Christmas DVDs

Blizzard is one of those Christmas DVDs that are at least two stages too corny, but a nicely laid out plot saves it from the worst:
Jessies boyfriend movies in a new town just before Christmas. To comfort her Aunt Millie tells her the following story: Katie loves ice skating witch her coach Otto. When Otto dies and Katie gets badgered at school the magic reindeer Blizzard hears her cries for help and comes to save her.

The film is sugary-sweet, sometimes a bit too much. There are many good ideas like a clever plot and convincing effects with real reindeer (fortunately no dolls). But some characters are portrayed too black-and-white like the evil Erin or Santa’s helper Archimedes. But there is an important message for children: Believe in yourself. And: Disappointments are a part of everyday life. I liked the fact that there was reality that even good wholesome characters make mistakes sometimes and that this doesn’t mean the end of the world; there is forgiveness and second chances. It teaches our kids that we don’t live in a perfect world and there are disappointments and we must learn to deal with them.

The actors in Blizzard, even the young ones do a good job and are not annoying. The soundtrack is vibrant and is therefore quite varied. Christmas atmosphere is also produced by a fabulous cinematography and the story is coherent – a little too much trash for my taste. But who has a problem with a little kitsch during holiday season. It is one of those Christmas DVDs that makes everyone “feel good” on the inside after watching it.

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I’ve just discovered this year’s MUST-WATCH holiday movie. Here’s the trailer:

Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus got to become Santa? The (somehow foolishly titled) movie Christmas Story reveals the background of Santa.

The story is set in Lapland where young Nikolas loses his family in an accident. To take care of the orphaned boy his village decides that Nikolas can stay at any family for one year. On Christmas Day he has to switch his home. To show his gratitude Nikolas decides to make toys for the children as good bye presents. I guess you can see where this story is heading.

The movie presents a different, more mature take on the whole Santa Claus myth. I even heard of an eleven year old who didn’t believe in Santa any more. After watching Christmas Story however she believes he did exist and that his message and his spirit live on. In my opinion this is much better than giving up believing at all. Even if you enter the realm of “enlightened” adults there is a great advantage in preserving those little moments of magic that you encounter as a child.

The fate of Nicholas and how he handles his situation is simply touching. The story moves along like a slowly falling snow flake. One can not escape it and is drawn deeper and deeper into it. The characters are described very affectionately. It’s Christmas DVDs like this that evoke the magic of Christmas and make you aware of what is really the most important thing for everyone. It is family and friends who help you even in difficult times and who you can trust.

The movie is shot in the gorgeous scenery of Lapland, in the dead of winter with real reindeer. It is this amazing scenery that gets you in the Christmas mood very quickly. Christmas Story was one of the most successful films in Finland for 2007, reaching 270,000 admissions.

Watch the Christmas Story Movie Trailer

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. I tried to maintain this site the whole year through the summer has gotten the better of me. Now that we had the first snow last week (I live in Munich, Germany by the way) I want to try to get back into the Christmas DVDs mood as quickly as possible.

1. Disney fans will love the re-release of Mickey’s Christmas Carol. It is part of Disney Animation Collection series and contains other holiday favorites like Pluto’s Christmas Tree, The Small One and Santa’s Workshop as well.
2. Also Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving is beaing re-released with two additional Pooh adventures and a collectible holiday stocking. Join with Pooh and his dear friends as they learn about friendship and the true meaning of Christmas.
3. There is an extended version out of the Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa show with Whoopi Goldberg and Uma Thurman. Sadly while it originally aired in HD quality it is now only available on regular DVD.
4. The Remastered Deluxe Edition of I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown presents the unique Peanuts character Rerun Ban Pelt, the lovable but ever-skeptical younger brother of Linus and Lucy. The story centers on Reruns quest to get a dog for Christmas. The short move isn’t completely indispensable but the real gem lies in the bonus features. Included is a documentary on the original Charlie Brown Christmas with interviews with cast and filmmakers.
5. More and more stuff is coming out on BluRay these days. How The Grinch Stole Christmas or A Charlie Brown Christmas are just two examples. So if you know that you are getting or giving one of those high definition DVD players for Christmas be sure to add one of those classics.

Image via Wikipedia

Today I’d like to talk about one of the Christmas DVDs that I personally don’t like very much. Nevertheless it’s a holiday classic.

