It was probably due to high expectations after listening and reading it’s people’s favorite*. The Colin Firth storyline was always my favorite and the end just squeezes the heart.
A couple years after that movie, The Holiday was out. I was “eh, ok” when I saw it in the theatre. But when I watched it again in subsequent years, it became a favorite. I just watched it last night. Not a fan of fake crying, though.
We watched Love Actually over the weekend too. It is a favorite of mine and H likes it too. We haven’t watched The Holiday yet this season, but I’m sure we will.
Speaking of Die Hard (saw it last night), I read an article on it recently where they interviewed the producer about the original story. The author did not base it in a Xmas setting, but the producer added teh Xmas touch bcos they knew it would get shown every year = more royalties. Smart!
I got on peacock and it wasn’t on there (round and round). Are u sure it’s nit a different streaming service?
I know Love Actually is flawed but I just love it.
Like someone mentioned upthread - quirky, messy, imperfect - but laugh out loud funny and really touching. The different kinds of love are included - friendship, siblings, children, long term relationships that are faltering, illogical infatuations, work crushes, problematic work romances- the whole gamut!
I thought I read it was on Peacock–haven’t had a chance to see it yet. I do know that it’s a Hallmark movie.
I’m not big on holiday movies but I watched Candy Cane Lane after seeing Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross interviewed and they both seemed to have had fun doing it. It’s a wild and crazy plot but I enjoyed it. And, noted for this board, it has a college choosing sub-plot, which I couldn’t wait to share with my Notre Dame grad son.
Top five this year:
Love Actually
A Christmas Story
Christmas with the Kranks
This is Christmas
Your Christmas or Mine
I watch these every December, although not Christmas movies:
About Time
You’ve Got Mail
I watch/listen to a ton of hallmark Christmas movies for the light, easy, predictable story lines.
We watch a lot of other movies, too. Elf, The Holiday, Jingle all the Way, Surviving Christmas, Christmas In Connecticut, It’s a Wonderful Life.
While in Ohio this fall, we visited the Christmas Story house. It was fun to see in person!
What? No Chanukah movies made the cut? Just kidding; I know there have been a few but nothing I’ve ever watched.
I used to like It’s a Wonderful Life but grew less and less enamored of it over the years.
I found the list below on AOL courtesy of USA Today:
The 15 most-watched movies between Nov. 10 and Dec. 10:
You’ll notice that the largely debated “Die Hard” starring Bruce Willis makes the list. As Ashwin Navin, Samba TV’s CEO, sees it: “There’s no debate: ‘Die Hard’ is in fact a Christmas movie, and one of the greatest of all time at that,” he said in a statement.
- “Elf” (2003, streaming on Max), 9 million household views
- “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989, Max), 7.9
- “Home Alone” (1990, Disney+), 7.1
- “The Santa Clause” (1994, Disney+), 4.3
- “Four Christmases” (2008, Max), 3.5
- “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000, on Peacock Dec. 20‒31), 2.5
- “Best. Christmas. Ever!” (2023, Netflix Original), 2.3
- “The Holiday” (2006, for rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV), 2.3
- “Family Switch” (2023, Netflix Original), 1.9
- “A Christmas Story” (1983, Max), 1.9
- “Candy Cane Lane” (2023, Amazon Original), 1.9
- “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1947, Amazon Prime), 1.7
- “Die Hard” (1988, Disney+), 1.4
- “Love Actually” (2003, Netflix), 1.4
- “The Polar Express” (2004, Max), 1.1
We watched this (Candy Cane Lane) too with our college bound daughter. We were yelling at the TV though when the Mom said something about her old softball coach at USC. USC doesn’t have softball!
Is was a cute and funny movie. I probably wouldn’t ever watch again but kept us entertained for an evening.
Watched Die Hard for the first time last night. Not a Christmas movie, but should be watched at Christmas to make YOUR miserable drama-laden holidays seem merry and normal by comparison.
(Didn’t mind seeing Alan Rickman and Bruce Willis young again, with hair.)
But it is :). Let it snow.
This second movie plot is reported to be vastly different from the original plot which as been utilized in 1,437 Hallmark movies.
And Lacey Chabert, Candace Cameron Bure, Andrew Walker, and Brennan Elliott will be limited to fewer than 30 appearances.
I’m watching one that’s supposed to be super novel - Friends and Family Christmas
2 former roommates plot to introduce their adult daughters to each other (that’s original point #1: 2 daughters, not 1 son and 1 daughter) and they’re not going to a small town, they’re all in Nyc (Manhattan&Brooklyn), that’s original point #2.
As far as I can tell, it’s like a Disney movie for GenX empty nesters and babyboomers. (My mother thinks same sex couples are so cute and it’s such an amazing thing they’re mentioned on TV.)
It’s a very “generic shots + painted set” version of NYC.
Suspense: will the 2 daughters fall in love and the parents be able to spend Christmas all together with their kids rather than have the daughters each separately be at work ?
(That awful worry is kinda alleviated by the film’s title).
It’s really not that bad and goes well as background TV, including if there are little kids around (nothing objectionable).
Reassuring point for queer people: it’s a Hallmark movie so you can be reasonably sure the daughters won’t be gratuitously killed along the way.
Another vote for “Love Actually”— I like “The Holiday” and “The Family Stone” has grown on me, too. The latter was filmed at Drew University in Madison, NJ.
Even though it is not a film, I always enjoy the two part Christmas special of the UK’s version of “The Office.” 
I might actually watch that!
I mentioned Klaus in my list above and we watched it last night. It may be my favorite Christmas movie - it just gets me in the heart every time. If you’ve never watched, give it a chance - it is truly wonderful for all ages. Streaming on Netflix.
We watched that for the first time this year on recommendation from a friend and thought it was very good.
Spoiler alert:
