Christmas in media

CaptainAppleJack

Seeing as it's that time of the year again, why not share your thoughts about your favorite Christmas themed movies, episodes of TV series, books, songs or Internet videos even.
I personally really love Christmas and for me media takes up a huge part of bringing me into the Christmas spirit.

One story that imo has many good renditions is the classic "A Christmas Carol". For the last few years I watched the Muppet version, which I can quite enjoy.

Also the first two "Home Alone" movies convey the spirit imho pretty nicely. It's true that its the same formula twice, but I still find both to be really entertaining and also touching at times.

Another movie I'm probably gonna watch this year is "The Santa Clause" with Tim Allen, seeing how I watched it since way back as a young boy.

So I'm fairly interested what your favorite parts of Christmas in the media is. :happy:

Sonic Youth

As a swede… I'm too emberassed to tell...

Robby

@Sonic:

As a swede… I'm too emberassed to tell...

Donald Duck, right?

Mumbling2

My requirement every Christmas season:

-Muppet Christmas Carol (at least 3 times)
-Olive the Other Reindeer
-Elf
-The Nightmare Before Christmas
-As many of the South Park Christmas specials as I can (with Red Sleigh Down and Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics taking priority).

Insider2000

I watch it every year.
And cry like a pathetic idiot over the ending… EVERY. YEAR!

Nobodyman

Of course I love all the essential Christmas stuff, like Grinch, Charlie Brown Christmas and Christmas Story.

Then there's the Rankin Bass Christmas specials, but really, the only ones I really like are Rudolph and Year Without a Santa Claus.

One of my personal favorites that I feel is very overlooked is The Christmas Toy (it's Jim Henson people!)

I also try to catch the Christmas ATHF episodes.

Oh, and this is the first year I've seen the Muppet Family Christmas special. Definitely a new favorite.

Monkey King

I'm retardedly tired of ALL the things we watch in my family every year (except It's a Wonderful Life), but that's fine. Fuck all of it, not this year.

Nia

I have a South Park Christmas CD in my car, just waiting to be popped in again.

Monkey King

Chrissie has never seen It's a Wonderful Life~
So watching it on a starry night in Paphos~

Sniper King

I really like Fred Claus. Every time I watch it. I know it was panned, but I love it so much.

Zack

"The Gift of the Magi"

I always just found it so wonderfully romantic about how each of them gave up one of their dearest possessions to buy something important to the person who's most important in their lives.

I think it also helps that while I always heard of the story, I didn't even recognize it when I was actually reading the original short story making it all the more heartwarming.

Money and Spades

I miss the old CartoonNetwork christmas specials :(

Cyan D. Funk

The single greatest christmas song

of all time

Wagomu

Leave this on repeat forever:

FelRes

That Christmas episode of Hey Arnold where Arnold wants to reunite Mr Hyunh with his daughter, and Helga gives up her boots for it to happen. As far as Christmas episodes of cartoons go, that's prolly my favorite.

Ubiq

It annoys me that nobody airs any of the Garfield holiday specials these days; especially the Halloween special.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

Before I forget.

Steven D. Teach

Home Alone is a big Christmas movie in Japan, so that's been nice the past couple of years for me. It was on TV the other night, so it's all rented out at stores at the moment. I'm visiting home this year, so I'm going to resume my tradition of watching Die Hard and Jingle All the Way while getting hammered off of egg nog. Last year I kept shouting "Dylan, you son of a bitch!" at Sinbad.

valiantt

@Steven:

Home Alone is a big Christmas movie in Japan, so that's been nice the past couple of years for me. It was on TV the other night, so it's all rented out at stores at the moment. I'm visiting home this year, so I'm going to resume my tradition of watching Die Hard and Jingle All the Way while getting hammered off of egg nog. Last year I kept shouting "Dylan, you son of a bitch!" at Sinbad.

