Only start to finish on weekends.  We love it and don't care if we don't get through it all every time we watch. 

Miracle on 34th (1947). 

Sllepy81

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:30 PM ^

Bought a new house last week, has a movie theater in it, we will be doing Xmas movies every weekend till Xmas. No other traditions really but it locks the kids in while we wrap ?

You Only Live Twice

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:32 PM ^

Christmas Vacation, every year.

Other movies have cycled in and out of the rotation, we never get tired of CV.

bluewings

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:32 PM ^

When I was a kid we played the dice game. Roll 2 dice, get 2 of a kind grab a gift that was wrapped. After all the gifts are gone when you get two of a kind you get to take from another person. You get 2 of a kind you also roll again. Lots of family would play and taking the same persons gifts until they had nothing.... there will be tears 

Blue in St Lou

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:40 PM ^

Two great Christmas movies are my family's favorites, both of which have significance for my UM American Culture degree;

1. It's a Wonderful Life, which was one of the subjects of a senior seminar paper.

2. Meet Me in St. Louis, a musical about a family the year before the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. My other senior seminar paper (yes, I wrote 2) was about the architecture of that fair. The movie ended with a glimpse of that remarkable architecture. My professor included my paper in a journal he published. (I hope you don't mind my bragging about it, but it's one of my proudest achievements.) 

On Christmas Eve, my family will celebrate my father's 97th birthday by watching Meet Me in St. Louis with him.

Sam1863

December 23rd, 2018 at 4:07 AM ^

Since you are well-versed with IAWL, I have to bring up a point that the MGoGirlfriend made to me many years ago, when we were watching the movie.

It always bothered her that in the "Life Without George" scenes, Mary turns out to be a dowdy spinster librarian. Why? In high school, Mary Hatch was a beautiful, intelligent, vivacious girl who drew plenty of attention from guys (including Sam Wainwright, who ended up a rich businessman.)

But just because George Bailey was "never born," Mary ends up frumpy and alone?

Nope. Even for a fantasy film, it doesn't make sense.

PS: Happy Birthday to your father.

M Go Cue

December 22nd, 2018 at 10:48 PM ^

Make homemade pizza with the wife every year on Christmas Eve.  We are expecting our first child in June so we’ve been squeezing every bit of “just us” time out of this Christmas season as possible.