One of my favorite things to do in December is sit back and enjoy all those wonderful classic Christmas movies that play every year. The ones that top my list are:
Miracle on 34th Street
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It’s a Wonderful Life
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and White Christmas.
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But what about Christmas movies with a little more western flavor? Well, a couple years ago I ran across a DVD of an old Dolly Parton, made-for-television Christmas movie that I had remembered seeing when I was a high schooler. Smoky Mountain Christmasis a story about a country star who longs to escape the hoopla of celebrity status and return to her roots of simple country life in Tennessee. Add in a rugged mountain man (Lee Majors – of The Big Valley fame for you western fans), a passel of orphans, and a jealous mountain witch and you’ve got all the makings for a hokey but adorable Christmas retelling of Snow White. It has Christmas, it has fairy tales, it has a handome leading man, and it even has squirrel stew. Everything I love. Well . . . minus the squirrel stew.
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I ended up buying that DVD and I’ve watched it the last two years. I think it’s about time to break it out again.
So what are your favorite Christmas movies? Willing to admit to a particular fondness to any odd title? And do any of you remember Smoky Mountain Christmas from 1986?
Now for a Christmas present to all of you . . .
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Today only, my award-winning novel, To Win Her Heart, is FREE for Kindle and Nook. Yep, that’s right. Absolutely FREE!!!
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Click on the book cover at the right to link to Amazon for your free e-book. Enjoy!
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings. . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.
I love It’s a Wonderful Life. is a favorite of mine, and so many I love. I love so many choices in December. Now, Karen, can you answer a question for me? Why do the agents OR Publishers want the heads chopped off on the covers? I love the cover on your book, but would love it more if there was a head to go with that beautiful dress.
Maxie ( mac262@me.com )
I, too, love all of the Christmas movies. The old ones, and the new. The Hallmark Channel can keep me entertained for months with the Christmas movies.I record them and watch when able. My very favorite though has to be White Christmas!!
Haven’t seen the Dolly Parton movie, Karen. But the one Christmas movie I’ll sit down and enjoy every time is “A Christmas Story” (the one about the little boy who wants the Red Ryder BB gun). So funny, and like a piece of my childhood.
Karen, I love all the movies you mentioned.
I just got through watching Elf which I alway enjoy and, believe it or not, saw Home Alone for the first time. I loved the transformation of the little eight year old boy who started out pretty bratty and turned into someone special. But to me Christmas isn’t Christmas without the Nutcracker Suite.
Have a merry Christmas!
Hi, Maxie!
It’s a Wonderful Life is such a classic. Love that movie! About the heads on the covers – it’s funny, isn’t it? Some of my covers include faces, some don’t. Sometimes as a reader I actually like not having the faces on the cover. That was I’m free to imagine the character however I please. But when they get the right person, having that face can really be a plus. You’ll be happy to know that on my next book cover (Stealing the Preacher), both the hero and the heroine have full faces and heads included on the cover. Yay! 🙂
Connie J – I’m a huge Bing Crosby fan. Love that crooner voice. I have several of his CDs and listen to his music even when it’s not Christmas. 🙂
Elizabeth – It’s so fun when those movies take you back to a special time, isn’t it? Those warm memories just enhance the feelings of family.
Margaret – I love the Nutcracker music! I’ve seen the ballet a couple times, but that music just says Christmas from the first couple strains, doesn’t it?
Instead of White Christmas with Bing Crosby, I love Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby which is, I believe first, then White Christmas is a sequel…sort of.
Bing Crosby opens an Inn only on the holidays and each holiday they have a big show celebrating that holiday. I think that’s where the song White Christmas was originally sung, then it was so crazy popular they made the movie White Christmas to capitalize on that. Not sure if it’s the same Inn or heroine or what.
My personal favorite Christmas movie is While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. I just love that movie. It is, to me the PERFECT romantic comedy.
And, my husband would assure you that these are all Christmas movies.
Die Hard — Classic line that proves it’s a Christmas movie? Bruce Willis kills one of the terrorists, ties him to a rolling chair, puts a Santa hat on him and writes a message to the bad guys on his shirt. It says, “Ho Ho Ho – Now I Have a Machine Gun
Also Christmas movies:
Lethal Weaspon
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The last one is nightmarishly violent, good grief. (as if the other’s aren’t?) My husband loves it!!!!
Geena Davis an assassin with amnesia who is living a quiet happy life until she conks her head and remembers she knows how to murder people. Seasons Greetings, huh?
To me, Christmas season begins when I first put Mannheim Steamroller on the CD. I have purchased their stupid Fresh Aire Christmas in every format available, record, tape, CD. I suppose I need to get it on iPod, huh? Except I don’t have one.
And it NEVER goes on sale.
But when that first high, long note of Deck the Halls comes on it’s just perfect. Christmas begins.
Listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEHzYjuf5NA
Wow, what happened there? I just put a link in and the whole video appeared. I didn’t know we could do that in comments?
