After you’ve had a nice big lunch and watched the Queen’s speech it’s time to get on the sofa for a nice film with the family. There are certain films, they don’t even need to be festive, that you can sit and relax with for this special time. Here are a few suggestions for you to consider.
It’s a wonderful life (1946).
Let’s start with one of the most traditional films. It never gets old seeing Clarence get his wings or George realise how important he is to the people around him and the town he loves so much.
A Christmas Carol.
It might be more suited for the night before Christmas day but Charles Dickens’ story remains one of the best tales about Christmas ever written. There are many versions to suit all tastes. We think the 1951 version “Scrooge” with Alastair Sim in the title role is the best but there are plenty of other versions. Albert Finney’s musical adaptation in 1970 is notable but so is Michael Caine and the Muppets Christmas Carol (1992).
Harry Potter
A good rollicking adventure is one great way to spend that Christmas afternoon film time. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) is a fun one and has something for everyone in it. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982) is another one, just close your eyes for the yucky ending! Willow from (1988), a fantasy adventure with lots of humour, is another one. If all else fails, put on Star Wars: A New Hope (1977).
White Christmas (1956).
You can’t have Christmas without Bing Crosby singing this old classic. It first appeared in Holiday Inn from 1942, where Bing sings it very early on, but it is the later film, White Christmas that it becomes mostly known for. It tells the tale of two GI’s, Crosby and the ever-energetic Danny Kaye, as they try to develop a romance with two sisters who are performers, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen after the War. They discover the Hotel of their old Major General is in trouble and they rally around, with the help of their theatrical friends and old Comrades to save his Inn. The film is even a bit topical about environmental issues, the hotel is in Vermont and it should be under a blanket of snow but the weather is unseasonably warm. All ends well and Bing sings White Christmas at the end of the film just as the snow returns to the state.