Francie's Christmas Movie List

The leaves are falling and the air is crisp and cool, ushering in my favorite time of year: the holidays. While I remain part of the unemployment statistic, I am bound and determined to focus on the silver lining of the situation and all of the great moments that would not be possible if I was employed -- my favorite being the "Weekday Holiday Baking and Classic Movie in Pajamas" day. The perfect WHBCMP Day needs the perfect classic holiday movie, and so I find myself in the midst of a great internal debate about which of my favorite holiday movies to pop in the DVD player. Here are my options:

1) White Christmas, 1954 (Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney): This movie typically marks the beginning of the full swing of the Christmas season for me. I love it. It has been somewhat of a ritual for me and for my mom to watch White Christmas together and drink mulled wine, so it holds lots of nostalgia. Post-WWII entertainers chase two sisters from NYC to Vermont and revive a floundering ski lodge owned by their war-time general. Lots of fun and music and, in my opinion, vastly superior to its predecessor, Holiday Inn.

2) The Thin Man, 1930s (William Powell, Myrna Loy, and "Asta"): Not a typical holiday movie, the Thin Man series is probably my all-time favorite movie series and the first two of these comedic murder mysteries take place during the holidays. William Powell and Myrna Loy are perfection as Nick and Nora Charles. This first installment in the series takes place at Christmas-time in 1930s New York City. The Thin Man solves the disappearance and murder of an old friend during the holidays while drinking no fewer than 7 martinis in one sitting.

3) After the Thin Man, 1930s (William Powell, Myrna Loy, Jimmy Stewart, and "Asta"): After solving a murder at Christmas, Nick and Nora return to San Francisco hoping for a quiet New Year's Eve only to find that Nora's cousin, Selma, has been accused of murdering her carousing husband. Nick and Nora spend New Year's Eve sleuthing in old San Francisco dinner clubs in search of the murderer.

4) The Bishop's Wife, 1947 (Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven): Cary Grant stars as angel Dudley, who comes down to answer the prayers of a bishop, played by David Niven, who is trying to raise funds for a new cathedral at Christmas-time. Rather than helping with the cathedral, Dudley inspires the bishop to remember the true meaning of Christmas and to gain new appreciation for his wife, played by Loretta Young. A truly charming film.

It's a tough choice, but I can ponder the decision while I go to the grocery store, which means I have to change out of my pajamas -- damn.