Holiday Movie Traditions

There are several things I insist on doing every holiday season: visiting the Bryant Park shops (check); stringing festive white lights around the fireplaces in my apartment (check check); listening repeatedly to Mariah Carey's “All I Want For Christmas is You” (check check check, sadly). But most of all, there are certain movies I HAVE to watch at some point during the holidays. So let's talk about holiday movie traditions!

For my family, the top tradition is. . . drum roll please. . . National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (rated PG-13), which we try to watch all together (and try to not talk over each other as we quote liberally from the movie). But there are other must-sees, too:

• A Christmas Story (rated PG): usually this is playing (on marathon!) on Christmas Day, and we put it on after opening gifts. A classic!
• Elf (rated PG): does anyone out there not love this movie? Laugh-out-loud funny.
• Home Alone (rated PG): I start laughing when Kevin's sister says, “You're what the French call les incompetents” and I don’t stop until the credits roll.

And then, there's one holiday movie I like to watch by myself, preferably curled up on a comfy couch as my holiday lights twinkle throughout the room. It’s my all-time favorite kids' Christmas classic: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (rated TV-G). I had forgotten about this animated movie until one December a few years ago when I caught it on television and remembered – bam! – just how fantastic it is. What can I say, I have a fondness for the Mouse Father and Mouse Mother and all their ker-plunking in the big clock tower.

There are so many other classic holiday movies, of course, and I could keep going (A Christmas Carol! A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie! Miracle on 34th Street!). But it's your turn now! What kinds of holiday movie traditions do you and your family have? What are your favorites?

– Morgan, Scholastic staffer

---

BONUS WRITING PROMPT: In the book Inkheart, the characters actually go inside the book and interact with the characters there. If you were writing a book where that were possible, what would be the title of that book? Leave your answer in the Comments.

Comments

[Comment #1]

"The inside story"

[Comment #2]

we watch the Christmas Story which takes place in Indiana and read Twas the night before christmas!

[Comment #3]

We always watch "It's Christmastime Charlie Brown."

[Comment #4]

They don't actually go into the book in Inkheart. They go into it in Inkspell.

[Comment #5]

How could you leave out "It's a Wonderful Life?" Best movie EVER. My mom and I watch it every year and cry so hard, but it's so good! We're watching it in English class, strangely enough.

Defy gravity!

[Comment #6]

dt@ts kool kuz !

[Comment #7]

dt@ts kool kuz I do the same lol:}

[Comment #8]

Um,

I'd probably call it something like "The Realm of Imagining".

Kind of spur-of-the-moment...

[Comment #9]

I luv all those movies.Elf is definately my fave,though!

[Comment #10]

Hi people! My favorite holiday movies are Elf and the Harry Potter movies! Harry Potter isn't necessarily holiday-ish but they do put it on TV at the beginning of December.

[Comment #11]

The title of my book for the writing prompt would be Harry Potter and the Phantom Menace, which is a combination of my two favorite things, Harry Potter and Star Wars!!! If I had to make it up, though, IDK what it would be...

[Comment #12]

It would definitely be my book about the war between the witches and the alchemists (rated PG-13 - R for several reasons kids).
The title is "Witches and Alchemy". Simple but it works.

[Comment #13]

THE 39 CLUES, ummm.. Found.., and sum other books

[Comment #14]

The name of the book I would write, would be Animal Land because I would love to go into a book filled with different species of animals.

[Comment #15]

Horror flicks...I'm strange!

[Comment #16]

We watch "The grinch who Stole Christmas" every time. It has been my favorite christmas movie since I was three.

[Comment #17]

I have to absolutely watch:

~What a Wonderful Life

~The Polar express

~The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

~A Christmas Story

[Comment #18]

I would totally go into Harry Potter, The 39 Clues, The Chronicles of Narnia, or the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series.

[Comment #19]

If I were to ever write a book I would name it "alive". It'd be a memior. :]

[Comment #20]

I love WHAT WONDERFUL LIFE

[Comment #21]

why do you people keep talking about jumping into books? (even though that would be cool).Wasn't this post about Christmas movies? speaking of Christmas moves some of my favorites are
the polar express
the tangerine bear
Santa Claus is coming to town
and last but not least Elf.

[Comment #22]

I think books are asome they are sooooo omg. And they are sooo lol!And that is sooooooooo ture. If you know what I mean!They are great to get into this winter!

[Comment #23]

It is so asome to have such a wonderful to be were I am today like books

[Comment #24]

me to my family rents all the christmas movies the day before christmas eve and we have a movie night!

[Comment #25]

we r watchin elf in skool
i only have this account cause of skool 2!! im @ skool right now!! soo sad! we r in language arts! lol