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BM tweeted us to ask:
My father’s girlfriend is Lithuanian and has never seen any Christmas films; which Christmas films would you suggest to show her?
This is a great question! And one which demands a surprisingly careful approach. You can’t throw a novice straight in at the deep end with Bad Santa or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (which, I’m sorry to tell you, doesn’t stand up as well as memory hoped). With that in mind, start her off on a classical version of A Christmas Carol, like the Alastair Sim version, before progressing to a deconstructed Christmas Carol such as The Muppet Christmas Carol and Scrooged.
Do supply her with oldies-but-goodies like The Shop Around the Corner and, of course, the repurposed summer blockbuster It’s a Wonderful Life; but you don’t want to begin with those, else it’s all downhill thereon.
Now brace yourself for my controversial suggestion for her starter film.
Come back! Hear me out. Yes, it’s a three-sickbag movie; yes, at least a third of it seems too indulgent even to be a dream sequence; but its dominant characteristic is the sentimentality that has been begotten by Christmas-mythologising films. It will provide some sort of context for her subsequent viewing.
Then you can make the nausea go away with a refreshing dose of Gremlins or Lethal Weapon. Too strong? Elf.
Readers, what would you add to BM’s dad’s girlfriend’s festive film marathon? Jingle all the way to the comments with your suggestions.
Answer Me This! Podcast 
December 5, 2012 at 2:34 am |
Re Love Actually: The first time I saw it was with my mother. We’d gone to see Elf (q.v. and Q.V.), but the projector failed. Love Actually was also playing at the same time in the multiplex, so we hied ourselves thenceward.
It was all great except PERHAPS the scenes with Bilbo Baggins as a lighting standin at a porn film shoot. Oooooops.
And for an extra cosmic life-imitating-art frisson, there is Liam Neeson’s personal tragedy, echoing his role in the film.
December 5, 2012 at 12:01 am |
I like the Charlie Brown Christmas special suggestion – pretty obvious when you think about it. But how could you miss the *most* obvious xmas film of all? And no, I’m not referring to Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (a personal fav of mine that not everyone gets) but that all time Chrimbo classic Miracle on 34th Street!
I don’t care how many times I’ve seen that film, I still cheer when they bring the sacks of letters in to the court room proving once and for all that Edmund Gwenn really was the one and only true Santa Claus.
December 4, 2012 at 3:03 pm |
The Christmas film most suitable here is obviously A Charlie Brown Christmas who’s mournful message of expectations thwarted will resonate perfectly with a girl who’s just moved to Hull to live with his Dad.
December 4, 2012 at 11:19 am |
Glad to see you featured the best Xmas film of all time, The Muppet Christmas Carol, but you missed the second best – Die Hard. I usually watch them back to back for the ultimate Christmassy experience.