Your favorite 'Christmas' movie?

My personal favorite is my family tradition: White Christmas.

I hold a deep and unreasonable hatred for "A Christmas Story". There's just something about that movie that grates HARD on my nerves.

The version of the Christmas Carol with Mickey Mouse and the gang, perhaps because that was my childhood favorite tends to be my favorite rendition of A Christmas Carol (for one thing, being a Disney thing, it has the religious aspects toned down, for another at the time Disney still had the knack of making old classic novels into something I didn't feel like chucking across the room).
Miracle on 34th street (the old black and white one)
Polar Express - it's a nice movie, a bit sappy in places though.
Nightmare Before Christmas
I gotta agree, The Year Without a Santa Clause is a good one.
I haven't really watched too many Christmas movies in years though.

And of course the special Christmas episodes of my favorite series (Christmas episode from the new Doctor Who series with the killer robot Santas was funny in its own way, but I still like the Christmas episode of The Big O better).

Personally I dislike "A Christmas Story", possibly the only reason is that it isn't fantasy.

"If there is evil in this world, it lurks within the hearts of men" ~Edward D. Morrison, Tales of Phantasia

Only the original one, with Bela Lugosi, can ever count.

(No pun intended.)

I also like "Christmas in Connecticut," the Harry Potter movies (it's just in passing, but nicely handled, fie on the fundies), "The Lemon Drop Kid" (yes, Bob Hope), and of course "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

For hunk factor there's Dennis Leary in "The Ref," which centers around a Christmas dinner.

I have heard about "The Blackadder Christmas Carol" but haven't seen it yet. ICan I get away with mentioning "A Charlie Brown Christmas" here? The religion is too much for me, but I love the music! Doodle-de-doodle-dee-doo-doo, doodle-de-doo!

Then I found this set of quotes while doublechecking a couple things (such as what a childhood TV special was called, but it's probably too esoteric for most people to have heard about) online:
"Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it," Batman says.
Responds Catwoman, "A kiss can be deadly if you mean it."
(From "Batman Returns")

Our traditional Christmas fare includes:

Scrooged
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Carol(Starring Alistar Sim)

Xmas movie? Brazil.

And a short story: "The Confessions of Ebenezer Scrooge" in James Morrow's Bible Stories for Adults.

Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Connie Willis is a book that you Jim, as an SF author, will probably like.

As I recall, in her opinion Miracle on 34th street is the ultimate Christmas story. She doesn't care much for It's a Wonderful Life for some of the same reasons Neil cited.

On the subject of It's a Wonderful Life...

Never could stand the damn thing. Everyone's too fake nice, and the bad guy gets away and keeps the $8000. But it's all good because it's Christmas and shit, right? Riiiiight.....
I much prefer the Saturday Night Live version of the ending, where Old Man Potter is dragged from his wheelchair and killed by a mob. Or the South Park version that has Jimmy Stewart slapping Potter around and calling him a little bitch. So much more festive!

There are some great t.v. episodes and specials-the South Park "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!" is good, and has the Jimmy Stewart scene described above. The original How the Grinch Stole Christmas cartoon with Boris Karloff is great, too.

For less tasteful fare, there's always Most Offensive Video. Don't bother googling it unless you are unfazed by racist, sexist, fifth-grade potty humor. Somebody took all the old Charlie Brown specials and re-voiced them in stereotype ebonics. They have new titles and dialogue. "Beware the Easter Nigga, Charlie Brown." "It's Motherfuckin' Ramadan, Charlie Brown." "Suck my Big Black Ass, Charlie Brown." Not your grandmother's holiday specials, for sure.

(reading the word "fragile") "Frajeelay...must be Italian!"
A Christmas Story. My single favorite Christmas movie. Almost wholly innocent and yet incredibly funny. Family friendly and yet almost totally mythology free(santa only), with a heaping dose of adolescent cynicism. Great young actors as well. My sister or mother(I forgot)bought me a t-shirt with a picture from the scene where Flick's tongue is stuck to the flagpole. The shirt reads "I triple dog dare you!" I call it my "child pornography shirt" because it has a picture of a little boy licking a pole. Much like with The Princess Bride, I could spout one-liners from A Christmas Story all day, but I don't want to ruin too many of the jokes. Bumpuses!

I like just about any version of A Christmas Carol, my favorites being the version with George C. Scott as Scrooge and the more recent Patrick Stewart version.

Also, Gremlins and Trading Places. Good stuff.

It's a Wonderful Life and A Chrsitmas Story.

Die Hard. No contest.
--
"Ponies are atheists, you know, technically."
- Me

The favorite Christmas movie around here is Polar Express. I thought they did an exceptional job of capturing the magic of Christmas. It's all about suspending disbelief and not losing the wonderment of childhood.

I'll have to put Love Actually into our, now year-long, Netflix queue. That might time out just right for next Christmas ;)

Oh yeah, Nightmare Before Christmas is another good one and it gets to participate in two holidays.

How could someone who likes firearms like you do forget "A Chrismas Story"-I grew up in the 50's and spent a couple of Christmases pleading for a Daisy air rifle. #2-and stay with me here-is "3 Godfathers" ('48 version). A story of redemption and sacrifice,great actors, beautiful photography, themes (baby, 3 [well maybe not-so]wise men and an ending that takes place over/during Christmastime.

A Christmas Story.

I mean, how can you not? The "leg lamp" alone still has the power to crack me up, and I chant "you'll shoot your eye out" at my kids every Christmas. :)

Seriously.

Sollazzo tries to kill Vito, while the family is out Christmas shopping. It's indelibly linked in my head to Christmas. You cannot get any more festive than a mob hit.

#1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
#2. The Year Without a Santa Claus