Twelve Gifts of Christmas Viewing

By Brant Short and Spencer Short

“Christmas represents a little stutter in the march of days, a hush in which we have a chance to assess and retrospect our lives…” Shane Black

Christmas offers film and television creators a rich source of ideas. Every year, several new Christmas films are released, many television shows present Christmas-themed episodes, and the streaming channels curate holiday fare. The Hallmark Channel begins broadcasting Christmas films in mid-October, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and does so until January.

Among the endless selection on streaming services plus physical media, it’s possible to find Christmas viewing that fits your exact interests and tastes, regardless of what the video gatekeepers offer each year. From the 1950s to the present, television shows have turned to the holiday for inspiration and feature films have used Christmas since the 1930s as a narrative foundation. 

Spend some time on the internet (who would do such a thing?) and you will find multiple lists of the best family Christmas films, the best adaptations of A Christmas Carol, the best renditions of Santa Claus in movies, the best Christmas sitcoms, and so on.

We are not interested in a qualitative assessment or “best of” list. Instead, we are going personal and sharing 12 films and television shows that we like to watch during the holiday season. These are the Christmas comfort foods of our family viewing and are not exclusionary. We might pick up Charlie Brown, The Grinch or the latest Christmas feature film during the season, but there are some things that rise to the top of our family list each year. We hope you enjoy a few of our personal recommendations this year.

Santa Claus Stories

Fatman

The Santa Claus of Fatman is, like all versions of Santa, magical, but also strikingly grounded and down-to-Earth, which sets him apart from the others. Mel Gibson portrays Nick (Santa) as an “everyman” figure. He drives an old pickup truck, he stops by the local tavern for an afternoon drink, and picks up his mail at the Post Office Box he uses for Christmas letters. He dresses in plain clothes and worries about Christmas as a practical business owner would. The story revolves around a spoiled rich kid, who gets everything he wants, but not from Santa. He hires a hitman (Walton Goggins), a seemingly amoral killer with a deep and personal hatred of Christmas. Nick’s western-like battle with the comically evil hitman brings a sort of modern mythological slant to the Santa story.

Fred Claus

This film seems highly underrated among all the Santa films that have appeared in the past eight decades. Vince Vaughn plays Santa’s older, and disillusioned, brother, who just wants a normal life with nothing to do with the holiday. Forces conspire to encourage Vaughn to help his brother and confront his anger toward the holiday. Paul Giamatti plays Santa with a nice balance of frustration, affection, humor and wisdom as a secondary character in this film. A more complete discussion of Fred Claus can be found at https://criticalrewind.com/2023/12/16/a-santa-sampler-the-twilight-zone-1960-fred-claus-2007/

Early Edition

“Christmas”

Season 1, Episode 11 1996

This CBS drama tells the story of average Chicagoan Gary Hobbs, who has a special mission in life. Every morning, he gets tomorrow’s newspaper and must prevent an accident, a crime, or anything harmful to an innocent person, from happening. The program is comfortable television viewing. Like any cozy mystery novel, we know Gary will succeed with the help of some good friends. The Christmas episode stands out, with M. Emmett Walsh as a disheveled and lost Santa who somehow ends up in jail. Escaping jail with a bit of magic, Santa ends up enlisting Gary Hobbs and his friend Chuck. The three have a series of misadventures as Gary searches for a Christmas bomber and Santa tries to find his reindeer. Walsh avoids the long white beard and well-groomed Santa costume in favor of a ratty red jacket and beat-up hat. At the end, Gary and Chuck are left in wonder at the apparent magic of this particular Santa and how he saved Christmas from potential disaster. When we see Santa trying to drive a stolen car and not knowing what he is doing, we understand this is Santa Claus like no other.

A Christmas Carol/Scrooge

A Christmas Carol (1999)

TNT presented an adaptation of this classic that stands out with Patrick Stewart’s performance as Ebeneezer Scrooge. He gives Scrooge a full range of emotion that one might expect from an actor of Stewart’s caliber. Scrooge is mean, greedy, and hostile toward the world in a simmering way, with confusion and fear beginning to emerge as he realizes he is no longer in control. As the night goes on and the three Ghosts of Christmas visit him, Scrooge is transformed as he goes from near hysteria when the Ghost of Christmas Past departs to unbridled happiness when he awakens and realizes he has a second chance at life. An important part of the film is its attention to detail and the cold and barren landscape of nineteenth-century England, the impersonal nature of Scrooge’s business and home, and a sense of hardness of life in Dickensian London. Of the many actors who have played Scrooge, Patrick Stewart of course stands out.

A Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppets are cultural icons of fun and good humor. Viewers know that when Muppets are part of a television program or film, they will be entertaining. Of course, the real star of A Muppet Christmas Carol is Michael Caine, who plays Scrooge with the depth and honesty we would expect from a great actor. He never holds back and treats his non-human actors as partners in each scene. This allows the humor of the Muppets to combine with the drama of Scrooge’s transformation to create an engaging and authentic Christmas narrative. In the manner of a classic musical, each song becomes a necessary way to move the story along with clarity and passion. This version of Scrooge’s story is highly immersive, and Caine’s gravitas blends seamlessly with the comedy and emotional depth of The Muppet characters.

The Odd Couple

“Scrooge Gets an Oscar”

Season 1, Episode 12

Nearly every sitcom on network television in the 1960s and 1970s had a Christmas episode, and for many years we enjoyed the holiday mix of classic television presented by Nick at Night, TV Land and ME TV. We taped some of these marathons so we could bring them out at our leisure each Christmas season and The Odd Couple is a favorite. Jack Klugman’s portrayal of Oscar Madison as a curmudgeon is fully realized in his refusal to play Scrooge in a Christmas play organized by his poker buddies. Oscar’s housemate, Felix Unger, is set to direct the play and realizes that only Oscar can realistically play Scrooge. Tony Randall plays Felix with a passion for life that is in wonderful contrast to Oscar’s apathy toward life, especially Christmas.

