Christmas Recommendations: Pretty Please?!

Love actually and The Holiday are a must for me.

Polar Express for me love it

The Nine Lessons and Carol's from Kings College Chapel, especially Once in Royal Davids City. The warm smell of cinnamon, Salvation Army band playing carols, Miracle on 34th Street( both versions), a sparkly Christmas tree, Cadbury Roses, light hearted bickering over the best way to cook the Christmas Dinner. Too many to mention.

Found an animated film called Klaus this year which I enjoyed but I'm looking for the old classics, The Shop Around the Corner, The Bishops wife, Alistair Sims version of Scrooge. I've already watched It's a Wonderful Life and of course the Christmas morning film is always A Muppets Christmas Carol.

I watched a black and white film yesterday - ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ - starring David Niven and Cary Grant. It was delightful and it’s amazing how quickly you forget it’s not in colour.

White Christmas for me every time. Even as a child, the first thing I did when my mum bought the Christmas double Radio Times was to look in the films section to see when it was on. I then bought the video and now have the DVD. I have to wait until I’m on my own though, as no one else likes it (or so they say...). Another Miss Read fan here. I have her books constantly at my bedside.

Any Christmas film on Channel 5 or Christmas 24: they're all very similar but I don't care! I like to read anything with a winter or snowy theme. Mr MC always reads The Night before Christmas!

Lost Christmas by David Logan is a lovely book, really enjoyed that. Arthur Christmas is a good film. When my son was small, we had a lovely pop-up book of the Night Before Christmas, and a Christmas Carol we used to enjoy together and for years after he was too old for that, I still enjoyed looking through that and moving all the tabs which changed the scenes in the books. (Can't remember where I put them or I'd still be doing that!). I don't have any planned TV viewing (I'm not a great TV watcher), will just catch bits of whatever husband and son are watching while I'm running around doing all the Christmas jobs - making dinner etc!

We went to the cinema last December to see a new film called Last Christmas and loved it. Along the lines of The Holiday and Love Actually. We’ll definitely be watching it again if we can get it.

Deedaa. I used to love all the Green Knowe books, and had them. I wonder where they went? Once I wrote to the author and had a lovely post card back from her.

Has anyone read the Jan Karon series of books? They are lovely.

When my DD was small she borrowed a book from the Library called ‘Fat Santa’. From that year on the book has been read on Christmas Eve. (It’s now out of print, but I managed to get a second hand copy from an online book seller years ago). Now my DGS listens to the story which dated as it is, (what’s a Walkman Grammy?) still kicks off our Christmas celebrations.

I love the Die Hard films at Christmas when there has been too much saccharin and chocolate. Also the bad guy gets a thumping and I wish Covid would as well.

I'm so glad that this thread caught on! I've only read a few posts, I'll read it or later.
Thank you so much for all of your lovely ideas and recommendations.
I hope that everyone discovers at least one new thing to add a bit of extra sparkle to this Christmas x

That should be spookiness of a Christmas ghost story?

I'm so glad tracked down this thread,I saw it late yesterday and I've been thinking about it a lot!
Christmas is such a sensory time and at the best of times such a time of reflection. I love when I open my Christmas decorations and the lovely spicy smell of my favourite scented candles wafts up,its like a Christmas firework going off! Its varied over the years but I love the traditional Christmas films. I always try and watch/ read A Christmas Carol. I love the smokiness of a ghost story on a dark winter's day,or the sumptuous adaptations of Dickens or Agatha Christie. A particular favourite is Christmas with the Kranks,its silly and sentimental but the first time I saw it my eldest daughter was returning home for Christmas and it hit a spot. Elf is the same for me,initially it slightly irritated me but my youngest daughters love of it has rubbed off! Carol's from Kings is lovely and reminds me of my Mum.
Of course this year is a bit different! I dont know about anyone else but despite fully acknowledging the difference and as happy as I could be with it I'm still surprised by my reactions. Some favourites just dont feel quite as enjoyable and leave me feeling rather flat. Some things unexpectedly make me feel Christmassy. I have the ingredients and intention of making a Christmas it's a boiled fruitcake so can be last minute.
Apart from a few highlights when I had a look at main tv channels they looked rather uninspiring. I love Call the Midwife. This morning it occured to me I wonder how filming under Covid restrictions will look? Although I did find her a little bit OTT I did find myself watching and very much enjoying her Christmas Cruise programme. It still does however still take me a little by surprise at how very different things were a year or so ago. I look on with wonder at all those people close to each other,laughing,eating,touching an arm gently,that does still hit home!
I'm not sure what I will want to watch/occupy myself with over the festive period. The only certainty is it will feel what's right at that particular moment whether its traditional or something else!

I will get up, make a cuppa and open my presents, (I already have 2) I will cook my dinner, eat a few treats in the afternoon. Have a slice of Christmas cake or maybe mince pie for tea and watch the soaps on TV. During the day will skype my sister, talk to my children on the phone. Go to bed and it is all over for another year.

Lovely thread for a 1st time post. Has to be 'Box of Delights' in our house - BBC children's classic from the 80s and Jeanette Winterson's 'Christmas Days' well worth a read. Merry Christmas to all

Amazon Prime has dozens of Christmas films that are free to watch if you have prime. I have been watching them to see if I could find the Christmas spirit. Some brought a tear I have to say

Nannarose aah, I love Little Grey Rabbit.
Alison Uttley lived nearby where I live.

I cook loads of pigs in blankets for breakfast. I love the original Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim, although not a fan of black and white movies generally. I've popped a scratch card and Lindor chocolate in my crackers and will have a cinnamon candle making the house smell of Christmas

Last Christmas is a heart - warming and not at all schmaltzy Christmas film, not one for the kids though.

I did too Urmston

I can’t wait for my son to come home and we can watch Elf for the millionth time on Christmas Eve .

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This series is not Christmassy but is a ‘will she, won’t she romance’. It’s on Netflix and is called Virgin River. I told my 87 year old neighbour about it as she said she felt lonely. The next morning she emailed me to say she had watched 3 episodes back to back. It’s like a ‘Dr Finlay’s Case Book’ set in Canada.