As I could have guessed, not all you Lovelies much agreed with my declaration of You’ve Got Mail as my favorite Christmas movie. Instead, y’all offered your own suggestions. Check the cut to see what made the Lovelyish Readers’ Top 5 Holiday Flicks honor roll. Anyone down for a festive popcorn + movie night…?

In no particular order, our Lovelies like to get down with the following egg nog-friendly movies.


1. Christmas Vacation (1989). Ah, yes, Chevy Chase being charming and tan before he got decidedly creepy yet still kind of tan. Plop yourself down to the Griswold family’s celebration while you burn some dust, eat someone’s rubber and cross your fingers this year’s turkey comes out more moist than theirs.

2. It’s A Wonderful Life (1949). Not only does this movie set the standard for a fine, festive film, the whole black-and-white aesthetic (I realize it was the ’40s, but I still adore it) and old timey accents (what is that?) auto-draw a swoon from even the biggest Scrooge.

3. Elf (2003). Little did we know eight years ago what a sensation saleself Zooey D. would be now. I, for one, am really happy that blonde thing didn’t last. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the innocent wonder and enthusiasm of Buddy the Elf? Got it? OK, awesome.

4. Love Actually (2003). Holy mistletoe, guys. It’s like the folks behind this film created it as a study in how to evoke maximum frenzied, happy waterworks in 135 minutes. I’ll take it.

5. A Christmas Story (1983). This movie absolutely shaped my fragile, child mind more than a Christmas movie should. I have this scene in particular to thank for an unbounded fear of my tongue sticking to cold things (ask my sister about the time she caught me in tears with an ice cube dangling from my mouth before I stuck my head in the faucet). It’s likely to blame for my affinity for old timey slang (i.e., “full of beans,” “that smarts!” and “crummy”).
Which of these films can you not wait to screen? Do you have any traditions to accompany them? I dated a guy in high school whose family made sure to join A Christmas Story with at least three bowls of jambalaya per person. Nice, huh?