Christmas Families and Friends

The Holdovers (2023)

Set at a 1970 boys boarding school, The Holdovers takes place over Christmas vacation. Three unlikely people, all suffering from personal losses, share the break by themselves in a vacant campus. An embittered teacher, a grieving cafeteria worker, and an angry student begin Christmas vacation with little in common, except a mutual distrust of others. They end the break transformed in important ways with a sense of renewal for life. The Holdovers may not fully seem like a Christmas film, but its message is grounded in the Christmas ideal, that all people can find hope, even in their darkest moments, with the help of others. We discuss the film in more detail at https://criticalrewind.com/2024/12/23/the-holdovers-2023-a-christmas-parable/

Christmas with the Campbells (2022)

You may have missed Christmas with the Campbells, an overlooked R-rated parody of the Hallmark Christmas movie format, nonetheless made with affection. The broad comedic tone and self-aware trope references work well together. If you want something a bit edgy but also light at the same time, this might be a good choice.

Die Hard (1988)

Instead of asking, “Is Die Hard really a Christmas movie?”, we ask, “Is it fun to watch Die Hard in the annual Christmas movie rotation?” We definitely think so, and there’s enough Christmas stuff there to balance and justify the contrast of 80s action classic alongside more traditional fare. If you have access to a physical copy, check out the commentary with director John McTiernan and production designer Jackson DeGovia for not only comprehensive behind the scenes info, but a deeply profound and philosophical look at filmmaking and the nature of art itself – easily one of our favorite commentaries of all time. If you like, pair Die Hard with Lethal Weapon, the other main Christmas-set 80s action film, as well as Die Hard 2 – the only sequel also set during Christmas.

The Andy Griffith Show

“Christmas Story”

Season 1, Episode 12, 1961

The Andy Griffith Show produced only one Christmas episode during its eight year run on CBS. Broadcast in its first season, the Christmas episode centers on a Scrooge-like local businessman, Ben Weaver, who wants to ruin the holiday for everyone. This episode shows the power of love at Christmas for those embittered by life. The episode also uses music with a beautiful duet of a Christmas carol with Andy and Elinor Donahue. The supporting cast plays pivotal parts in helping Ben learn the meaning of Christmas, with a special scene in which Andy has a true epiphany. He realizes that Ben’s effort to sabotage Christmas is a desperate plea to be included, to become part of the love that Christmas is supposed to offer.

Stubby Pringle’s Christmas (1978)

Presented by NBC as part of its Hallmark Hall of Fame series, Stubby Pringle’s Christmas is a version of a classic short story by Western novelist Jack Schaffer. Stubby Pringle is a cowboy living on an isolated ranch who dreams of attending the local Christmas dance, located twenty miles away. He has purchased special gifts for a young woman he met the previous year and is ready for the possibility of love on Christmas eve. But he must abandon his quest and become the messenger of Christmas for a family in need. Beau Bridges shines as a cowboy who loves life and makes the world a better place for those around him. For a more detailed look at this Western, see https://criticalrewind.com/2021/12/17/stubby-pringles-christmas-1978-and-ebenezer-1998/

8-Bit Christmas (2021)

After reading descriptions of this film, you might think it’s a simple re-tread of A Christmas Story, with the Red Ryder Air Rifle replaced by an NES (Nintendo Entertainment System, released in the US 1986), but the film certainly has its own separate identity. Of course, 8-Bit Christmas cannot avoid references to A Christmas Story, but the similarities feel like intentionally self-aware tributes, and the differences feel like meaningful and deliberate departures. 80s nostalgia abounds, and the Chicago setting calls to mind John Hughes. Those who spent childhood pining for or grew up with the NES (as well as retro gamers of all ages) may have the strongest connection, but this is a solid family Christmas comedy in the traditional style with a wide appeal.

Bonus Gifts

The Red Green Show

• “It’s a Wonderful Red Green Christmas” (1998)
• “A Very Merry Red Green Christmas” (1999)

For fifteen seasons, this legendary Canadian comedy show entertained viewers with half-hour episodes set at the fictional Possum Lodge, located somewhere in the woods, where men could gather to drink beer, swap fishing stories, and most importantly, create outlandish contraptions that never quite worked, always utilizing the power of duct tape. In 1998 and 1999 the show produced two hour-long Christmas specials that are full of laughs and worth watching every year. The show and specials take sitcom-style storylines and larger-than-life characters presented in a sketch comedy format, exploring a wide range of styles – witty banter, physical comedy, slapstick, life advice, music, and more. Every single character is equally funny and memorable, with unique and trademark personas.  

Gunsmoke

“P.S.: A Very Murry Christmas”

(Season 17, Episode 15, 1971)

Our grandfather loved to watch television Westerns, and his favorite was Gunsmoke, so it’s always had a family connection for us. Its lone Christmas episode has little to do with Western tropes and instead is a perfect blend of drama and comedy. The regular cast of Gunsmoke takes a secondary role to two great actors from that era of television and film: Jeanette Nolan and Jack Elam. The story centers on six orphans who never have a Christmas celebration because the orphanage is starved of adequate funding. Elam plays handyman Titus Spangler who takes the orphans to find a better life in California. The episode centers on the ability of Christmas to soften the hardened heart of the orphanage headmistress Emma Grundy and heal broken relationships with Titus and the orphans.