In the mid-30s a new trend occurred: Laurel and Hardy were put in fantasy, medieval, musical film. Many fans complain about today, because these genres were too “abstract” for the world-famous comedy duo. No doubt one can really say that these films are not necessarily their best ones. But there is one exception: Babes In Toyland aka March of the Wooden Soldiers.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy play two workers of a toy factory who live in a shoe. Their opponent in the film is the unscrupulous Barnaby (barely recognizable – Henry Brandon), who is portrayed accordingly: Mean eyes, dark clothing and a general unsympathetic appearance. These three performers surpass all the others in this movie by far.

Charlotte Henry and Felix Knight played two annoying characters. Now everything wouldn’t be that bad if these two characters would not sing all the time. If it would at least sound nice, but no. It is simply a pain in the ears. I want to follow the plot of the film and not listen to two annoying characters singing. Why annoying? Here’s an example: In one scene, Tom-Tom wants to seduce Bo-Peep but she rejects him. A gentleman would simply leave, or continue more subtly. What does Tom-Tom so? He binds his “sweetheart” at her feet and says something like “I won’t let you go until you like me!” Finally Bo-Peep agrees and Tom-Tom is delighted. That’s what I call true love!

However, we want to see Laurel and Hardy. But once again everybody is singing!

Surprisingly the end of Babes in Toyland is almost like a horror film! Barnabe kidnaps Bo-Peep and brings her to a dark cave. Later he returns with an army of awful creatures with which he wants to conquer the country. Some of these creatures are more horrifying than many of today’s movie monsters. In the end they are conquered by a life-sized army of toy soldiers. Everybody’s happy and dancing.

Now the movie is not what you would otherwise expect from Laurel and Hardy. The two are simply better when they play normal people. They are naturally funny and generally loosen the film but they fit better in other settings. While Barnabe was pleasantly frightening the rest of the cast is simply annoying. The numerous songs simply do hurt.

Nevertheless Babes in Toyland aka March of the Wooden Soldiers is a holiday favorite in many households yet still so strange to see Laurel and Hardy in such a surreal environment. The movie can drag along at points, but when the boys come to life, it’s business as usual and hilarity ensues!

We all know that Christmas is about family and not the TV. But some precious memories and stories of Christmas are very appropriate to recall on the tube. Watching television in this wonderful season does not necessarily mean that you are missing all the fun. It is an old tradition in the most popular television show and major stations to broadcast Christmas TV Specials every holiday season. Watching Christmas TV Specials at night with friends and family can release you of some holiday stress. Here are the three best shows that people would not want to miss in every holiday season:
A Charlie Brown Christmas

The 1965 Charles Schulz classic is first on the list. This Christmas TV special is about Charlie Brown’s quest to find out the true meaning of Christmas. He thinks his friends are obsessed by presents, ornaments and Christmas events and all others getting hooked on letters to Santa. He gets depressed over how Christmas has become commercial. When he gets the job to pick out a Christmas tree he seeks out the plainest looking. After a speech by Linus everybody realizes the true essence of Christmas and how fragile it is in this commercialized world.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

A very impressive Christmas TV Special is about Rudolph, badly treated by his colleagues because of his bright red nose. He discoveres a lot of misfit toys for children. With this film we see how unjust the world can be. Misfit toys for poor children and the best toy for the rich. Give a misfit toy to a rich child and it will throw it against the wall, but give it to a poor child, and you will have offered him something valuable throughout his life: the value and friendship.
A Muppet Family Christmas

This Christmas TV favorite of all time is for both children and adults. All Muppets are invited to spend Christmas at Fozzie Bear’s mother’s hosue. The Muppets present a lot of songs and dances, and reminds us that Christmas is a time for family.
There would be many more Christmas TV Specials on this list, but these are the three most popular of all time.
This Christmas, all you need is the remote, and some good Christmas DVDs.

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Cover of Home Alone

Christmas DVDs have always centered on the topics of love, warmth and happiness. They mainly include family and never forget good morals. The cult comedy Home Alone by Chris Columbus keeps this premise. But in between there is a proper dose of slapstick comedy, with great actors, in an imaginative story.