Hi Karen, great post. I adore White Christmas…there’s so many to mention, actually. Including Love Actually, LOL. I have Smoky Mountain Christmas recorded on the DVR from Hallmark Channel. Slong with about twenty others. I love their Christmas movies. Now is making time to watch them.
As cute and funny as Home Alone is, I cry when the old man hugs his family in the snow…
And Mannheim Steamroller has got to make the best Christmas music! Do does a pianist named Lorie Line, if anybody knows her music. I’ve even downloaded some.
Merry Christmas, all. Great post, filly sister.
I also love Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Christmas which, if you think about it, SIBERIA? Seriously? They have an orchestra there? Isn’t it sort of a massive arctic wasteland???
I won’t post a link. I’m still expecting that weird video above to make Petticoats & Pistols explode.
Mary – I LOVE Holiday Inn. I think it might be better than White Christmas, but both are a lot of fun. And there’s just something so male about considering those thrillers Christmas movies, but I have to say that I agree that they qualify. They can’t all be chick flicks, right?
Thanks for posting the Mannheim Steamroller clip. Another classic, for sure.
Tanya – I finally found someone who remembers seeing Smoky Mountain Christmas. Hooray!!! LOL. Hope you find time to watch it. It’s pretty corny, but I love it anyway. 🙂
I remember watching Smoky Mountain Christmas… have not seen it in a long time… one western like Christmas movie I saw recently for the first time was called A Christmas Journey (think this is the correct name)… I enjoyed watching it, but it was 4 hours long.
Thanks for the link for your book! Happy Holidays! 🙂
Hi Karen – Thanks for the free book. Looking forward to reading it!! And Merry Christmas to you too!
I love all the old Christmas movies…my hubby’s two favs are It’s A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. But my fav, isn’t so old..it’s LOVE ACTUALLY…I like the 7 or so interwoven stories with lots of stars and great music.
Music… any Christmas song that Elvis sings!!
I like the old movies and some of the new ones. I’ve already watched Holiday Inn and White Christmas and I’ll probably watch Christmas Vacation before the big day. Thank you for the free book and I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season.
All those old Bing Crosby movies are great along with the original GRINCH movie. Love the Miracle on 34th Street. I have never been a fan of, It’s a Wonderful Life. Don’t hate me, but I don’t like Everybody Loves Raymond! either. I had a Mother in law like that and the whole story line grated on me.
But…Happy Holidays, Merry Chrostmas and bundle up. However, where I live in California high desert, it is still barely sweater weather.
And Mary C’s husband has the right idea. All movies are Christmas movies!
Yay, Colleen! Another person who remembers. I haven’t heard of the Christmas Journey. I’ll need to look that one up.
Charlene – My favorite Elvis Christmas song is Blue Christmas. No one else sings it with the same soul.
Linda – Thanks for the holiday wishes. Enjoy the book and have a wonderful time with family and friends.
Mary J – I wasn’t a fan of Jim Carey’s Grinch, but it’s hard to beat the Dr. Seuss original cartoon version. And the song? It makes me laugh every time I hear the line about the bad banana. Love it!
I also love The Nativity Story. A realistic movie about Jesus birth, very scriptural. I love watching that. And there is a youtube video with cuts from that movie and the song ‘Breath of Heaven’, sung by Amy Grant. The whole thing the video and music combine into something so beautiful! I listen to it over and over during the Christmas season.
I’d post a link but I’m afraid!
I love Smokey Mountain Christmas and watch it about every year. Thanks for the free book. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season.
Of course I remember Smoky Mountain Christmas! And you’re right – hokey but cute. lol
I always have to watch Donovan’s Reef once during the holidays. Starring John Wayne, the movie takes place during the Christmas season. Love it!
Sorry I missed the post yesterday. I already have and have read TO WIN HER HEART. I hope everyone took advantage of your offer. It is an enjoyable story.
My favorite Christmas movie is WHITE CHRISTMAS.
I love anything Christimas. My favorite classic Christmas movie is the original Miracle on 34th Street. My favorite modern Christmas movie is The Santa Clause (LOVE it better then the sequels). Yes, Karen, I remember Smokey Mountain Christmas. I bought the VHS version when it first came out on video as I’ve always been a big Dolly Parton fan and Lee Majors fan. It is a little hokey but I love it. I need to get a DVD version. There is another good ‘feel good’ Christmas movie that I love named, Christmas Comes to Willow Creek. It stars John Schneider, Tom Wopat, Kim Delaney and Hoyt Axton. If you haven’t seen it you might like to check it out.
Have a blessed week.
Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy W.
countrybear52[at]yahoo[dot]com
Cindy – I had such a crush on Jon Schneider during his Dukes of Hazard days. And he makes a mighty fine looking cowboy. I’ll have to look up that Willow Creek movie. SOunds right up my alley. Thanks!