THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS REUNION (1994)

 

A Christmas Reunion is a Christmas treasure of a film and is the tale of two parallel lives one of a grandfather and the other his grandson and what their generations had to go through which in the end may not be that different.

The middle generation has passed away and there's no connection, between paternal grandfather and grandson.
Both stories contain marriages which were contrary to the wishes of the families involved.

In the first the parents died in a car accident and in the other the father died in the war, and the mother when the child was born.
Edward Woodward stars as the Grandfather and James Coburn as Santa and an ensemble cast makes up the rest and the result is extraordinary.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS COMES HOME TO CANAAN

 

In the Texas town of Canaan, Daniel Burton (Billy Ray Cyrus) finds that his son Bobber (Liam James) needs extensive orthopaedic surgery and months of intensive physical therapy to recover as a result of being run down by a car.

Fortunately help is at hand in the form of Rodney Freeman (Matt Ward), the young black man who Daniel took into his home and raised as his own son, who has become a famous writer and he immediately offers to fly Daniel and Bobber to San Francisco and to pay for the surgery.

Once in San Francisco, Daniel meets and falls for Briony Adair (Gina Holden), a physical rehabilitation specialist who will be working toward Bobber's recovery but when the therapy progresses slowly, Bobber invites Briony to come home to Canaan to spend Christmas with the Burtons and continue his treatment.

Briony accepts the offer and is welcomed by the family all except Sarah (Emily Tennant), Daniel's daughter who distances herself because she doesn’t want to dishonour her late mother's memory.

But Daniel and Briony try to rise above it but a disastrous Christmas ensues and drives them apart.

So in the soul searching that follows, will Daniel find the strength to open his heart again and invite love back into his life or will he settle for the status quo.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – SANTA’S SECRET

 

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 – A CHRISTMAS HERO

Firefighter Jenny Jenkins (Anna Hutchison) falls in love with local star Tom Norris (Marcus Rosner) but his ex-wife and celebrity figure skating champion Mary Hamilton (Anita Brown) is asking him to choose between reconciling or going through an ugly custody battle, but she has an ulterior motive.

But Jenny’s natural warmth and kindness to the community starts to convince everybody that her love for Tom is real however Mary's fierceness is more powerful than anything Jenny has ever faced before so who will Tom choose in the end?

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – SANTA JR

 

Santa's son (Nick Stabile) tries to follow in his father's footsteps, and anxious to prove his worth, he decides to clamber down a few chimneys just prior to Christmas Eve.

Alas, his efforts coincide with a string of burglaries, and Nick is promptly arrested by cops Daryl Bedford (Judd Nelson) and Norm Potter (George Wallace).

So although he was delivering toys, he is arrested for trespassing and is placed under house arrest.

As Nick frets away the hours before Christmas, Bedford grows attached to Nick's court-appointed attorney, Susan Flynn (Lauren Holly) -- and inevitably, the real burglar strikes again.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – TRUMAN CAPOTE’S ONE CHRISTMAS

 

Based on an autobiographical short story by Truman Capote, this story is about Buddy (T.J. Lowther), an 8-year old boy who leaves Alabama in 1930 to go and live with his father (Henry Winkler) in New Orleans, and has a terrible time while he is there.
His father is a con man trying to raise money for his latest get rich quick scheme and prays on wealthy middle-aged women flattering his way into their cheque books and one of those frustrating his plans is matriarch Cornelia Beaumont (Katharine Hepburn) and as he faces one setback after another there is an uneasy relationship between father and son.

Henry Winkler puts in a fine dramatic performance, as he ranged from loving father, to con man, to angry and misunderstood outsider, Katharine Hepburn is a touch of class in her final performance and a brief appearance from Julie Harris is a glimmer of light.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2009)

 

Jim Carrey stars as miser Ebenezer Scrooge in this animated retelling of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol”.

The classic tale in which he is taught the true meaning of Christmas by three Spirits who visit him, revealing to him the truth about his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current catalogue of cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways.

Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold, death or redemption.

The film also features the vocal talents of Steve Valentine, Daryl Sabara, Sage Ryan, Amber Gainey, Ryan Ochoa, Bobbi Page, Ron Bottitta, Sammi Hanratty, Julian Holloway, Gary Oldman, Colin firth, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Molly C Quinn, Fay Masterson, Leslie Zemeckis, Paul Blackthorne, Michael Hyland, Kerry Hoyt, Julene Renee, Fionnula Flanagan, Raymond Ochoa, Callum Blue, Matthew Henderson, Aaron Ranke, Sonie Fortag, Aliane Baquerot, Seth Belliston, Troy Edward Bowles, Sam J Cahn, Kelly Connolly,

John R Corella, Kelly Crandall, Sheri Griffith, Beckie King, Keith Kuhl, Allison Leo, Tarah Paige, John Todd, Patrick Wetzel. Eva La Dare, Jacquelyn Dowsett and Suzanne C Robertson.