Ideal for enjoying as a family this festive season.
‘Tis the season to be jolly. And after the year we’ve all had, we couldn’t imagine anything better than settling down with a select few family members, pouring up some port, and sinking into the escapism of some festive flicks.
This – and every – year, daytime television will be filled to the brim with re-runs of our favourite Christmas stories, ripe for lifting spirits and inspiring a more optimistic outlook for 2021. So, gather the Radio Times and a felt tip marker, and keep an eye out for these especially; 5 of the great Christmas stories ever told, IDEAL for enjoying as a family this festive season.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
A 1946 film produced and directed by Frank Capra, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is based on the short story by Philip Van Doren Stern called The Greatest Gift. The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards and is ranked first by the American Film Institute on its list of 100 best American films ever made. Reason enough to watch this Christmas, don’t you think?
But wait, there’s more. Channel 4, here in the UK, rates the film even higher, and ranked it as the seventh greatest film ever made. Interestingly, when it first hit cinemas, it was met with a very mixed response from critics and film-goers, but it’s stood the test of time with its feelgood factor dialled up high.
The story follows George Pratt, who’s entire life is turned around when he is brought back from the brink by a chance encounter with an angel. Through the story, Pratt and the audience are taught some beautiful and important lessons about the value of life; a reminder we could all benefit from this festive season, don’t you think?
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Without a doubt one of the most famous festive season stories ever told, A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy senior citizen who hates the holidays passionately and vocally, until he is transformed into a better person by visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.
It was originally penned by Charles Dickens and published by Chapman & Hall in London 177 years ago, in 1843. The first edition was released to the public on 19 December and was sold out by Christmas Eve – it must have been the most popular gift under the tree that Christmas! Its popularity has increased exponentially from there on, with the book never out of print and even believed to have inspired the popularity of the phrase “Merry Christmas”.
The story has been reimagined and retold in countless different ways and mediums from the 1938 and 2009 movies of the same name to the 1988 film Scrooged starring Bill Murray, which is about a TV executive trying to put on a live stage production of A Christmas Carol. Our favourite has got to be The Muppets‘ rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic tale though, how about you?
That’s not all. It seems like the story permeates all parts of popular culture; it has even inspired a slot game! A Christmas Carol Slot Machine by Betsoft which is one of the top Christmas-inspired ‘games’ around. Actually, this isn’t quite such a rariety; if you take a look at some popular slot games reviews, you’ll find plenty of Christmas-inspired slot games such as NetEnt’s Secrets of Christmas and Play N Go’s Merry Xmas.
ELF
Something a little more modern now, to enjoy between trips to England’s wonderful Christmas markets, perhaps. This American Christmas comedy, written by David Berenbaum and directed by Jon Favreau, was released in 2003 and stars Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, and James Caan.
The story follows the trials and tribulations of Buddy, a human adopted and raised by the elves of the North Pole, and how he has to come to terms with the fact that he is, in fact, not an elf.
While it is a far cry from the classics like A Christmas Carol or It’s A Wonderful Life, neither is it the slapstick, sarcastic film you might expect from a Will Ferrell fronted movie. Instead, it is a charming, modern Christmas story in its own right that deserves its place among the top festive season stories.
Unlike some of its contemporaries, Elf was instantly popular with movie-goers amassing more than $220 million at the box office against a production budget of just $33-million. It is also one of the rare films that has received widespread praise from both critics and regular audiences, and its message of inclusivity and warmth a welcome one at this time of year.
A CHRISTMAS STORY
This film, directed by Bob Clark, is a Christmas comedy based on the novel titled In God We Trust by Jean Shepherd. The film is shot to represent a series of short stories all focused around Ralphie Parker and his Christmas wish to get an air rifle. NRA be damned; the film and book carry a strong message to be careful what you wish for.
Despite being one of the less globally well-known stories on this list, A Christmas Story is a festive season institution in North America. TV station TBS, known as TNT before 1997, runs a marathon “24 hours of A Christmas Story”, in which they air the film 12 consecutive times from Christmas eve to Christmas day, every year. Though perhaps not part of a standard British Christmas schedule, you will struggle to find someone from the USA or Canada that doesn’t list this movie among their holiday traditions.
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Debuting in 1965, this animated television special, based on and starring characters from the famous comic strip Peanuts, was directed by Bill Melendez and produced by Lee Mendelson. Of course, it was written by the series creator Charles M. Schulz.
While Peanuts and Charlie Brown have always been famous for their off the wall and dry humour, this Christmas special took it to a whole different level. Charlie begins the story depressed and is mocked by his friends for trying to foster some festive spirit by putting on a neighbourhood Christmas play. Despite the dark beginning of the story, it ends with Charlie and the gang discovering the true meaning of Christmas, cheering them all up and allowing them to celebrate and be merry.
Peanuts was already a worldwide phenomenon before this Christmas special, but this really took the popularity of the comic strip to dizzy new heights. Even though it made its debut in 1965 and there aren’t stats to back this up (allow us some poetic licence here) it wouldn’t come as a surprise to find out it has been aired every single festive season since.