We are now well and truly into December and the Christmas period, and what's more Christmas Day itself is only a few days away. For years, we ALL have developed our own habitual set of festive viewing habits. From newly awaited specials to all time classics, there are TV shows and films we just love to see at Christmas time. So I thought I would just share a select few of my favorites for the festive season...
CHRISTMAS FEEL GOOD FILMS
Rather an obvious one, but an important one nonetheless. The Christmas film is a genre well and truly in its own right now, with more and more coming out every year in the hope of becoming modern and future classics that people return to again and again.
For me, that is what its really about - if a new Christmas film is good enough it will still be around strongly enough in a couple of years time - and in the meantime, there are plenty of winter warming staples for me to choose from.
Highlights of mine include the whimsical and charming The Holiday, the utter classic Its A Wonderful Life, and the pretty much perfect Love Actually.
CHRISTMAS SITCOM
The Christmas specials of our favorite TV sitcoms have been a solid institution of viewing for decades. There is something quite remarkable about watching this plethora of characters that you have grown to love and laugh out loud with make you laugh again at Christmas. Not only is it very welcome to watch, but it also gives us that special warm fuzzy feeling inside, which is surely the point of Christmas time.
The list really is endless, and in my case it is quite an extensive one.
If you want to indulge in some vintage Christmas comedy ( and I often do ) then might I suggest the likes of Porridge, Steptoe and Son, One Foot in the Grave, or of course the classic Only Fools and THAT Vicar of Dibley.
Or you might want to mix and match with some more modern stuff. Miranda is fast becoming the queen of sitcom these days, and her last hurrah this Christmas is eagerly anticipated, as is Mrs Brown's Boys, Stella and the return of Still Open All Hours.
CHRISTMAS CHILDHOOD
Of course, it is not just the more mature festive films that can tickle your fancy. Far from it. It is often said - Christmas is for the kids; so why not take the time to embrace your inner child?
Just as there are a massive amount of Christmas adult films to choose from and enjoy, so too are there those for the more junior audience. Or more specifically - films all ages can enjoy. Naturally if you have little ones around you at Christmas, then it is an ideal time to bond and enjoy a truly heart-warming festive film, from their era or yours.
But come on - that is surely not to say you cannot revert back to your own childhood alone at Christmas!
Whether it is classic Disney Christmas, Home Alone or Home Alone 2, or a cartoon Nativity, embracing your old favorites is a must. And what's more, there is nothing stopping you from embracing modern festive family films that tick all the boxes - I found Arthur Christmas of a few years ago to be an excellent modern classic Christmas film (in fact for my review of it - see my BLOG ARCHIVE).
THE DOCTOR AT CHRISTMAS
Festive Whovians rejoice! This time of year only means one thing for us, as it has for some years now; the Doctor will see you for Christmas!
It really is refreshing I think that such a iconic cult of a phenomenon cannot and will not be excluded from Christmas - and long may it be so! Almost every Christmas special of Doctor Who since its revival in 2005 is special in its own right, and they are individual episodes that, even if you aren't that into Who, you can watch singularly and enjoy tremendously.
David Tennant and Matt Smith both had a good few festive episodes throughout their own tenures respectively, and I urge any Whovians or otherwise to give them a go. But if you are constantly looking towards the Time Lord's future, then you need look no further than this Christmas day, where Peter Capaldi's relatively new Doctor on the block will face his first Christmas adventure; it already promises to be a TARDIS of a treat for Christmas!
A DICKENSIAN CHRISTMAS
There is a reason why Charles Dickens' great work is widely reputed to be the Christmas tale, and why it has gone on to prove ample and wondrous inspiration for so many other festive entertainments. A classic story in every sense of the word. Beautifully written, superbly detailed and characterized to a tee. The rotten life, mystical journey and ultimate redemption of Ebeneezer Scrooge is simply perfect to my mind.
If you don't feel up for reading the original book (which I do urge you to do at least once in your life) then thankfully it has been epitomized in several film versions, almost every one of them becoming Christmas classics in their own right. Whether its the timeless Alastair Sim, the legendary Patrick Stewart or Michael Caine (yes you know - the Muppet version!) or more recently the dazzling Jim Carey taking on that paradigmatic character, you couldn't get more Christmassy than A Christmas Carol if you tried.
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