The plot of Home Alone is detailed and clever and could also be seen as a modern Christmas tale. The showdown is brilliant. When Kevin throws paint on the two idiot intruders, when Harry’s hair is lowered or Marv gets an electric iron in his face we shouldn’t be a bit sorry but our desire to laugh about others can emerge. But also the moral part of the story must not be forgotten.
Throughout the story Columbus shows us Kevin’s mother (Catherine O’Hara) trying to get home to hold her son in her arms and when this finally happens we know again the real reason for Christmas:That family is the most important thing in the world even if we do not always see it that way. And the second moral of course is: Thou shalt not break in! Especially not at the McCallisters.

Now a brief word about the actors. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern do an awesome performance playing the two idiot gangsters. And Catherine O’Hara is an absolute dream of a worried mother. But also all the other supporting roles are perfectly cast.
Also composer John Williams made a score that fits the movie a hundred percent. The rest of the music from funky rock to Christmas songs always fits in the right places. Home Alone’s soundtrack is worth gold.

Home Alone is pure Christmas fun for the whole family. Genious slapstick mixed with beutifully shot Christmas scenes (the snow in the final one is every cinematographer’s dream). This is one of the Christmas DVDs you can watch all year round and especially during the holidays. Great actors and a perfect score make this fun to watch.

The Santa Clause is one of the most beautiful Christmas DVDs of our time. The movie tells the story of newly divorced Scott Calvin who spends Christmas Eve with his son. Suddenly there’s a ruble on the roof and Calvin goes to see, who’s making such a noise. There’s Santa Claus himself, however, he falls from the roof and disappears. Calvin, forced by his son, slips into the Santa costume and therefore into the role of the fat man before he is aware that he now has this job forever and only 11 months to do his personal stuff. And because of his increasingly obvious transformation these 11 months are more difficult than expected. Yes, Disney had a really nice Christmas story idea. Although pretty much all stereotypes about Christmas are in this movie this is entertainment for the whole family.

All the jokes are lovely. Where the majority of Christmas movies hurts the eye with much pomp and kitsch The Santa Clause is pleasantly reduced. Of course the houses are decorated and the workshop of Santa Claus swells with all kinds of stuff. But since not the whole film plays during Christmas season you can forgive the somewhat excessive we-love-each-other and the-world-is-great fuss at the end.

The background music is a wonderful mix of film score and Christmas hits. The score by Michael Convertino succeeds perfectly and consistently evokes exactly the right emotions with the viewers. There are quieter hits like White Christmas or upbeat rock sound such as Jingle Bells by Yello during the end credits. The music is just like everything else, simply fun.

The actors perform consistently at the highest level. Tim Allen plays a Santa Claus, or a man on his way to become him, you just have to love him. But Eric Lloyd as the young Charlie is convincing as well. All in all The Santa Clause has an excellent cast.

The movie is an absolute stroke of luck in terms of Christmas entertainment from Walt Disney. A lovable, imaginative story, likeable characters, tricky jokes and an atmosphere that many Christmas movies of today lack. That’s what Christmas family entertainment has to look like!

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Cover of Scrooged

Charles Dickens‘ Christmas Carol is one of the most adapted-to-film-books of all time. There are good adaptations (The Muppet Christmas Carol) and there are bad examples (too many)! Here we have a very weird version of this Christmas tale. Scrooged an action-packed Christmas Comedy. And, oh wonder: It works!

Scrooged tells the famous story in a very modern. The evil accountant Ebenezer Scrooge becomes the nasty Frank Cross, Bob Cratchit becomes Cross’s secretary Grace and Tiny Tim is Grace’s son Calvin. The three ghosts are weird, sometimes brutal characters who show Frank in their own way what in past, present and future are.

The movie is filled with magnificent gags and a really good plot which even Christmas haters should like. There are shoot-outs, black humor and some sexual innuendo ( “you can see her nipples”)! The message of Scrooged however is a bit expatiated on in the last 10 minutes which seems a bit artificial.
Actor Billy Murray plays his role almost perfectly. Frank Cross is brilliant. Surely one can say that this is one of the best performances in his acting career.

Summing up Scrooged is a different Christmas movie! Instead of love, kitsch, and Christmas carols you get black humor, action and weird gags galore! The good message at the end of the film seems a bit artificial but of course there has to be one! All in all one can say that here fans and non-fans of Christmas DVDs will be entertained perfectly.

