5 Holiday Movies Every New Englander Must See

Every holiday season I dig out my rather large collection of Christmas-themed movies. My favorites include Scrooged, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Home Alone, and of course, It’s A Wonderful Life!

Among my collection of holiday classics are several films set in New England. After all, nothing sells the season like a crisp white New England Christmas!

If they aren’t already there, be sure to add these 5 festive films to your holiday watch list!

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

 

This classic turns 72 years old this Christmas, and it is still charming and relevant today! Christmas in Connecticut is the story of Elizabeth Lane (played by Barbara Stanwyck), who pens a homemaking column about her quaint little life living on a Connecticut farm with her perfect husband and beautiful baby. The only problem is that Elizabeth’s entire life is a fictional concoction of her imagination – and her publisher (Sydney Greenstreet) expects her to host Christmas dinner for a returning soldier (Dennis Morgan)! All she has to do is come up with a farm, a husband, and a baby by Christmas and everything will be fine!

 

The Family Stone (2005)

 

This holiday family drama takes place in the fictional town of Thayer, Massachusetts and tells the story of Meredith (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) as she meets her soon-to-be fiancé Everett’s (Dermot Mulroney) family for the first time. Diane Keaton stars as Everett’s mother and Craig T. Nelson is the Stone family patriarch. The adult children – plus Meredith – gather at the family home to celebrate the season, but things definitely do not go as planned! Claire Danes stars as Meredith’s younger, free-spirited sister and Luke Wilson plays Everett’s slacker brother.

 

Holiday Inn (1942)

 

This beloved classic stars Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy, a singer/dancer in New York City. On Christmas Eve, he announces his intention to retire from showbiz in order to move to a small Connecticut farm and marry his sweetheart, Lila (Virginia Dale). Unfortunately, Lila has other plans. She stays in New York with Hardy’s co-star, Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) with whom she has fallen in love. Brokenhearted, Hardy moves to Connecticut and tries his luck at farming. After a disastrous year, he decides to open an entertainment venue called the Holiday Inn which brings some ghosts from his past to town. Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” first appeared in this film and became a holiday standard.

 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966, 2000)

There may not be a Whoville in New England, but How the Grinch Stole Christmas was written by Springfield, Massachusetts’ most famous native, Theodor Seuss Geisel – otherwise known as Dr, Seuss! The cartoon version first aired in 1966 and quickly became a holiday must-watch for every American child. The Ron Howard feature film premiered in 2000 with Jim Carrey starring as the Grinch. While the full-length film takes several liberties with the original story, it is true to Seuss’ vision with lots of laughs and a whole lot of heart!

 

White Christmas (1954)

 

Considered the holiday standard movie by many, White Christmas is set in the fictional town of Pine Tree, Vermont. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star as two soldiers who have recently returned home from war. They pair up with sisters, Judy (Vera-Ellen) and Betty (Rosemary Clooney) to save the Columbia Inn with their dance act. Another Irving Berlin classic, White Christmas features stunning dance performances and more fabulous holiday songs.

 

H/T to NewEngland.com