When the rare ones I’m interested in happen to pop up. Definitely not the traditional ones, though, i lean heavily toward stuff like, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” & “Bad Santa.”
I’ll watch a few now and again. The Christmas season canonically runs from the first Sunday of Advent to Epiphany in January, but I’m happy to extend that back to midnight on Black Friday. (Which is sometimes only two days before the season and not a week or more. Variable date holidays are fun.)
That said, (the rest of) my family enjoys Hallmark movies. I don’t mind making fun of them, so much, anymore… Hallmark plays Christmas movies at many times and in various places (and, oddly, sets them in many times and in various places) so it’s not necessarily an odd week without a Christmas movie, but it’d be an odd month if they managed to go without.
Two weeks before Halloween, Hallmark were making a big deal about starting their big Christmas movie push. I was a bit disappointed that they were ignoring the opportunity to play the movies with their “fall festival” themes - my favorite is set in Lockhart, Texas, where they definitely have no “fall festivals,” but would have recognized “rodeo,” “county fair,” “Oktoberfest,” “Thanksgiving,” and several other less dumb ideas - when it is both fall and approaching Thanksgiving.
I don’t much care for Christmas movies.
If I had a television and I had company over, I wouldn’t object to putting something seasonal on just for the sake of atmosphere, especially since I can’t be bothered to decorate. But the only visitor I have around this time of year is usually my mom, and she comes up around Thanksgiving instead, I don’t bother. It’s enough to just make sure the place is clean. We usually spend most of the time listening to music and pretty much just talking. It’s pretty great.
@Catburd For clarification:
By “seasonal” I mean the rotation of Rankin/Bass films. They’re charming. I don’t generally have the interest level to sit down and actually watch them, but they’re cozy and nostalgic as background noise.
I watch Miracle or 34th Street (the original) on Thanksgiving, It’s a Wonderful Life sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and A Christmas Carol (only the one with Alastair Sim) on Christmas morning.
Stuff like “Frosty the Snowman” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas” seems reserved for post-Thanksgiving. Stuff like “Die Hard” or “Trading Places” really goes well any time of the year (also shows they hold up beyond just their seasonal nostalgia).
Whenever. My list of Christmas movies is short but it does contain Die Hard.
@yakkoTDI Mine includes Once Upon A Deadpool.
@werehatrack @yakkoTDI Huh, I just learned something.
Thanks.
When my wife wants to watch a Christmas movie. (Happy wife, happy life)
@hchavers This is the only truly correct answer!
I have some movies I watch during this time period. Not everyone would call them “Christmas movies.”
When the rare ones I’m interested in happen to pop up. Definitely not the traditional ones, though, i lean heavily toward stuff like, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” & “Bad Santa.”
@ircon96 Add Violent Night to your list.
I’ll watch a few now and again. The Christmas season canonically runs from the first Sunday of Advent to Epiphany in January, but I’m happy to extend that back to midnight on Black Friday. (Which is sometimes only two days before the season and not a week or more. Variable date holidays are fun.)
That said, (the rest of) my family enjoys Hallmark movies. I don’t mind making fun of them, so much, anymore… Hallmark plays Christmas movies at many times and in various places (and, oddly, sets them in many times and in various places) so it’s not necessarily an odd week without a Christmas movie, but it’d be an odd month if they managed to go without.
Two weeks before Halloween, Hallmark were making a big deal about starting their big Christmas movie push. I was a bit disappointed that they were ignoring the opportunity to play the movies with their “fall festival” themes - my favorite is set in Lockhart, Texas, where they definitely have no “fall festivals,” but would have recognized “rodeo,” “county fair,” “Oktoberfest,” “Thanksgiving,” and several other less dumb ideas - when it is both fall and approaching Thanksgiving.
I don’t much care for Christmas movies.
If I had a television and I had company over, I wouldn’t object to putting something seasonal on just for the sake of atmosphere, especially since I can’t be bothered to decorate. But the only visitor I have around this time of year is usually my mom, and she comes up around Thanksgiving instead, I don’t bother. It’s enough to just make sure the place is clean. We usually spend most of the time listening to music and pretty much just talking. It’s pretty great.
@Catburd For clarification:
By “seasonal” I mean the rotation of Rankin/Bass films. They’re charming. I don’t generally have the interest level to sit down and actually watch them, but they’re cozy and nostalgic as background noise.
I watch Miracle or 34th Street (the original) on Thanksgiving, It’s a Wonderful Life sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and A Christmas Carol (only the one with Alastair Sim) on Christmas morning.
@Harbingerdc Can I suggest Patrick Stewart’s version?
@blaineg Certainly. I love Patrick Stewart.
But the 3 above are the must-watch ones at those specific times.
I’ve been compiling a collection of Christmas horror movies. Krampus was my favorite but Violent Night topped it last year.
My other favorites include The Muppets Christmas Carol.
Usually a little after Halloween. Not November first, but definitely before Thanksgiving.
Depends on what a “Christmas movie” is.
Stuff like “Frosty the Snowman” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas” seems reserved for post-Thanksgiving. Stuff like “Die Hard” or “Trading Places” really goes well any time of the year (also shows they hold up beyond just their seasonal nostalgia).