To some, Christmas signifies a time of love under the mistletoe, gift-giving, and jam-packed stockings over the fireplace. To most, it simply represents quality time gathered around the television for 24-hour marathons of The Santa Clause on cable networks.
With television channels amping up the spirit before the Thanksgiving turkey even hits the table, stereotypical holiday movie overkill is a growing issue. How many more times can you possibly listen to your tipsy uncle recite lines from A Christmas Story during the screening? No, Uncle Tim, you'll shoot your eye out!
For every Home Alone marathon special on TV, there's always a Black Christmas or Uncle Buck waiting to be streamed online. It's time to shed a little light on the alternative side of the holidays and focus on the films that make us feel all warm and jolly inside—without the overkill.
Below, OC Family answers the important, seasonal question: What is the best alternative holiday movie?
"Eyes Wide Shut. What? It is technically a Christmas movie after all." —Chloe M.
"Oh my God, A Nightmare Before Christmas! My entire room is basically filled with stuff from that movie; I've loved it since I was a kid. I'm a huge Tim Burton fan!"—Bianca
"The Mary Kate and Ashley classic To Grandmother's House We Go tops on my list. Sure, it's a straight-to-video children's film, but one with violence, robbery, and a really hot UPS guy. Also, Last Holiday with Queen Latifah and LL Cool J is a super-underrated holiday film. Queen Latifah goes to an expensive winter wonderland in Europe and blows all her cash. It's not even that funny; it's actually kind of moving." —Bernie
“It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas!” —Andy
“Bladerunner is my all-time favorite film during the cold winter season. It gets me ready for my winter outfit inspirations!” —Jenny
“Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. If you want to know what Santa and his elves are really like, this movie will take you into the creepiest depths of the truth behind Christmas. Spoiler alert: Santa is not jolly!” —Kelsey
“All the claymation TV hits! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jack Frost, and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town being my favorites.” —Janelle
"Die Hard is always my top Christmas movie. A father tries to make it home to his wife and kids on Christmas. He just happens to have to shoot his way through multiple German terrorists with great hair to get to them. Fun Fact: Try catching an edited-for TV version if you can; the dubbed lines are highly enjoyable. 'Yippee ki yay melon farmer.'" —Jer
"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! The best part: Clark's yuppie neighbors Todd (Nicholas Guest) and Margo (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Their outfits are spot-on." —Heidi
"Tim Burton's Batman Returns. Danny DeVito is an orphaned-goth-penguin with a stylish crew who terrorizes Gotham City urbanites during X-mas, while Michelle Pfeiffer slinks around the city as the best Catwoman—even in pleather!" —
With television channels amping up the spirit before the Thanksgiving turkey even hits the table, stereotypical holiday movie overkill is a growing issue. How many more times can you possibly listen to your tipsy uncle recite lines from A Christmas Story during the screening? No, Uncle Tim, you'll shoot your eye out!
For every Home Alone marathon special on TV, there's always a Black Christmas or Uncle Buck waiting to be streamed online. It's time to shed a little light on the alternative side of the holidays and focus on the films that make us feel all warm and jolly inside—without the overkill.
Below, OC Family answers the important, seasonal question: What is the best alternative holiday movie?
"Eyes Wide Shut. What? It is technically a Christmas movie after all." —Chloe M.
"Oh my God, A Nightmare Before Christmas! My entire room is basically filled with stuff from that movie; I've loved it since I was a kid. I'm a huge Tim Burton fan!"—Bianca
"The Mary Kate and Ashley classic To Grandmother's House We Go tops on my list. Sure, it's a straight-to-video children's film, but one with violence, robbery, and a really hot UPS guy. Also, Last Holiday with Queen Latifah and LL Cool J is a super-underrated holiday film. Queen Latifah goes to an expensive winter wonderland in Europe and blows all her cash. It's not even that funny; it's actually kind of moving." —Bernie
“It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas!” —Andy
“Bladerunner is my all-time favorite film during the cold winter season. It gets me ready for my winter outfit inspirations!” —Jenny
“Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. If you want to know what Santa and his elves are really like, this movie will take you into the creepiest depths of the truth behind Christmas. Spoiler alert: Santa is not jolly!” —Kelsey
“All the claymation TV hits! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jack Frost, and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town being my favorites.” —Janelle
"Die Hard is always my top Christmas movie. A father tries to make it home to his wife and kids on Christmas. He just happens to have to shoot his way through multiple German terrorists with great hair to get to them. Fun Fact: Try catching an edited-for TV version if you can; the dubbed lines are highly enjoyable. 'Yippee ki yay melon farmer.'" —Jer
"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! The best part: Clark's yuppie neighbors Todd (Nicholas Guest) and Margo (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Their outfits are spot-on." —Heidi
"Tim Burton's Batman Returns. Danny DeVito is an orphaned-goth-penguin with a stylish crew who terrorizes Gotham City urbanites during X-mas, while Michelle Pfeiffer slinks around the city as the best Catwoman—even in pleather!" —