A Few of My Favorite Things: The Cinematic Holiday Edition

First off, I know what you're thinking. Yes, this IS the second post I've written quoting The Sound of Music. And not just the movie... the same song from the movie. What can I say? That tale of optimistic spinsterhood touches my miserly heart. Only Bridget Jones does it better.

Speaking of tales of optimistic spinsterhood, it's that time of year when all of my shows go on hiatus because of holiday specials and family-friendly programming. Personally, I consider Chuck Bass to be Christmas present enough, but apparently there's something about appealing to the family demographic that gets all the major networks foaming at the mouth this time of year. Tomato, tomato, I guess.

My indignation aside, there are a few holiday-themed movies that I've been known to enjoy each and every single year, and I might be guilty of spending 20 minutes any time I'm in the vicinity of a tv with onDemand scouring the listings for the first two movies on this list.

Oh, what's that, rich friend with cable? No, I'll be out of your bedroom in one sec. I thought I....dropped an earring. Under the door. From the hallway. It bounced? Oh, I'm already wearing two earrings? Uh....

Yeah. So anyway, I love a good cheesetacular ABCFamily/Lifetime holiday movie as much as the next girl (the one where Christina Milian falls into the snowglobe? Classic!). But normally, I don't really get into the whole holiday spirit until December 20th. So when I'm bah humbugging my way through early December, these are the four films/specials to which I turn in hopes of setting the holiday mood:

The Holiday

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On a very hungover Saturday, a bunch of my sorority sisters and I were in the middle of our weekly Ruby Tuesday turkey burger-and-salad-bar combo (complete with bacon bits, avocado, buckets of ranch dressing and a healthy dose of forty types of pasta salad. Did I mention I gained 55lbs after I pledged?) when someone suggested we go see the new Jude Law movie. Despite my hatred for all things The Joker Cameron Diaz, I'm not one to turn down a sexy British accent, so I tagged along to see what the fuss was all about. It was love at first viewing. Like a lot of women, I have a huge appreciation for Kate Winslet, both as an actress and as a human being. Her portrayal of a spurned lover is actually my favorite part of the movie; I can't speak for all women, but I know that I see myself in her heartbreak. Throw in Mr. Napkin Head, the idea of Jude as a sexy single father in publishing and shockingly un-annoying performances by Diaz and Jack Black, and you have yourself a holiday winner.

Love Actually

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It seems as though every year, Hollywood decides that what the public really needs is a huge ensemble romcom full of B (and C, and sometimes even D) List stars. I didn't actually see Valentine's Day, mostly because all of my friends who did see it assured me that best thing about it was "Back to December", a result of the all-too-brief Taylor/Taylor romance spawned on the set. I've seen the previews for New Year's Eve and unless some friends and I find ourselves with nothing better to see, I'm pretty sure that one's destined to be a Red Box special, as well. Love Actually, on the other hand, is a classic that I watch again and again, loving it just a little more each and every time. While the plot is totally corny, the A-team of actors that those crazy Brits assembled makes all the difference. Any time I can see Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman together, I'm a happy lady. Plus, the whole dancing-down-the-stairs bit with Hugh Grant cracks me up.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

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Twenty-twoish years ago, I was the flower girl in my Aunt and Uncle's wedding. Apparently, I was a real hit at the party; from haughtily telling everyone that I was a professional who had "done this before" to catching the bouquet and roping the maid of honor into standing in for me during the awkward garter dance to decorating the getaway car, everyone seems to have some kind of story about my antics during the reception. Most notably, they remember my dance skillz. Ever the fun relatives, my Aunt and Uncle's wedding song was "Linus and Lucy", and they encouraged all members of the bridal party to join them on the floor to recreate the rehearsal scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas (I chose the side to side skip/head bob). As a grown-up and, more importantly, a perpetual cynic, I love this movie even more. Aside from serving as a reminder each year not to let myself (or my dog) "go commercial" and forget the true meaning of Christmas, those 20 minutes have provided me with my personal ethos, and I quote it on at least a weekly basis. "All I want is what I have coming to me! All I want, is my fair share!" probably echoes through Andrew's head in his sleep. Oh well.

Last, but most certainly not least,

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

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I know, I know -- almost no one has heard of, let alone seen, this movie, but let me assure you that it is a true holiday staple in my house. Based on the classic Dickens novella, it truly does the spirit of the story justice. Not a year has gone by that I have gone to bed on Christmas Eve without first viewing it with my Dad. Passed down from HIS dad, our appreciation of this particular special is apparently incomprehensible to "outsiders," aka Andrew and my stepmom. But without fail, Dad and I watch and laugh and smile together, singing along with the mournful tones of "A Hand For Each Hand" and shrieking our way through "The Plunderers' March" (this year, I might just bring flower petals). You can keep your Muppets, your Simpsons and your Jim Carrey; I'll take that crazy old animated coot Mr. Magoo and his Broadway play every time. With EXTRA razzleberry dressing.

Do you buy in to the whole holiday movie thing? If so, which is your favorite? And most importantly, have you seen Mr. Magoo?