This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Patch Picks: 5 Favorite Holiday Movies

A few flicks that even Ebenezer Scrooge would approve of.

If Ebenezer Scrooge were a real person, and living in a time period of radio and television, he'd be humbugging everything. Radio stations across the region play Christmas music 24 hours a day leading up to the big day—enough to make anyone sick of "Frosty." Netflix offers its users an entire category dedicated to holiday favorites, some of which miss the mark. This week Patch will take the reins and recommend five of our favorite holiday movies that even old Ebenezer might approve of:

1) "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation": This 1989 Christmas classic starring Chevy Chase is an annual must-watch movie. Families far and wide can quote the whole film verbatim, from the moment Clark Griswold gets his station wagon stuck under a gas truck on the way to the "tree farm," all the way up until Cousin Eddie kidnaps Clark's boss, ties him up and puts a big, red bow on his head. 

2) "Scrooged": A hilarious holiday comedy that tends to slip under the radar. This 1988 take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" finds Bill Murray playing the role of a cynical, selfish TV ad executive. Staying true to Dickens' original story, the film has three ghosts paying a visit to Murray's Frank Cross character. Each scene is more ridiculous than the next, all thanks to Bill Murray's deadpan, sarcastic delivery. 

Find out what's happening in St. Louis Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

3) "Eight Crazy Nights": Adam Sandler's comic career has spanned almost every sub-genre of comedy—from being a late night stand-up to SNL to acting in juvenile movies to singing funny songs laced with gibberish. In 2002, he decided to write a Hanukkah-themed animated movie that mixed a good holiday story, comedy, songs and his classic humor all in one. 

4) "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer": A Christmas classic that even gets Dad to turn off the game and pop in the old, grainy VHS tape. Narrated by folksinger Burl Ives' aged-beyond-its-years voice, this stop-motion animation film was ahead of its time. And still is. Every detail—from the trees and snow to the raccoons that play guitar—reminds the viewer of Christmas. 

Find out what's happening in St. Louis Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

5) "Prancer": Try watching this movie without shedding a tear. We dare you. A young girl who believes in Santa is convinced the reindeer she sees on her and her mean old father's property is one of Mr. Kringle's. Problem is, the reindeer is hungry and hurt, and she's dead set on nursing it back to being healthy in time for Christmas Eve. Until the aforementioned mean old father finds it. Cue tears, open happy ending. And scene. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?