A Holiday Celebration: Uncovering Hidden Gem Christmas Films

Something that annoys me about many present-day Christmas movies is their overly self-consciousness – the gaudy ornaments, the formulaic score tunes, and the stilted conversations about the true meaning of the festive period. Perhaps because the category was not solidified into tradition, movies from the 1940s often explore the holidays from increasingly creative and less anxious angles.

The Affair on Fifth Avenue

One cherished gem from exploring 1940s holiday fare is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 lighthearted farce with a clever concept: a happy-go-lucky vagrant spends the winter in a vacant luxurious estate each year. During one cold spell, he invites strangers to reside with him, including a veteran and a young woman who happens to be the daughter of the property's affluent landlord. Helmer Roy Del Ruth infuses the film with a makeshift family heart that numerous contemporary holiday stories struggle to attain. The film beautifully balances a thoughtful story on affordable living and a whimsical metropolitan fairytale.

The Tokyo Godfathers

The acclaimed director's 2003 animated film Tokyo Godfathers is a entertaining, poignant, and deeply moving take on the holiday story. Inspired by a classic Hollywood film, it centers on a triumvirate of down-and-out souls – an drinker, a trans woman, and a young throwaway – who find an discarded baby on a snowy December night. Their mission to reunite the baby's family triggers a series of hijinks involving yakuza, foreigners, and apparently fateful coincidences. The movie celebrates the enchantment of fate typically found in Christmas tales, presenting it with a cool-toned animation that avoids saccharine sentiment.

Meet John Doe

While Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life deservedly gets a lot of praise, his earlier work Meet John Doe is a compelling holiday tale in its own right. Featuring Gary Cooper as a down-on-his-luck everyman and Barbara Stanwyck as a resourceful writer, the story starts with a fictional letter from a man promising to leap from a ledge on December 24th in despair. The people's embrace leads the reporter to hire a man to play the fictional "John Doe," who later becomes a popular icon for neighborliness. The narrative acts as both an heartwarming story and a pointed critique of powerful publishers seeking to manipulate public feeling for political ambitions.

A Silent Partner

Whereas seasonal horror pictures are now commonplace, the holiday crime caper remains a somewhat rare style. This makes the 1978 film The Silent Partner a fresh discovery. Featuring a wonderfully menacing Christopher Plummer as a criminal Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a mild-mannered bank teller, the film sets two varieties of opportunistic oddballs against each other in a sleek and surprising yarn. Mostly ignored upon its initial release, it is worthy of rediscovery for those who prefer their festive entertainment with a chilling atmosphere.

Almost Christmas

For those who prefer their holiday get-togethers dysfunctional, Almost Christmas is a hoot. Featuring a stellar group that has Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the film delves into the dynamics of a family compelled to endure five days under one roof during the festive period. Secret problems bubble to the top, culminating in moments of extreme comedy, including a showdown where a shotgun is produced. Of course, the story finds a touching conclusion, offering all the fun of a holiday mess without any of the actual aftermath.

The Film Go

Doug Liman's 1999 film Go is a Christmas-adjacent story that is a young-adult riff on interconnected narratives. While some of its humor may feel product of the 90s upon a modern viewing, the picture nevertheless offers plenty elements to savor. These range from a composed turn from Sarah Polley to a standout appearance by Timothy Olyphant as a charming drug dealer who fittingly dons a Santa hat. It represents a specific brand of fin-de-siècle film vibe set against a Christmas setting.

Morgan's Creek Miracle

The famed director's wartime film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek skips conventional holiday warmth in favor for bawdy fun. The movie centers on Betty Hutton's character, who ends up with child after a wild night but cannot recall the father responsible. The bulk of the fun stems from her situation and the efforts of Eddie Bracken's simping Norval Jones to rescue her. Although not explicitly a Christmas film at the start, the narrative winds up on the holiday, showing that Sturges has crafted a satirical interpretation of the Christmas story, packed with his characteristic sharp edge.

Better Off Dead Movie

This 1985 youth film featuring John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a prime example of its era. Cusack's