Top 10 Christmas movies (yes, I can name 10)

Honorable Mention: "Holiday Inn" It covers all of the holidays, not just Christmas. It has Fred Astaire tap dancing while playing with firecrackers. (News nugget about me -- I used to dance. Tap was my specialty. Fred Astaire is an icon.)










10. "Prancer" I remember being bored to tears during this movie, but I also remember watching it in the theater with my family. :)










9. "Santa Claus: The Movie" Gotta love the '80s. Also gotta love John Lithgow's evil plan to turn March 25 (my birthday) into a new holiday -- Christmas 2 -- to edge out the original Christmas. But mostly you gotta love how Lithgow meets his end: He eats too many tainted candy canes and floats off into space like an evil, rogue balloon. Awesome.








8. "The Grinch" I loved the animated tale when I was a kid and felt like a kid all over again when Jim Carrey brought it to life. I could have done without Cindy Lou Who's "Where Are You Christmas?" -- and also without Faith Hill's crappy version. Thankfully, the song didn't ruin the magic.





7. "A Christmas Story" I don't need to explain why this is on the list, but perhaps its location. Sorry, but it just doesn't get me all warm and fuzzy like the ones ranked higher. I can appreciate a leg lamp, pink bunny costume and tongue stuck to a pole, though.






6. "Miracle on 34th Street" I love old movies. I could watch Turner Classic Movies all day. Natalie Wood is perfect, Maureen O'Hara is perfect and everybody's hair is perfect. Why can't we all wear hats and gloves and have perfectly coiffed hair at all times? Oh... and the whole thing with the letters at the end? Love it.








5. "Home Alone" What kid hasn't fantasized about getting a chance to rule the roost, not to mention having free reign to booby-trap the whole place? And then there's this line: "Buzz, your girlfriend... woof!" Merry Christmas John Hughes, wherever you are.






4. "It's a Wonderful Life" George Bailey had a plan for his life. And it didn't work out. And all he can think of, most of the time, is how his life isn't what he wanted it to be. And then he has a REALLY bad day and contemplates ending it all by jumping off a bridge. Clarence saves him by jumping in first, and gives George a chance to see what the lives of his loved ones would be like if he'd never been born. In the end, George realizes his life is wonderful exactly how it is. If you don't appreciate the message and get a little emotional on this one, YOU HAVE NO SOUL.



3. "White Christmas" First of all, nobody beats Bing Crosby when singing the title tune. Secondly, the dancing makes my heart swell up with happiness. Third -- perfect outfits, perfect hair, perfect Rosemary Clooney. Perfection.






2. "Love Actually" This movie makes me really happy and really sad at the same time. It's funny, heartwarming, surprising, sad, and, most moving of all, hopeful. It makes even a snarky person like me believe that love really could be out there somewhere, and hopeful that I'll find it one of these Christmases.








1. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" I know it's not a movie, but I love it the most. What's better than a bunch of kids and Snoopy discovering what Christmas is all about? And, as some of you may have already guessed, I'm a big fan of scraggly trees with single red ornaments. :)

Random thoughts as of late

1. I really love the *hiss, pop, crack* sound of a can of soda being opened.

2. I also really love the sound of wrapping paper being torn.

3. Wouldn't it be awesome to have enough money to never have to do laundry? Just wear things and then go buy new things to wear.

4. I want to have a camp or a compound someday. Like you sometimes hear on CNN: "A spokesperson from the Stefanie compound said today..." "No word yet from the Stefanie camp on this latest information..."

5. Man, I wish I was brave enough to let people hear me sing. I'm awesome in my car.

6. Guys, no matter how old they are, are stupid. Guys are forever stupid. Stupid. Forever.

7. I'm really terrified of writing this book. I don't know why.

8. You know how some people romanticize the old days and say they were born in the wrong era? I don't do that. If I had been born in any other era, I would be working in a field somewhere.

9. Grandparents are the best things ever.

10. I hate Wal-Mart.

11. I love Harry Potter.

12. I really need to go get the oil changed in the car.

13. If it's true that all God's creatures serve a purpose, then Bill O'Reilly must be here specifically to piss me off.

14. I want to go to the movies.

15. Holiday lights should stay up at all times.

Christmas time is here!