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Christmas Movies

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 Merry Christmas, mammajammas.  Once again, I haven't been keeping up with writing...or any sort of self-enrichment beyond the grind of working my ass off in our home "gym" to maintain this mediocre bod.  If you must know, I haven't spoken to you in awhile because I have been quite busy drinking and watching Netflix homeschooling.

I like to call it, homey-schooling, because our little School for Gifted Youngsters is far more ghetto than all of the beautiful, keepin'-it-tight-full-time-blogging-and-homeschooling-seven-children hos on the internet would have you believe their lives really are.  You know who they are; their hair still looks great and they're always on time and you hate them even though you KNOW they frontin'.  They think that "lol" is a word and, even though you're far more intelligent than they are, they are still making quadruple your family's income despite the combined myriad of degrees you share with your spouse.

Stay in school, kids???

Anyway, I'm not going to pretend I have time for you, so don't get comfortable.  I just wanted to hit y'all up with my list of Christmas movies for the season.  Rest assured that ZERO of them are Hallmark movies...unless you happen to have a handle of something that'll put hair on your chest.  (In which case, let's hang.)

Anouchka's Favorite Christmas Movies 

For Your Optional, Annual, and Seasonal Viewing Pleasure


🎄 Elf  (I can't help it, but this is my all-time favorite Christmas movie.  It just is.)
🎄 Miracle on 34th Street  (I prefer the 1994 version.)
🎄 White Christmas (I loooooove the dancing.  Vera Ellen clearly needs a sandwich -or 40- but man!  That girl's got moves.)
🎄 Christmas In Connecticut  (I have never seen, nor do I care to see, any version other than the original from 1945.)
🎄The Santa Clause (Just the first one -- skip the sequels!!!!)
🎄 Joyeux Noël  (This film is a collaboration between French, German, and British production companies.  It tells the story of the temporary cease-fire on Christmas between enemy troops during WWI.  It is a beautiful movie, but do keep a box of tissues on hand -- extraordinary, but very emotional.)
🎄The Star (This one is so adorable with the kids.  Plus, it is the only movie on this list that incorporates the original celebration of this holiday.)
🎄 Christmas Vacation (This one is almost mandatory because I grew up in America in the 80s and 90s.  However, I can ALWAYS do without the cat scene.  That bothers me to this day because I NEVER find animal suffering humorous.)
🎄 The Grinch (I honestly prefer the 2018 version.  The original 1966 version under the known title How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic, but the 2018 version was just...cute.  Plus, scrappy little Cindy-Lou Who reminds me of my Jammy.  I was never terribly fond of the 2000 remake with Jim Carrey; he annoys me in his "funny" roles.  I really prefer him as a more serious actor, oddly enough.  Read on for more on that...)

NERD ALERT!!!!!!!  
I am a huge fan of Charles Dickens.  I've never read (or seen) a work by him that I did not enjoy.  That being said, here are several Anouchka-approved versions of his popular Christmas classic A Christmas Carol, along with a couple of other movies that pay homage to this beloved story:

🎄 A Christmas Carol (The 1984 TV movie with George C. Scott is a loyal telling of the original Dickens work.  For a serious version, this one is my favorite.)
🎄 The Muppet Christmas Carol (God help me, but if you combine Charles Dickens with Michael Caine and the most talented performing arts group on earth, you are destined to create a cinematic masterpiece of epic proportions.  If you ask me, Michael Caine was snubbed at the Oscars that season.  HOW WAS HE ABLE TO PLAY SUCH A STRAIGHT ROLE OPPOSITE KERMIT THE FROG?!?!?!?!  WHY IS NO ONE ELSE ASKING THIS QUESTION?????????  I would have collapsed in giggles every time I had to share the screen with 98% of my castmates.  I have spoken.)
🎄 A Christmas Carol (OK, so I know I was a little hard on Jim Carrey earlier, but the 2009 animated version of this story -starring him in multiple roles- was actually quite good.  I haven't watched it in years, but I might give it a spin this year.)
🎄 Scrooged (Bill Murray in all of his 1980s splendor leaves little to be desired in this "modern" re-telling from 1988.)
🎄 The Man Who Invented Christmas (A semi-fictionalized story behind the story, this 2017 film explores the personal life and times of Charles Dickens when he created what are arguably some of his best known characters.  While many of the events of this story are fictional -you'll know them when you see them- it still seems to capture the whimsy and playful spirit of one of the English language's most prolific writers.)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friends.  

May this season of light bring you joy, peace, and hope for a bitchin' 2021.

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