Movies that are Holiday Movies only to you

[Mrs. Cake]

There are several movies that have nothing to do with the holidays that have become so traditional at our house that I now consider them holiday movies.

Arsenic & Old Lace - I first saw this one Christmas Eve about 25 years ago and it has become a 12/24 tradition ever since. Which reminds me - time to get a bottle of elderberry wine.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy - probably becuase of their original release dates. Every year sometime around the holidays the extended editions are watched as a marathon.

Time Bandits - Don't know how this became a Thanksgiving movie but it has been for at least 15 years.

Yours?

[mkecane]

Goldeneye and a handful of other James Bond movies. Goldeneye is because I got an N64 in the fall of '97, and spent way too much time in Dec. '97 and Jan. '98 playing that video game, so the movie association now exists. I think some cable network used to have 15 Days of 007 or something like that in Decembers, too. The Bond movies all seem to be released in November, too.

[voguevixen]

The Sound of Music always used to get played around the Holidays when I was a kid. I always think of it that way.

Now for some reason they seem to always play both the Harry Potter movies and PIXAR's The Incredibles.

[rowrrbazzle]

Well, it isn't actually a tradition with me, but I think of "Meet Me in St. Louis" as a Christmas movie because it has a Christmas scene where "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was introduced (and the original lyrics were sadder and were changed for the movie).

[Justin_Bailey]

The Indiana Jones trilogy and the Star Wars trilogy. It used to be tradition on USA that they would show all six movies back-to-back on Christmas day and my cousins and I would watch them every year.

Even though I own all six movies on DVD now, I still miss that.

[MrDibble]

For a chunk of the world outside the US and UK, Dinner for One (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinner_for_One) is a New Year's Eve tradition. Most anyone in the US and UK seem never to have heard of it.

[Kolga]

When Harry Met Sally. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098635/) My mom and I watch it every New Year's Eve we're together, and if I'm not going to be with her on New Year's, we'll pick a time and watch it at the same time.

[BrotherCadfael]

I remember when "It's a Wonderful Life" WASN'T a Christmas movie!

[Novalyne]

The Godfather. I started this tradition at least 15 years ago because it was a nice long movie that I could have in the background while wrapping presents.

I always joke that it's the perfect holiday movie because it's all about the importance of family. :)

[Sampiro]

The Lion in Winter- it's set at Christmas in the late 12th century, but not really Christmasy to most people, though the continual family fighting, Mother being let out of jail for the holidays, and saying horrible things that once said can never be unsaid make it seem more like a 1980s Christmas than an 1180s one, so I watch it every holiday season.

[Khadaji]

I associate We're No Angels with Christmas. (The original with Bogart.)

It isn't exactly a Christmas movie, but occurs at Christmas time and I first saw it just before Christmas when I was young.

[standingwave]

There always seems to be a James Bond marathon on Christmas these days, so I've come to associate 007 with Christmas.

James Bond: I've always wanted to have Christmas in Turkey.
Dr. Christmas Jones: Was that a Christmas joke?
James Bond: From me? No. Never."

(It's the second lamest pun in 007 history.)

[Justin_Bailey]

James Bond: I've always wanted to have Christmas in Turkey.
Dr. Christmas Jones: Was that a Christmas joke?
James Bond: From me? No. Never."

(It's the second lamest pun in 007 history.)

What's the first? You can come up with two a year right?

[JThunder]

Die Hard. Which really is a Christmas movie, if you think about it.

[standingwave]

Die Hard. Which really is a Christmas movie, if you think about it.Of course it is: "Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho."

[standingwave]

What's the first? You can come up with two a year right?I'm thinking it's the other Christmas joke from the same film:

James Bond: [in bed with Jones] I was wrong about you.
Dr. Christmas Jones: Yeah, how so?
James Bond: I thought Christmas only comes once a year.

[RealityChuck]

I'm the opposite; I never thought of It's a Wonderful Life as a Christmas film. I first saw it in August, and at the time, it was an obscure Frank Capra film that was very difficult to see. It took me a long time to find it on TV. I wanted to see it because I liked Capra and had read "The Greatest Gift" and wondered how he'd turn it into a full-length movie.

As I've mentioned before, I'm probably the only person alive who read the story before seeing the movie.

[Wile E]

There were a couple years in a row where one station would show the Planet of the Apes movies (the originals). I think it was on Thanksgiving, I guess so you could give thanks that we hadn't blow it all up yet and let the apes take over. So now I think of them as holiday movies.

[Quimby]

It isn't just for me, I'm sure, but King Kong (the original 1933 one) will always be a Thanksgiving movie for me because growing up I watched it on WWOR on Thanksgiving day every year.

[Anamorphic]

It isn't just for me, I'm sure, but King Kong (the original 1933 one) will always be a Thanksgiving movie for me because growing up I watched it on WWOR on Thanksgiving day every year.Definitely not just you - this is exactly what I came in here to say!

