Enjoy a laugh for the holidays with these Christmas comedies that will give you everything from giggles to belly laughs.
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: Christmas with the Kranks
Christmas with the Kranks is a delightfully funny movie based on the novel by John Gresham, Skipping Christmas. Skipping Christmas was what the Cranks had in mind until their daughter springs a surprise visit on them.
The Kranks pull high jinxes and lots of shenanigans to pull together the annual Christmas Eve party their daughter is expecting. It isn’t easy, but with the help of neighbors and others in the community what should be a disaster becomes a heartwarming party.
Christmas with the Kranks is my favorite Christmas comedy. It is a unique diversion from the usual Christmas stories of unbelief, but still carries a wonderful message for the holiday season (Walmart.com, $19.96).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Chevy Chase and family, well known from the original National Lampoon’s Vacation, gets together for the Christmas holidays. Ignorance and mishaps cause the Christmas season to fall apart in this classic Christmas comedy. It is a perennial favorite always good for a little cheer, a little sympathy, and a lot of laughs (Walmart.com, $13.00).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: A Christmas Story
It’s the 1940’s and Ralphie Parker wants a Daisy Rider BB Gun for Christmas. He can’t get it off his mind and tries to convince his parents he is mature enough to handle the responsibility of a BB gun. Ralphie’s story is told amid the usual cacophony of the Christmas holidays.
Between the dry humor, Ralphie’s antics, and the extreme oddity of his parents this Christmas movie has become a comedy classic. If you have never watched A Christmas Story, let this be the year. Then you can join the cult movie fans who quote lines throughout the holidays (Amazon.com, $11.49).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: Deck the Halls
In a Christmas comedy starring Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick, the two men begin an all-out war of the Christmas lights. Each, professing to demonstrate the spirit of Christmas through their light displays tries to outdo the other.
What happens is a colossal turn of events that turns the men, their families, and the entire neighborhood upside down for Christmas.
Like many Christmas comedies it is full of clichés and easily anticipated punch lines, but for those who have ever been drawn into the Christmas decorating contest or even a “most beautiful lawn” contest relating to this movie is easy. The humor is realistic, for the most part, and that’s what makes it funny and earns it a place on my “Top Ten Christmas Comedy Movies” (Blockbuster.com, DVD, $3.99; immediate download $9.99).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: Elf
Will Ferrell is synonymous with comedy. In the Christmas comedy Elf Ferrell portrays Buddy, a normal boy raised by a wise old elf. Buddy doesn’t know his history and believes he is an elf. When he learns the truth, Buddy realizes why he seems so awkward at the North Pole.
When he sets out to find his real father in New York City a comedy of errors begins because of Buddy’s naiveté. New York is nothing like the North Pole, and Buddy easily becomes the butt of jokes as he winds his way through the maze of New York and city life.
Elf is destined to be a Christmas comedy classic. Will Ferrell’s performance is vivid and unabashed making his character all the more comical.
Enjoy the Christmas atmosphere, nonsensical story, and comedy of a grown man who thinks he is an elf (Bestbuy.com, $12.99 – 24.99).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: Call Me Claus
I bet that you didn’t even know this movie existed, but Call Me Claus is a Christmas Comedy featuring Whoopi Goldberg. Released as a made-for-TV movie in 2001, Call Me Claus provided a brilliant twist on The Santa Clause movie theme. A grumpy hostess on a home sales network hires a kind old man named Nick to play Santa on her show.
It is through Nick that Whoopi, who plays Lucy the successful home sales network hostess, begins to soften her heart to the true meaning of Christmas. Of course, it is only after the humorous juxtaposition of Nick looking to have Whoopi replace him as Santa Claus.
Another comedy of mismatched personalities and Lucy trying to drive her own destiny ends with a heartwarming Christmas story, with plenty of laughs along the way (CDuniverse.com, $9.79).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: Christmas Do-Over
Perhaps you haven’t heard of the Christmas movie comedy Christmas Do-Over, but you have certainly heard of the concept. It’s Groundhog Day at Christmas for a bitter ex-husband and biological dad who doesn’t know how to be a father to his son. You’ll enjoy the laughs as dad learns his lesson after repeating Christmas Day again and again (Amazon.com, $13.49).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies:Home Alone I, II, III, and IV
Home Alone is a funny movie based largely on shtick. Pitting a child left alone, at home for the holidays, against cat burglars in the neighborhood may be a little predictable, but it is good for a laugh nearly every time.
If you like a movie with clumsy, silly jokes the Home Alone movies are a fun collection of Christmas comedies. It is also a Christmas comedy the entire family can enjoy.
I enjoyed the first Home Alone movie the best, but all of the sequels have enough humor and surprises to keep audiences watching (Walmart.com, complete collection $25.32).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: Surviving Christmas
Surviving Christmas, starring Ben Affleck and Christina Applegate didn’t make much fanfare at the box office, but it is a Christmas comedy that is also a poignant reminder of some of our own holidays gone by. It is worth watching on DVD, especially if you don’t want to over analyze the characters and plot, but just enjoy the usual Christmas repartee among family members and friends.
It is somewhat formulaic, but that is okay, given it gives us the chance to look at some of the darker sides of the holidays and laugh at them, and ourselves along the way (Amazon.com, $10.99).
Top 10 Christmas Comedy Movies: Fred Clause
Fred Claus a simple, relaxed, fun and funny Christmas comedy. In a movie featuring jolly old St. Nick’s erstwhile brother, Fred Claus can’t seem to get anything right. It’s hard to live in the shadows of Saint Nicholas. Santa Claus is loving and benevolent, well organized, and helpful. Fred fumbles through life and eventually ends up at the North Pole, ostensibly to help his brother, Santa Claus. Fred’s antics are out of place in the serenity of the North Pole. It seems Fred is nothing but trouble.
Fred Claus is a fun, spirit-lifting Christmas comedy in which even Fred finds redemption in the Christmas spirit (Target.com, Blu-Ray, $22.79).
Other Christmas comedies you may enjoy: Scrooged, Chasing Christmas, Snow, and Jingle all the Way
Resources:
A Christmas Story, Amazon.com
Call Me Claus, CDUniverse.com
Christmas Do-Over, Amazon.com
Christmas with the Kranks, Walmart.com
Deck the Halls, Blockbuster.com
Elf, Bestbuy.com
Fred Claus, Target.com
Home Alone: The Complete Collection, Walmart.com
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Walmart.com