Christmas has come and gone yet again. We all here at The Holy Goof hope you had a wonderful and rested holiday. And we hope you watched all the Christmas movies you could. But there are so many! How can you choose? There are the obvious ones: The Santa Clause, A Muppet Christmas Carol, Elf, The Grinch, Christmas Vacation, etc. But what about the black sheep of the Christmas films? The ones that are Christmas adjacent?
Well, here is a list of 5 Christmas movies that you probably forgot to watch this year. Add them to your list so you don't miss them next time!
5. The Princess Bride
While the story of The Princess Bride is a classic love story and certainly not a Christmas movie, the real story is a Grandfather reading to his Grandson; thus gifting him the wonderful gift of books. At first, the grandson has no interest in the story, but soon he sees that a book is more than a cover and some pages, it is a portal into an otherwise inconceivable universe.
4. Trading Places
One of many 1980s films that would be absolutely unmakable today: Trading Places is one of Dan Akroyd’s funniest films and one of Eddie Murphy’s mid films. A down-on-his-luck poor man and a rich stock broker unknowingly take place in an experiment in which they switch places socially. Although it is hilarious, it contains a powerful message about generational poverty and financial starting points that still packs a powerful punch 50 years later.
3. Gremlins
The perfect furry Christmas gift quickly becomes a Christmas nightmare! Although Gizmo may be cute (one of my family dogs is named after him), never expose him to sunlight, don’t get him wet, and NEVER feed him after midnight (my dog might heavily disagree). Or else you might just meet a mogwai’s darker side!
2. Iron Man 3
Christmas is usually known as a time to be with family and by the warm fire, but Tony Stark spends his Christmas out in the snow seeking help from a child stranger. Director Shane Black notoriously uses the holiday season to amplify how lonely it can make some people feel, like in Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and The Long Kiss Goodnight. Christmas clearly serves as an expressive backdrop in more ways than one.
1. Batman Returns
Filled with Tim Burton's signature weirdness and starring some of the best cast picks of any superhero film, this is one of my favorite Batman adaptations. Most of the movie takes place during Christmas in Gotham (a rare sight to see for the dark city) which makes for some amazing sets. It is stunning that most of the cast could get recasts for a threequel and I would be pleased. I would still pay to see Danny DeVito as the Penguin fighting a geriatric Michael Keaton’s Batman.
So while we hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays, don't forget to give some of these semi-Christmas films some love!
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