While Christmas has passed, many celebrate through Epiphany on January 6. This time of year, I like to play New Age and Celtic Christmas music, bake cookies, decorate the house, trim the tree, and watch Christmas movies.

There are the classic movies like “It’s A Wonderful Life”, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, and “We’re No Angels” that I watch every year. I also like unusual Christmas movies like “The Ref”, “Joyeux Noël”, and “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale”. “The Ref” is about a bickering married couple held hostage by a cat burglar over Christmastime. It’s very funny. “Joyeux Noël” is about the World War I Christmas truce. I go into more detail about “Rare Exports” below. Hallmark plays Christmas movies year round, but this time of year they are especially precious – and predictable. There is comfort in predictability, especially during a year that sucked as much as 2020. Here is a drinking game about Hallmark Christmas movies.

Take a drink when a character’s name is related to Christmas (Holly, Nick, Chris, etc.).

Take a drink when a “big city” person is transplanted to a small town.

Take a drink when a newcomer partakes in an old family/town tradition.

Take a drink when you see an ugly sweater or tie.

Finish your drink when it starts snowing on Christmas.

Finish your drink when the Christmas cynic is filled with holiday spirit.

Take a shot when the main charqacters fall in love.

Take a shot when you spot Candace Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert, or Danica McKellar.

I recognize Bure and Chabert from Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, which take place in sleepy, small towns where there is a murder every other minute, LOL. It’s called the Cabot Cove effect. These small towns are Murder Central. There is sometimes bloodletting to go with your hot cocoa and mistletoe.

I even like Christmas horror movies such as “Dead End” and “Black Christmas”. A new one to me is “Anna and the Apocalypse”, which is a horror musical comedy. It sounds like ridiculous fun. Anna battle zombies during Christmastime. I like a good horror comedy, and this one promises to be one.

My favorite Christmas movies are “Die Hard”, “A Christmas Carol” (starring Alistair Sim), and “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale”. “Rare Exports” is a recent movie, and it’s incredible. It’s Finnish, and it tells the “true” story of Santa, based on folklore. This isn’t a jolly old elf who goes “ho, ho, ho”. Far from it. I highly recommend it. It makes “best Christmas movie” lists every year.

Here is a list of Christmas movies I recommend. I watch some of them every year, but not all of course because there are only so many hours in the day.

Classics

1. We’re No Angels
2. The Bishop’s Wife
3. Holiday Inn
4. It’s a Wonderful Life
5. A Christmas Carol (starring Alistair Sim)
6. Miracle on 34^th Street
7. White Christmas

Animated

8. A Charlie Brown Christmas
9. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
10. Rankin Bass movies like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Horror

11. Black Christmas
12. Dead End
13. Gremlins
14. Anna and the Apocalypse
15. Edward Scissorhands

Other Faves

16. Die Hard
17. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
18. The Man Who Invented Christmas
19. Home Alone
20. A Christmas Story
21. Elf
22. Bad Santa
23. Hallmark Christmas Movies – Take Your Pick!
24. Love Actually
25. Carol
26. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
27. Scrooged
28. The Santa Claus
29. The Ref
30. Joyeux Noël
31. The Muppet Christmas Carol

Although Christmas has come and gone, it’s not too late to enjoy a little more holiday cheer. I celebrate through Epiphany. That’s when the tree is supposed to come down, supposed being the operative word. Last year, we didn’t take down the tree until May. This year I hope it comes down before Valentine’s Day. LOL So drink a cup of hot cocoa, turn on your TV, and enjoy love and peace during the holiday season. Let’s hope 2021 gets off to a good start and stays that way.

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Elizabeth Black writes in a wide variety of genres including erotica, erotic romance, horror, and dark fiction. She lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and her two cats. Her LGBTQ paranormal erotic shifter romance novel “Full Moon Fever” is now available for purchase at Amazon and other book distributors. Her collection of erotic fairy tales, “Happily Ever After: Twisted Versions of Your Favorite Fairy Tales”, is also available at Amazon.

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