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Cover of Elf [Blu-ray]

One of the biggest surprises in 2003 was without a doubt Elf which I wanted to classify as a trivial and silly children’s film. Here’s the plot:

The film stars Will Ferrell as the film’s central character “Buddy”, and Ed Asner as Santa Claus. As an infant in a New York City orphanage, Buddy had crawled into Santa Claus’s bag on Christmas Eve, and Santa unwittingly brought him back to the North Pole. Not knowing to whom the child belonged, the elves decided that he would be raised by them and that it would never be disclosed to him that he was really a human. However, when Buddy overhears the other elves talking about the fact that he is human, he goes to his adoptive father Papa Elf, for advice.

Papa Elf acknowledges that Buddy is, indeed, a human, and tells him the entire story of how he came to be raised by elves. Most important, he tells Buddy about his human father, Walter Hobbs, who lives in New York City. Buddy soon decides to head off on a quest to find his father, where much comedy ensues from the childlike and wholesome Buddy the Elf being a fish-out-of-water.

The movie has a simple story which constantly strives to be understandable and logical and is thus interesting not only for children but for adults. There are some fairly clichéd characters which quickly gain the sympathy of the audience. The gags convince not only by number but also by quality. So this film is a great pleasure for children and adults alike with jokes for every generation.

By John Anderson

Sometimes a movie-maker really gets it right and produces a film for all time. It requires a brilliant script, a dream cast, a gifted director and an outstanding photographer and technical staff. Put them all together and you can produce magic. Bob Clark and Gene Shepherd did just that in The Christmas Story. All the more surprising when you realize that Bob Clark had also produced the Porky’s movies.

It’s hard to say that A Christmas Story is better than It’s a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra‘s masterpiece with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. Wonderful Life has always been one of my favorite movies. Good ole George Bailey was an example for us all. How could anyone resist someone who had gone through so much undeserved hard luck to triumph in the end? Stewart himself considered it to be his favorite movie. Even so, I found it increasingly difficult to watch it as time went by. The movie was incomplete. I kept wanting to see George and Uncle Billy pay a visit on Old Mr. Potter to get their money back.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one. Saturday Night Live once had a great skit that dealt with just that. In the black and white vignette, George and Billy storm Potter’s house and dump him out of his wheelchair to make him produce the cash. I know that George never would actually do such a thing, but I still enjoyed seeing it happen. As great as the the cast and story were, though, what I always liked most about the movie was the setting. The old cars and storefronts and the inside of the Bailey House always brought back warm memories of the way things were when I was a kid.

Bob Clark created the same effect in A Christmas Story, which was set in 1940s Gary, Indiana. From the first shot, with the children standing in wonder in front of a department store toy window, I was transported back to my childhood. My folks would bring me downtown to see the toys in the Dayton’s Department store window. I was dazzled. I remember I had to wear a clunky snow hat, but I never pressed my nose against the store window, I was too afraid of germs, but boy did I take my time taking it all in.

Ralphie’s house was right out of my neighborhood, too. We had a breakfast nook and didn’t eat at a table except on special occasions, but the rest of the kitchen was the almost exactly the same. It was great to see the old appliances again. My earliest childhood memory was of a Tide box and sure enough, there it was sitting on Mrs. Parker’s counter. My Dad didn’t swear, so he wasn’t like Mr. Parker, but I sure knew men in the neighborhood who were like the character Darrin McGavin played. And my mother was as sweet as Melinda Dillon, Ralphie’s mother. The school looked exactly the same as Cooper Elementary, where I attended. Ralphie’s machinations to get a bb-gun were similar to the lengths I went to get a pair of Roy Rogers cowboy boots. The only difference was, I never got them. I had talked Grandma into buying them for me, but my Mom stepped in and messed up my plans. I really knew deep in my heart that Grandma couldn’t have afforded to spend the $15 to buy them.

Ralphie and his friends talked exactly the same way I remember us talking. I never issued a triple-dog-dare, but I sure knew what it meant. I even remember someone sticking their tongue on an iron railing. We even had a neighborhood bully like Skut Farkas. His name, believe it or not, was Clem Klingelhut. Funny and sweet as the movie was, there was enough vinegar to keep it from cloying. The mean Santa Claus and his slide were one of the high points of the entire show.