Wow Die Hard and Jingle All the Way, two excellent action packed holiday movies. I don't care what people say about Jingle All the Way, it 's a damn hilarious movie that really cements what the holiday is about: commercialism.

CosmicDebris

I still love all the old classic stuff like Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman, etc.. Also can't not watch The Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Anyone remember the Claymation Christmas special?

Hard to find the whole thing but there are clips on youtube.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs–phzj2TQ
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Wagomu

Nami

Sissi.

Leon, the Professional

And every Die Hard movie.

Rebecky_Mo

Ah, Christmas Specials! How I love them. I always look forward to December 1st, when they start to hit full swing…Several of my favorites have already been mentioned, such as:

Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Family Christmas (glad you finally discovered it Nobodyman, it's my favorite)
A Garfield Christmas (Canada still shows them Ubiq! Sometimes I love YTV...)
The Rankin/Bass specials, like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Mickey's Christmas Carol

Here's a few other specials from my childhood (I don't even know if some of these were played in the US, LOL)

Winnie the Pooh and Christmas too

!

The Bears Who Saved Christmas

!

A Chipmunk Christmas (which I CANNOT find a full version of online! D<)

!

The Teddy Bears Christmas (totally different from the other one! LOL)

!

The Boy Who Dreamed Christmas

!

Christopher the Christmas Tree

!

! …Dammit, that is NOT the original ending! The whole 'President's personal tree' thing wasn't there in my version!

Cyber-Robin

I've got that many Christmas DVDs/Blu-Rays that I end up having to watch them a few weeks in advance.

Last week I picked up Arthur Christmas and Harold and Kumar's Christmas a few weeks prior to that. So watched them already. Also watched Disney's Christmas Carol and Santa Paws 2 the week before that.

Today was Home Alone & Home Alone 2 and finally Polar Express. Likely will try and get Fred Claus in tomorrow.

This is the week the Christmas films usually start on TV. So the ones like Jingle all the Way, Deck the Halls, Christmas with the Cranks etc I end up watching. I also start ticking off some of the Christmas specials from Only Fools & Horses. One Foot In the Grave and Doctor Who about now.

Next week we'll end up focusing on dogs and doing 101 Dalmations (Live), Snow Buddies, Santa Buddies, Santa Paws and some of the others our family has amassed over the years.

Weekend after that I end up watching whatever else is on. Snowman, Father Christmas (I think there's a new one this year called The Snowman's Dog), Some Simpson ones, Some South Park, Fast Show's, Men Behaving Badly's, League of Gentlemen's, Not going out, Brittas Empire before ending it with Blackadder's Christmas Carol and Merry Christmas Mr. Bean.

Yeah….I probably go a bit too overboard...and likely need help. Oh well. Its fun enough.

zachri

There is ALWAYS one thing we MUST watch every year, and the best thing is this year they're making a new version…
One does not simply Christmas without The Snowman.

And they've made another called The Snowman and The Snowdog in the same style a few years later after The Snowman <3

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~~alsoKiddisthebestSupernova!~~

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awwyiss.
LOOK AT THAT SWEET ASS MOFO
HGN
THAT FIERY HAIR
THE FIERY EYES
THEY ARE ALL CONSUMING.
HGN.
~~yeahimdead~~[/hide]

Cyber-Robin

I always wondered if the Snowman and Father Christmas shorts were British centric or if the whole world got watched them. Maybe it's like 'Its a Wonderful Life' and some of the others that the American folk here talk about always but we never really get (I don't think I ever saw it air once here. Unless it's during the day.)

Mastello

@zachri:

There is ALWAYS one thing we MUST watch every year, and the best thing is this year they're making a new version…
One does not simply Christmas without The Snowman.

This, it's aired every Christmas here in Finland as well.

And this year I'm also eagerly looking forward to The Snowm_e_n.

