Fave Christmas Flicks

from Meghann:

We don't own a lot of movies. We're more into watching an episode or two of a tv series after dinner and sometimes rent a movie on the weekend if we have a night with not much going on. Yes, we still rent movies, from the tiny movie rental place on base - there are so many things about being stationed at an overseas base that are throwbacks. Some would say "outdated" but we'll go with "quaint". Also, due to Spanish law, those new-fangled streaming media sites are not available. Pandora, Netflix, Hulu...'til we meet again, amigos...

But there are a few movies that we own just for the holiday season and they are always in the Christmas rotation. They are all comedies. I'm not sure if this says something about us, but we're just not that into re-watching dramas or anything that is too syrupy sweet or overwrought with emotion, especially during the holidays. So, here they are, our favorite flicks for the Feliz Navidad season:

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

This marks the unofficial official kick-off to our holiday season. It's the first Christmas movie we watch in December. Best enjoyed while decorating the tree, because it features the funniest Christmas tree related comedy in all of cinema. Even better if watched while consuming adult beverages, bonus points for egg nog. 

Love Actually

I don't know how Graham is going to feel about me admitting this on the interwebs, but I love this movie and he doesn't hate it. I think he actually likes it. There's a million different story lines, mostly comical though some are mushy enough to qualify for a chick flick. But there's just the right amount of Keira Knightley, boobs, (no, not Keira Knightley's boobs, pay attention) and potty humor to keep everyone in our casa amused. It's a little crass, so I wouldn't recommend it for children, but seriously, we are not the people to look to for advice on kids' activities.

Elf

Will Ferrell dressed in an elf costume and saying things like "You smell like beef and cheese! You don't smell like Santa." and "I'm sorry I ruined your lives, and crammed 11 cookies into the VCR." We're sold! And I just giggled to myself while typing those quotes. 

A Christmas Story

This is the only one of these movies that we haven't watched yet this year. We save this ultimate Christmas classic for late in the season - it's excellent Christmas Eve material or even Christmas Day, post-presents or post-crazy family dinner. Takes you right back to your childhood - how much you desperately wanted that perfect present from Santa, the school days that just wouldn't end so that Christmas would come, and the first time your parents caught you saying "fu..." Oh, hola to our Moms that read this blog. 

So, there you have it. Our short and not so sweet Christmas DVD collection. We'll probably be spending some quality time on the couch this weekend with uno or dos of these movies, the pups, and some cocktails. Maybe cran cava for me and egg nog for Graham?

What movies are your go-tos at holiday time? Have any suggestions for something we should add to our collection?