My son and I watched the movie together, laughing all the way through. I immediately started talking it up to all my friends and even treated one of my customers to dinner and a viewing. None of them had heard of the movie, but all of them agreed it was one of the most enjoyable movies they had ever seen, and mostly for the same reasons that I liked it so much. Most of them wouldn’t go so far as to say it was better than Wonderful Life, but I thought so. It was far less depressing. And I didn’t leave the theater wishing mean old Mr. Potter hadn’t gotten away with his evil deed.

John Anderson is a giant fan of nostalgia, a movie buff from his earliest ages. He is also the author of The Cellini Masterpiece, published under the pen name of Raymond John. He welcomes any qeustions or comments and has the first chapter of his novel at http://www.cmasterpiece.com.

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Cover via Amazon

All of us I’m sure have our own personal favorite Christmas movies, but to me so many of the new movies focus on the trappings of Christmas without dealing with the meaning of Christmas. I loved National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and last years Home for Christmas with Ben Stiller but again they both deal with peoples lives at Christmas not Christmas it self.

Of course we have reminisces of A Christmas story Ralphy’s desire for a Red Rider BB gun a wonderful film about growing up and childhood Christmas memories but what does it say about Christmas?

To me the ultimate Christmas movie is Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life the story of George Bailey of Bedford Falls New York. On the surface it’s the story of a selfless man putting the desires of family above his own. Then when disaster strikes being granted the gift of seeing what the world would be like without him and his personal redemption.

In reality it is not about George’s redemption at all it is about our personal redemption. George Bailey was the suffering servant of Bedford Falls a Christ figure he doesn’t require redemption. As a boy George sees old man Gower putting the wrong ingredients in a prescription George goes to his fathers office and steps in between his father and Mr. Potter arguing and George speaks truth to power, George is filled with the spirit of righteousness. After his fathers sudden death George preaches to the board about saving the building and loan and casts out the demons on the board who would side with Potter. By this act like the marriage at Canaan George performs his first miracle and has been anointed as his ministry begins.

But George longs to see the world and to travel yet the subtle message is, he is seeing the world in Bedford falls. George marries Mary Hatch while learning that life is what happens to you while your making other plans. He loves Mary and they begin a family, but George watches while others gain wealth and do all the great things that he longs for. Yet George has only his wife and children just as Christ had only his cloak and staff George’s reward is not to be in material things. When the stock market crashes George performs another miracle and saves the building and loan. With a speech that compares in content to the Sermon on the Mount.

Mister Potter in the character of the devil strives to destroy George and finally decides to try and bribe him. In a scene that compares with Christ’s temptation in the desert Satan offers the Lord dominion over the whole world if he would only abandon the will of his father. Likewise Potter offers George everything he ever wanted in life money travel and wealth if only George will abandon the will of his father.

As George loans money to Violet Biggs the fallen woman of Bedford Falls he parallels the forgiveness of Christ to the woman at the well. Then through no fault of his own he is eight thousand dollars short in his accounts. Potter Satan attempts to use the organs of government to crucify George. George prays alone on a dark snowy bridge as he contemplates suicide as Christ prayed in the garden alone in the garden in the dark both asking is there not some way to take this cup from my hand if it be your will.

Through his guardian angel George is shown the world, as it would be with out him just as Christ looked down into hell and both men saw the value of their ministries. But this is a story of hope and redemption as George is rescued by an outpouring of love by the people of the world. This Christ is rescued and redeemed, this time the people realized all that George the messiah did for them and they rallied to his cause and denied Satan a victory. This time we got it The Messiah need not die for us this time, because WE as a people were redeemed not George. For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son. In It’s a Wonderful Life we so loved the Lord we rescued his only begotten son and placed him up upon his throne.

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Our Nightmare Before Christmas story starts innocently enough in Halloween Town which is an eerie, spooky dreamland. A dreamland occupied by such ghostly citizens as deformed monsters, ghosts , ghouls , goblins, vampires werewolves and witches. The core of the Nightmare Before Christmas story centers around our hero Jack Skellington, “The Pumpkin King”, guides the citizens of Halloween Town into the horrifying festivity called Allhallows Eve.