TakinawaTonfa

@Cyber-Robin:

I always wondered if the Snowman and Father Christmas shorts were British centric or if the whole world got watched them. Maybe it's like 'Its a Wonderful Life' and some of the others that the American folk here talk about always but we never really get (I don't think I ever saw it air once here. Unless it's during the day.)

I remember seeing The Snowman a loooong time ago on a children's TV block (either Nick Jr. or the Disney channel) and I also remember having a VHS tape with a few winter-themed cartoons in which it was included, but yeah it appeared quite rarely over here.

Outside of the media, my family has a tradition of reading The First Noel (from the Gospel of St. Luke) together on Christmas Eve.

CaptainAppleJack

Me lowlife creature have never even heard of The Snowman before I saw the Nostalgia Critic's Top Eleven Christmas Special. Maybe it's just because I'm worthless, but I just can't remember ever seeing it somewhere on TV here in Austria (and our channels equal Germany for the most part).

Although I'm not worth it, thus far I watched Nightmare Before Christmas (and now the Kidnapping song won't go out of my head) and The Santa Clause. Also some of the Nostalgia Critic's Christmas-themed videos.

Ubiq

@Rebecky_Mo:

A Garfield Christmas (Canada still shows them Ubiq! Sometimes I love YTV…)

So Canada basically keeps airing good shows from the United States while giving us things like Johnny Test and Scaredy Squirrel. Damnit, Canada.

zachri

@Ubiq:

So Canada basically keeps airing good shows from the United States while giving us things like Johnny Test and Scaredy Squirrel. Damnit, Canada.

At least Canada doesn't take shows from our country and make their own versions…

tarrin4ever

@zachri:

At least Canada doesn't take shows from our country and make their own versions…

!

whistles innocently

zachri

@tarrin4ever:

!

whistles innocently

'Our country' being England.
Just saying.
I'M LOOKING AT YOU AMERICA.

Monkey King

@zachri:

'Our country' being England.
Just saying.
I'M LOOKING AT YOU AMERICA.

Yes, when I sit down in theaters to watch Les Miserables, I'll be thinking of the endless originality of the English people who never refashion things from other countries lol.

zachri

@Monkey:

Yes, when I sit down in theaters to watch Les Miserables, I'll be thinking of the endless originality of the English people who never refashion things from other countries lol.

Whilst I'll be sat here watching TV and an advert for an American show obviously taking the idea from an English show, thinking about how so original America is.

Monkey King

@zachri:

Whilst I'll be sat here watching TV and an advert for an American show obviously taking the idea from an English show, thinking about how so original America is.

We have the two best original Christmas movies of all time though.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039628/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/

Also we can take your TV concepts in return from you guys taking all our music concepts lol.

zachri

@Monkey:

We have the two best original Christmas movies of all time though.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039628/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/

Also we can take your TV concepts in return from you guys taking all our music concepts lol.

…touché.
But there is one thing I shall say to America - STAY AWAY FROM OUR TEA.
I see y'all over there in your Assassins Creeds punting barrels of tea into the sea!

Monkey King

@zachri:

…touché.
But there is one thing I shall say to America - STAY AWAY FROM OUR TEA.
I see y'all over there in your Assassins Creeds punting barrels of tea into the sea!

You were selling that to us and making more taxes on it lol, serves you right.

Chrissie

@zachri:

At least Canada doesn't take shows from our country and make their own versions…

I hope you are not talking about those horrible talent (dance and singing or whatever) shows because I personally think they are one of the major breeders for 'stupid' on Television.

Ubiq

zachri

@Monkey:

You were selling that to us and making more taxes on it lol, serves you right.

@Chrissie:

I hope you are not talking about those horrible talent (dance and singing or whatever) shows because I personally think they are one of the major breeders for 'stupid' on Television.

~~times like this where I wish I wasn't cursed to be unable to use gifs~~

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Ass.

Ass who?

Ass who-las.

