Christmas Film Festival

Not to turn my blog into a dedication to holiday film festivals, but I've been a little overwhelmed at work, and upkeep has been a problem. And quite frankly, I wrote this entry about two months ago. (Admittedly, if there's any doubt about my penchant for watching holiday-appropriate films, see here and here.)

I love the Christmas season, with all it's clichés. And part of the season, for me, is watching Christmas movies, from the conventional to the unconventional. Here are some weekend suggestions for Holiday fare:

December 1-2. Start with some lighter fare:
Elf
Grumpy Old Men
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The Santa Clause

December 7-9. Some classics to help you get in the holiday spirit:
The Bishop's Wife (1947 version)
A Christmas Carol (1951 version)
Holiday Inn
Miracle on 34th Street
White Christmas

December 14-16. Break up the standard Christmas theme with some unconventional, even noirish, choices -- as well as action flicks that we all forgot take place on Christmas:
Bad Santa (a "Christmas comedy noir" if there ever was one)
Die Hard
Go
The Ice Harvest (underrated film, actually)
Lethal Weapon
Love Actually
Scrooged

December 21-23. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so let's go with some obvious Yuletide tales:
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Carol (1984 version, my personal favorite)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 version)
It's a Wonderful Life

December 24-25. Let's be honest. You're not going to do anything except watch A Christmas Story on TNT for 24 hours.

Thanksgiving Film Festival

I'm not as dorkily emphatic about movies on Thanksgiving as I am about Halloween, but sometimes it's nice, after the football game is over, to watch a flick that's set during the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is a pretty social day, so I'd mostly stick with comedies.

Honestly, the best choice is probably Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but here are some other ideas for November 22-25:

Hannah and Her Sisters
Home for the Holidays
The Ice Storm
Miracle on 34th Street
Pieces of April
Scent of a Woman

And, I almost hate to do this, because I'm not exactly a fan, but: Son in Law. Hey, don't blame me: it is a Thanksgiving movie. Whatever happened to that guy, anyway?