Everyone’s seen "The Grinch" or "Miracle on 34th Street" but I grew up watching some Christmas movies and specials that a lot of people seem to have never even heard of, much less seen. My dad and I have a Christmas tradition of watching a certain group of movies leading up to Christmas day. In high school, I always ended up getting really busy, and we didn’t have a chance to watch all of them together sometimes. Now, that I’m done with my classes by December 11th, I am looking forward to fully engaging in this tradition. Here are five of my not-so-traditional favorites.
Annabelle’s Wish:
A cow that wants to be a reindeer, a kid that is emotionally scarred to the point of not speaking and a devastating house fire might not seem like a fun Christmas story, but it all adds up to a heartwarming story about the connections people form and what it means to value life in different forms.
The Tangerine Bear:
Have you ever felt different or unwanted? Then, this is also the Christmas movie for you. It’s about a toy bear that was accidentally made with his smile on upside down. He gets put in an antique shop where he also turns tangerine by staying in the sun for too long. All he wants is to fulfill his purpose in life by being sold. I don’t want to spoil anything, so let’s just say he finds his purpose eventually.
The Littlest Angel:
I am still not sure how I feel about this movie. It’s all about a little kid trying to find his place in heaven, but that also kind of implies he has died before his parents. Then the plot takes a turn when it is revealed that God wants a son. The mixing of biblical mythology with human ideas of the afterlife provides for an interesting tale.
The Year Without a Santa Claus:
This one is a little better known, but I think it’s diverse enough to be included on this list. A high point of this movie for me is the musical number known as the Snow Miser/Heat Miser song. It’s about these two brothers who each control the north part of the world and the south part, respectively, and they’re arguing over who's better. Coming from Arizona, I’m going to have to go with the Heat Miser.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys:
Oh, I’m sure you’ve heard of the original Rudolph, who hasn’t? But the sequel? That’s something else. There’s a mysterious villain and the ending feels very Toy Story 2. It introduces new characters, like a hippo-like one that performs plastic surgery and offers to fix Rudolph’s nose! Wild times and moral dilemmas ensue.