[Cheryl44]

Christmas Day, probably 15 years ago. I met up with a bunch of friends at a bar on the north side after everyone had been to their family Christmas event. The bartender was furiously taking down decorations and said she'd brought a movie in, she hoped we didn't mind watching Silence of the Lambs.
We didn't mind, and have made it a Christmas tradition since then.

[obfusciatrist]

I don't really have "movie traditions" since 99% of the time I'd rather watch a crappy movie I've never seen before than a great movie I have seen.

But due to one Christmas where I was stuck in a place it played on a loop all day long, Total Recall is forever associated with Christmas in my mind.

[infinitii]

I own the Sarah Michelle Gellar movie "Simply Irresistible" on DVD and have to watch it every Halloween. I'm not sure why. Please g-d help me...

[jackdavinci]

Harry Potter DVDs often came out for Christmas so that's a long standing gift I give my bestie and we watch the most recent one after exchanging gifts.

Many years ago there was Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

[Miss Mapp]

Since 2000, Top Hat and The Gay Divorcee have been my traditional New-Year's-Eve-if-I'm-home viewing. Just something about Fred & Ginger dancing cheek to cheek.

[Bob Ducca]

My wife and I watch "Annie Hall" every Easter, because of the hilarious scene with Alvie joins Annie at her family's house for Easter dinner.

[Barkis is Willin']

The Warriors. I first saw it on TV at about 1AM one night over Christmas break (might even have been Christmas Eve) when I was a kid. Loved it. Still do. It's a greatly underappreciated film and I always think back to the first time I saw it on TV and how amazed I was.

On the opposite side of this coin, the first time I ever saw Christmas Vacation was in July. I rented it after it on VHS having no idea how awesome it was, so now the movie makes me recall that summer evening laughing histerically at Chevy Chase.

[TV time]

A couple that are kind of Christmas movies.

Three Godfathers with John Wayne. When I was growing up it used to shown all the time on television around the holidays. It really does have something of a Christmas theme.

We're No Angels (the Bogart one) It takes place around Christmas and has a definite Christmas theme (in a murderous sort of way). Wonderful film. I try to watch it around the holidays.

One that isn't except to me (and my wife) I suppose.

Great Debaters I used to coach debate and at the end of the season, which used to come around the holidays, I would gather my debaters around for dinner and a movie. The movie was always this one. It is uplifting and fits for the season somehow.

[TV time]

We used to rent a video tape of this one around Christmas until it fell apart and the rental place never replaced it.

Strictly Ballroom - I'm not sure it had anything to do with Christmas, but I vaguely remember Christmas lights and a tree.

[Dr_Doom]

Die Hard. Which really is a Christmas movie, if you think about it.

I watch Die Hard every Christmas Eve, in bed, with a big old rum 'n eggnog.
It's my favourite Christmas Movie!

Also, although I don't think it near as good a flick, Lethal Weapon is also a christmas movie (with at least 3 actors in common with Die hard).

[voguevixen]

...and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

I knew a woman who every year the day after Thanksgiving had a "Chitty party" where all her friends would get together and watch it.

[Bri2k]

The classic "Things To Come" has been a holiday movie to me ever since I first saw it one Christmas Eve on public TV. Maybe because it's Christmas Eve in the beginning has something to do with it, but I don't think many would consider it a holiday film.

Bri2k

[detop]

I watch Die Hard every Christmas Eve, in bed, with a big old rum 'n eggnog.
It's my favourite Christmas Movie!

Also, although I don't think it near as good a flick, Lethal Weapon is also a christmas movie (with at least 3 actors in common with Die hard).

Don't forget The long kiss goodnight for the Christmas action movie trifecta :D

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

I'm thinking it's the other Christmas joke from the same film

Surely the two absolute lamest puns in 007 history were both uttered by Sean Connery over the bodies of freshly dispatched baddies:

"Shocking. Positively shocking." (Goldfinger)

"I think he got the point." (Thunderball)

[TriPolar]

A couple that are kind of Christmas movies.

Three Godfathers with John Wayne. When I was growing up it used to shown all the time on television around the holidays.

The 1936 version with Walter Brennan plays tomorrow morning, 9:00AM EST on Turner Classic Movies. I haven't seen the '48 version with John Wayne and Harry Carey lately. That also had Pedro Armendáriz, a Mexican actor whose last movie was From Russia With Love, where he played the Bond's Turkish connection.

I don't have any particular movies for Christmas, but I consider Might Joe Young to be a Thanksgiving movie.

[Clare de Loone]

Dogma makes a good Easter movie to me. I guess it fulfills some vague need for organized religion.

[TriPolar]

The 1936 version with Walter Brennan plays tomorrow morning, 9:00AM EST on Turner Classic Movies. I haven't seen the '48 version with John Wayne and Harry Carey lately. That also had Pedro Armendáriz, a Mexican actor whose last movie was From Russia With Love, where he played the Bond's Turkish connection.

I don't have any particular movies for Christmas, but I consider Might Joe Young to be a Thanksgiving movie.

And the 1948 version with John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, and Harry Carey is on today (12/23) at 12 noon on TCM.