Oh well. Talent shows are easy to copy I guess and there are tones of different versions of 'em around the world.
And Assassin's Creed looks like a hella good game (not played it) and at least that tea thing was an optional thing.
Tea is f**king delicious.

Rebecky_Mo

@Ubiq:

So Canada basically keeps airing good shows from the United States while giving us things like Johnny Test and Scaredy Squirrel. Damnit, Canada.

Ah, but we get far LESS of your good shows up here, due to Canada's 'local content' media rules. The handful of Canadian shows you guys get? That's about how many American cartoons WE get. If you want a GOOD Canadian cartoon, go watch Detentionaire.

Besides, holiday specials get shown once a year. That doesn't count.

Let's get this back on track with A PowerPuff Girls Christmas.

Monkey King

@zachri:

Oh well. Talent shows are easy to copy I guess and there are tones of different versions of 'em around the world.
And Assassin's Creed looks like a hella good game (not played it) and at least that tea thing was an optional thing.
Tea is f**king delicious.

Uh…..you do know that the throwing of the Tea thing is a real thing that happened and a seriously famous event of our Revolution against you guys lol.

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

Also forgeddaboutit, I'm a total Southern Europe guy drink wise, keep your tea and beer, I'll take the wine and coffee.

Chrissie

@zachri:

~~times like this where I wish I wasn't cursed to be unable to use gifs~~

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Ass.

Ass who?

Ass who-las.

Oh well. Talent shows are easy to copy I guess and there are tones of different versions of 'em around the world.
And Assassin's Creed looks like a hella good game (not played it) and at least that tea thing was an optional thing.
Tea is f**king delicious.

How am I an asshole for not like terrible talent shows? I really despise them and find them the least entertaining shit ever created. Watching paint dry is more fun.

Also… wtf are you talking about? XD Do you even know what the Boston Tea Party was about? o.0 It certainly was not from Assassin's Creed..........

PS: The Greeks drunk tea long before the Brits wore clothes. :P

Cyan D. Funk

Real men drink milk and cookies.

Monkey King

@Cyan:

Real men drink milk and cookies.

Milk is great, I even sometimes order it in restaurants to have with burgers or pancakes. People think it's wierd, but nothing goes better with basic food.

Don Quichotte De Flamingo

Guys, let us just drink the liquor all nations appreciate (or at least should in the right amount)..
Iam talking about beer and booze…tea and coffee might be delicious from time to time, but when it comes to the core we all love to celebrate our precious holidays with something truely delicious.

Monkey King

@Don:

Guys, let us just drink the liquor all nations appreciate (or at least should in the right amount)..
Iam talking about beer and booze…tea and coffee might be delicious from time to time, but when it comes to the core we all love to celebrate our precious holidays with something truely delicious.

Not all nations enjoy beer Mr. German lol.
Wine superiority!!

Chrissie

Can't wait to make you drink Cyprus' fine red wine Zeph~ Especially commandaria! One glass of it and it'll warm you for hours!

Also, we have a lot of whacky Christmas shows on the TV you'll enjoy! Most of them are traditional parties with drinking, singers and dancers and actors taking part!

Don Quichotte De Flamingo

@Monkey:

Not all nations enjoy beer Mr. German lol.
Wine superiority!!

I included booze, because i know that many poor people ain`t getting good old german beer under their christmas trees.
Another sign of how bad this world truely is.

PS: Dont trust that that red ambrosia Chrissie wants to give you…its demonic.
Just look what i have become.

Robby

It ain't Christmas unless the sequel to Snoopy vs. the Red Baron plays on the radio. And it has to be on the radio, it doesn't count if you just look it up. It must be a random surprise that makes its way through everything else on the radio in the brief time you actually listen to the radio, or it doesn't count.

And for you youngsters that never heard the original, start with this.

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Thank you terrible easily forgotten 60's band the Royal Guardsman that contributed little to the world. They're both awful songs, but I have childhood nostalgia for them.