The Nightmare Before Christmas mastermind Jack Skellington has grown weary of the same scary affair year after year. Wandering aimlessly through the woods adjacent to Halloween Town, he by chance opens up a portal site to a town called Christmas Town. Our Pumpkin King is moved by the flavour and manner of Christmas. Jack delivers his muddled findings about Christmas Town to the citizens of Halloween Town. Because of Jack Skellington’s limited understanding of the concept of Christmas, the dwellers of Halloween Town fail to comprehend Jack’s meaning and equate everything he renounces about Christmas, to their own preconceived ideas of Halloween. He reluctantly chooses to bear with his citizens and declares that therefore they will seize Christmas and make it a holiday in their own horrifying image.

Jack Skellington’s fixation with Christmastime directs him to take on the persona of Santa Claus. Every resident of Halloween Town is assigned a task in their quest to seize Christmas. The heroine Sally, a rag doll woman who was created by the town’s mad scientist, commences to experience a wild-eyed attraction towards Jack Skellington. All the same, even in state of romantic infatuation Sally solely fears that Jack’s project will become disastrous.

Our Nightmare Before Christmas Pumpkin King delegates Lock, Shock, and Barrel a trio of naughty children, to snatch Santa and fetch him back to Halloween Town. Instead our trio of mischievous children and against Jack’s wishings and for the most part for the children’s own amusement, they deliver Santa to Oogie Boogie, a gambling-addict bogeyman who devises a devious, diabolical game for Santa, with his very own existence as the wager.

Our Nightmare Before Christmas Eve comes and Sally endeavors to stop Jack, he totally disregards her warnings and simply embarks into the moonlit sky in a coffin shaped sleigh pulled by skeletal reindeer. The sleigh is guided by the glowing nose of Jack’s ghost dog Zero. Jack Skellington sets about to deliver gifts to kids around the Earth. The gifts (shrunken heads, Christmas tree-eating snakes, etc.) only terrify the small children, there is crying and screaming as the children open up these horrific presents in our Nightmare Before Christmas story. Jack is considered to be an imposter seeking to be a Santa impostor. We constantly see screaming and crying children as they open up their presents, and the horrified parents are phoning the authorities to explain the situation.

The military is finally put on high alert and they are ordered to blast this Santa impostor out of the sky. The sleigh is finally hit by a mortar and shot down. Our Nightmare Before Christmas Pumpkin King is assumed dead by Halloween Town’s citizens. The Pumpkin King has indeed survived the crash. Even though Jack Skellington is visibly upset by the failure of his plan to hijack the Christmas dream and replace it with his own Halloween vision, he rapidly recovers his old spirit. He does not seem to be effected by the Nightmare Before Christmas morning debachel and he even musters up new ideas for the next years Halloween.

He then charges back to Halloween town to rescue the real Santa and to put the Christmas affairs right. Meanwhile, Sally’s efforts to free Santa from Oogie Boogie fail and she is captured by Oogie. Jack slips into the lair and frees them, then faces Oogie and unravels his outer burlap so that all the bugs that live inside him spill out. With Oogie Boogie deceased, Santa berates Jack for a bit, before Santa readies his sleigh and sets off to deliver the correct presents to the all of world’s youngsters. Santa Claus causes snow to fall upon Halloween Town to demonstrate that there are no hard feelings between the King of Christmas Town and the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. The townsfolk are a little bewildered by the snow initially, but before long commence to play jubilantly in the snow. Jack displays that he is romantically attracted to Sally j and they kiss under the full moon in the cemetery.

Richard McDuff has been selling on the internet for 8 years. He has an online store at Fun Cool Collectibles. His store is full of great Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise. As we all know Nightmare Before Christmas fans buy all year round. They can not get enough from this great animated move. Visit his store and check out the great products. We search high and low for these great items.

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The Christmas season is filled with lots of extras activities. Getting today for work parties, family gatherings, buying presents, wrapping presents, decorating the tree. Well, you get the idea. Sometimes it does take an actually scheduled date to set aside time to relax yourself or with family or friends. It is one those scheduled dates that I like to sit back and enjoy a fun Christmas movie.

Below is a list of some of my favorite Christmas movies. The list is filled with a variety of movies some you laugh so hard you cry and others that allow you to reflect on the blessings of the past year. So whichever mood, your family is in you have an option.

