My Favorite Christmas Movies

Lets take a look at what "ingredients" help make a Great Christmas Movie.

Ingredients for a great Christmas Movie:

Schmaltzy - sometimes a bit of schmaltziness (it's a real word, trust me I looked it up :) ) is called for. What exactly is "schmaltz"? It's what Mr. Potter in It's A Wonderful Life would call "sentimental hogwash."

Schmaltziness is a former General working as an innkeeper at a ski resort that desperately needs snow and miraculously having a snowstorm on Christmas Eve (White Christmas, of course).

Happy Ending - the more impossible it seems for a happy ending to occur the better. Hey it's Christmas, anything can happen, right?

Great Soundtrack - some movies are built around their soundtrack like White Christmas. Others incorporate classic Christmas tunes into the tapestry of their story and make the movie better by doing so.

The Story - Christmas movies with a compelling or funny story stick with viewers and become classics. Those without a decent story are shoved into the attic with other forgotten Christmas items.

Characters - Lets look at It's A Wonderful Life. Who does not root for George Bailey everytime they watch this movie? Jimmy Stewart makes George believable and we love the character for it.

Simply mix in the above ingredients. Add a dash of family and friends. Put in your favorite Christmas movie. Plant yourselves in front of the television for a couple of hours and enjoy!

Note:
For an extra special treat you may want to add some gently falling snow (outside, of course), a roaring fire (in the fireplace), a dozen or so of your favorite Christmas cookies, and a big bowl of popcorn.