Fashionably ill Readers’ 32 Favorite Holiday Movies
In keeping with my last blog post, Chronic Illness, Loss, & Forming New Holiday Traditions, I asked Fashionably ill readers on Facebook what their favorite holiday movies are. Last week, I realized how much I look forward to watching Home Alone and Home Alone 2 when they’re on TV. When I see young Macaulay Culkin’s face, I know Christmas is coming soon. This year, I’m going to try to watch some of the movies on this list that I haven’t seen yet. Numbers 18 on down come from Fashionably ill reader Shannon who loves vintage Christmas movies, with The Bishop’s Wife (1948) being her all-time favorite.
The List:
- Miracle on 34th Street
- A Dad for Christmas
- Mixed Up Christmas
- The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
- Junebug
- A Christmas Story
- Little Women
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Love Actually
- The Family Stone
- White Christmas–1954 musical
- Comfort And Joy (a recent Lifetime movie that is on DVD)
- Elf
Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas Time - Home Alone
- Home Alone 2–I once made a painting of Christmas at Rockefeller Plaza. Like Kevin, I enjoy Christmas trees. There’s a memorable scene with Kevin gazing at the plaza in the sequel. When I see that, I think of my painting. For a couple years, this was my holiday card to friends.
- The Year Without A Santa Claus–1974 TV movie
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town–1970 TV movie
- The Bishop’s Wife
- Meet John Doe
- Christmas in Connecticut
- It Happened on Fifth Avenue
- Remember The Night
- I’ll Be Seeing You
- The Man Who Came to Dinner
- Tenth Avenue Angel
- Bachelor Mother
- The Shop Around The Corner
- Holiday Affair
- Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
- It’s A Wonderful Life
- Holiday Inn–1942 musical
- Meet Me In St. Louis–1944 musical
Distraction & Pain
Shannon, “I love vintage Christmas films and once again I want to share my list of favorites as we start the holiday season…To watch these films, check your TV local listings TV or cable channels like TCM and AMC. You can also check Netflix or even your local library…The holiday season often causes those of us with chronic pain to suffer severe flare ups from all the activities. Besides using direct techniques to deal with our pain like prevention through pacing ourselves, taking more medication, applying heat/ice, and other physical treatments, there’s another way I like to manage my pain: Distraction. Distraction works because ‘your brain can only focus its attention in so many areas at one time. Pain sensations compete for attention with all of the other things going on around you. Just how much attention your brain gives each thing depends on a number of factors, including how long you have been hurting and your current mood.’ (quoted text from article “Chronic Pain Distraction”) Distraction techniques include such things as visualization and listening to music. I like to use television shows and movies – particularly classic old films! – to distract from pain…
Check out more of Shannon’s advice on her blog, Nip Pain In The Bud, a great resource for those of us living with chronic pain. Shannon lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome III-Hypermobility Type.
Do you have a favorite holiday movie?
–Your Stylist, Jessica Gimeno
Jessica: Some of these movies on my list are airing this weekend. You can watch ‘Meet John Doe’ and ‘It Happened on Fifth Avenue’ tonight Friday the 4th. Also in the wee hours of Sunday morning, you can watch/record ‘Holiday Affair’ and ‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ (which airs again on Fri 12th). Check your local listings. ‘Tis the season, so if you want to see these vintage gems, keep checking channels that show this type of film.
I absolutely love your painting of “Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas Time”! I’m a lot older than you, so I see it as maybe something that Holden Caulfield sees in “Catcher in the Rye”. Do you still have any of your cards? I would really be thrilled if you could send me one @ 2720 Central St. 4A /Evanston, IL 60201. My husband had myasthenis gravis for 11 years before he died. Good luck to you – I really admire your
spunk!