Top 5 Christmas Movies

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!

Although I don't celebrate Christmas, most of my family on my mother's side which include my grandma and my mom's sister and most of my mom's aunts, uncles and cousins are all Christians that obviously, celebrate Christmas.

So even though we grew up in a Muslim household, we were taught to respect other religions and celebrate these occasions together. So to all those naysayers who says I can't wish another person Merry Christmas, you can just shove your opinions where the sun don't shine. I have faith in my faith. So why don't you?

Anyways, back to Christmas... I may not  celebrate Christmas, but I sure do love watching Christmas movies. I'm a sucker for family-oriented movies and I don't know one Christmas movie that isn't about family values and tradition. So here are some of my top favorite Christmas movies. 

1) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

In this series, Clark Griswold is really into Christmas, and promises his family the best Christmas ever. However, instead of the best Christmas ever, Clark turns Christmas evening completely around, causing a domino effect of disasters that eventually seems to drive everyone crazy.

Chevy Chase. His name is enough to make me laugh and this is my absolute favorite "National Lampoon Vacation-series".  This is high on my list as favorite Christmas movie of all time.

2) Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone, the film that catapulted Macaulay Culkin into the limelight is about 8-year-old Kevin McCallister is accidentally left behind when his family takes off for a vacation in France over the holiday season. Once he realizes they've left him home by himself, Kevin learns to fend for himself. He eventually has to protect his house against bumbling burglars Harry and Marv, who are planning to rob every house in Kevin's suburban Chicago neighborhood.

My kid sister calls this a classic because this movie was made before she was born. I'm like, classic??! How is this classic??! But then again she's 20 this year which only means that this film aired 23 years ago! Time flies, doesn't it? Just crazy when you think of it.

Another reason why I love this movie besides it's the plot and slapstick humor, is the amazing soundtrack. I just absolutely loooove the soundtrack. Can you blame me? John Williams. Hello!

3) Dutch (1991)

Dutch, (released as Driving Me Crazy in Australia and UK) is one of the lesser known and not-so-well received Christmas movies but still one of my favorite films. Either I have a thing for Ethan Embry (who plays the insufferable teenager, Doyle), or John Hughes (who also wrote and produced Home Alone). Well, I guess I'm a fan of both actually. So, don't judge me.

The film is about a down-to-earth contractor, Dutch, who volunteers to pick up his girlfriend's son from boarding school only to find out he is an insufferable, snobbish and rude teenager. His task of driving from Georgia to Chicago suddenly ends up as a hellish adventure.

Hilarious and heartwarming, I totally love it.

4) Elf (2003) 

After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity.

This movie.. never gets old. Actually, if you must know, Will Ferrell's character Buddy, is where I got my son's nickname. I was pregnant with my eldest when I watched this and I already knew that I was having a boy, so instead of referring to my baby bump as "baby", my kid sister called it "Buddy" and now, he's 10 years old, and still being called Buddy by close family and friends. So, now you know!

5) The Family Stone (2005) 

An uptight, conservative, businesswoman, played by Sarah Jessica Parker accompanies her boyfriend (played by Dermott Mulroney) to his eccentric and outgoing family's annual Christmas celebration and finds that she's a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.

This one, I just absolutely love. I guess because the family dynamics in this movie reminds me somewhat of my own family. The chemistry of everyone in this film is so natural and palpable that I just don't get tired of watching this. Absolutely a must-watch during Christmas.

So that's it! My top 5 Christmas movies! What's yours?

Other worthy mentions for Christmas movies would be: Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Prancer (1989), All I Want For Christmas (1991), Love Actually (2003) and The Holiday (2006).