THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – SWITCHMAS

 

Ira J. Finkelstein (Elijah Nelson) is a Christmas obsessed Jewish boy.

He's seen every Christmas movie ever made and his dreams are filled with reindeer, sleigh rides and of course, snow.

The problem is, apart from the fact that Ira is Jewish is that at 11 years of age he feels that Christmas is passing him by and When Ira's hopes for a holiday vacation in Aspen are dashed, he hatches a plan to finally get the Christmas of his dreams.

When flying unaccompanied to visit his grandparents in sunny Florida, he swaps tickets with Mikey Amato (Justin Thomas Howell), another 11-year-old also flying unaccompanied on his way to Christmastown, WA.

But they not only trade airline tickets but places as well and Ira gets more than he bargained for when he experiences his first “White Christmas”.

Elliott Gould and David DeLuise also star in this pleasant Christmas caper.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (1990)

Home for Christmas is a film about a young girl, Amanda Spencer (Chantellese Kent), who befriends elderly, homeless ex-con Elmer (Mickey Rooney) who she notices always sits on the same park bench, she then introduces him to her mother (Lesley Kelly) and brother Justin (Noah Plener).

Later Amanda tells Santa that she wants a Grandfather for Christmas, on a trip to the Mall just before Christmas when the Spencer family are doing their Christmas Shopping.

Which is also the day they see Elmer again when Reg Spencer (Simon Richards) recognises him as the petty thief who he caught stealing from his car.

He immediately wants to call the police and have him arrested but the rest of the family protest and instead it is agreed that Elmer would do odd jobs for him and the family until the cost of the theft had been repaid.

Elmer sleeps in the garage for the duration and the friendship with six-year-old Amanda depends as it does with her mother and brother, only Reg keeps his distance who ironically turns out to be Elmer’s long lost son, much to their mutual surprise. 

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS ANGEL 2009

Ashley Matthews (Kari Hawker-Diaz) has been on her own all her life but she feels even more alone when it gets close to Christmas as she searches fruitlessly for a job and the endless Christmas cheer around her only rubs salt in the wounds as she scrimps and scrapes by to support herself and her dog, Dash.

However help is at hand from her neighbour, Nick Anderson (Bruce Davison), who knows exactly what to do to help and he offers her a job.

He asks her to be his assistant in what turns out to be a philanthropic endeavour, however there’s one catch she can't tell anyone that her new boss is a kind of Secret Santa, and she must help people anonymously.

Through her new job, Ashley meets Will (K.C. Clyde), a writer for a business magazine who uncovers what Ashley is doing, and more importantly, Nick's involvement in the acts of kindness.

As Ashley and Nick help people in need, she tries to protect Nick's secret, and her own heart, while Will must weigh the consequences of what might happen if he exposes them.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – BONE ALONE (2013)

 

When the family leave home to visit Grandma's house on Christmas Eve, they leave their dog at the kennels, but suspecting the family home is going to be burgled, he escapes so he can protect the home.

In essence the film is a canine version of “Home Alone” with Bone the dog pitted against burglars Jake and Rob (Jeremy Mascia and Justin Hoffmeister) and his goal is to prevent them from stealing the presents from under the tree, and he must use every trick he knows to stop them, even when they call Quentin (Kevin Sorbo) an evil dog catcher to help them.

But he keeps the home safe until Mom and Dad (Kim Little and David DeLuise) and the kids Dillon and KC (Davis Cleveland and Natalie Jane) get home and they can have a peaceful Christmas together.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS BRIDE (2019)

Hotel manager Willow Petersen (Rachael Leigh Cook) returns to her stunning Virginia hometown to help her sister Juni (Christie Burke) plan a Christmas wedding at the Inn her family once owned.

However, to achieve her goal she must work with the resistant current owner and single dad David Lyndon (Benjamin Ayres), who just wants to let go of the past and sell the Inn following the death of his wife.

She does have a very valuable ally in the form of his young daughter Natalie (Lina Renna) who loves the Inn.

This is a delightful film in a delightful setting with stunning cinematography.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS AT CARTWRIGHT’S

 

A single mom, Nicky Talbot (Alicia Witt) is going from door to door to find a job and boost her finances but without success.

Then a friend tells her that a big store is hiring so she goes along and gets a holiday job at Cartwright’s department store but not as floor staff, she gets the job as Santa Claus in the grotto.

This was achieved when an angel, Harry Osbourne (Wallace Shawn) entered her life and brought about some positive changes, including the spark of a new romance.

She of course was unaware that he was an angel and she thought he was from corporate.

Her head elf in the grotto was Peg (Linda Kash) and she thought Nicky was wonderful in fact everyone loved Santa Nick, except the evil Fiona Aldrich (Gabrielle Miller) who was her boss.

Nicky’s daughter Becky (T.J. McGibbon) is cute without being precocious and the love interest is supplied very ably by department head Bill (Gabriel Hogan) and her landlady Mrs. Rositani is played by the excellent Jayne Eastwood.

This is a great film, believable yet magical and any Christmas film with an Angel in it gets my vote.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – HELP FOR CHRISTMAS

Although she loves Christmas, Christine (Summer Glau), who is an elf from Santa's village, wonders if there could be more to life than making toys at the North Pole.

So when Santa receives an emergency wish from a little boy in Los Angeles, he puts Christine on a special assignment in the real world and sends her to L.A. to help the VanCamp family.

Sara Vancamp (Eva LaRue) is a busy mom with absolutely no Christmas spirit and her husband Scott (Dan Gauthier), is little better.

So Christine is to look after the two Vancamp kids, Ally (Izabela Vidovic) and Will (Mason Cook) and give the whole family a Christmas wake-up call.

It is not altogether plain sailing and the question of whether Christine will fail her assignment and be sent back to the North Pole for good, or the VanCamps will come to their senses about the meaning of Christmas is unclear, but it’s fun watching the tale unfold.

The romantic interest is provided by Sara’s brother Dave Gabriel (John Brotherton) and Steve Larkin puts in a wonderful portrayal of Santa.