1. Miracle on 34th Street – a movie of hope

2. A Christmas Story – a true classic

3. Charlie Brown Christmas – love the “Peanuts” gang

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

5. It’s a Wonderful Life – helps you to put life into perspective

6. National Lampoons’s Christmas Vacation – pure outrageous comedy

7. Home Alone – good for a few laughs

8. The Santa Clause – what would you do if you suddenly gained all that weight?

9. Santa Clause 2 – and the story continues

10. The Santa Clause 3 – and continues

11. Frosty the Snow Man – a must see

12. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – what is Christmas with Rudolph?

13. Elf – silly but fun

14. The Polar Express – do you believe?

15. Scrooged – entertaining with a good message

This Christmas season, I wish you and your family many great memories as you celebrate the holidays together.

Find more great ideas for Christmas gift ideas at http://www.rodneyschristmasgiftideas.com

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When Peanuts creator Charles Schultz died in 2000 he made sure that nobody would continue his work and draw new stories for his universe. Funnily he forgot to extend that rule to the field of animated TV specials. Last month, I Want a Dog, was ninth Peanuts special that Warner Home Video with Remastered Deluxe Edition DVD treatment with its title. It seems fairly clear that more public opinion particularly positive. the setting for your holiday You deserve attraction term basis. Christmas DVDs tend to score better than non-holiday ones, especially if yours is clearly over the last two months of the year.

Not only is this release from Warner 2009 Holiday Peanuts, A Charlie Brown Christmas was recently Blu-ray and in this decade, other yuletide TV offers, 17 minutes Tales Christmas Charlie Brown came only points CVS Pharmacy DVD sales. Of course, none of these probably as strong as the last three years, and Charlie Brown Christmas Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection DVD Box Set, which most fans consider to sell, the crème de la crème.

Although nearly twice as long as a classic performance is typical Peanuts “I Want a Dog not required to go it alone. It is accompanied by Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, who helped ring in 1986 at CBS and n has never been released on DVD. Based on the subject and time of production, it would be logical to have I Want a Dog meeting with a couple old Snoopy’s Deluxe Edition (1991), the only other characters who are strong with parents of Snoopy. Then press the Meeting, “1984″ It’s Flash Beagle, Charlie Brown would have with the new year, and you end up with two peaks and two vacation packages apt-negotiable ready. Man, Warner marketing department should enlist as a consultant!

Enough nonsense, have a look at the deals you can actually see here …

Why DVDs Make Excellent Christmas Presents
By Jim Woolley

It always used to be the case that if you didn’t know what to get someone for Christmas, then you would simply buy them a CD. This is still true to an extent but now you are also just as likely to buy someone a DVD as a present. Although this may sound like an unoriginal choice of present, I personally think DVDs make a great gift.

There are several reasons why. The first one is because everyone has their favourite films and TV shows, and so you will never have any problems finding a DVD that they will enjoy. So whether that person has an interest in Hollywood blockbusters, classic TV comedies, travel documentaries, or even a special interest such as steam trains, for example, you are sure to find DVDs that they will appreciate.

In fact nowadays you may even find that your present will be one of the first ones to be used on Christmas Day because due to the fact that the TV listings have been pretty poor in recent years, a lot of people choose to put on a good DVD instead.

Another reason why I think DVDs make a great gift is because as well as being a low-cost option in most cases, they can also be used as a main present. If you are prepared to pay a little bit more you can buy someone a huge box set of their favourite TV shows and give them many hours of entertainment.

I’m personally a big fan of box sets and am always delighted when I get every single episode of my favourite TV shows on DVD. For example in recent months I’ve purchased the box set of The Sopranos, Seinfeld and the Monty Python films, and have enjoyed them all, and this Christmas I’ve arranged to get The Professionals and The Sweeney box sets as well which I’m really looking forward to.

So if you are looking for a more expensive gift than a cheap £10 DVD then why not buy someone the box set of their favourite TV shows. This will give them many more hours of entertainment during the long winter months than a single DVD, which they will probably only watch once or twice anyway.

DVDs are as cheap now as they’ve ever been. Even large box sets of entire series are extremely generously priced (the complete collection of Friends currently costs less than £50). So I personally think you can do a lot worse than to buy someone a DVD, or better still a DVD box set, this Christmas.

Click here to read a full review of Blockbuster and to catch up on all the latest TV and film DVD releases.

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