It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
Entangled Staff shared their favorite holiday movies, now it’s time to find out what some of our authors love to watch this time of year.
Claudia Shelton, author of Risk of a Lifetime
Favorite Holiday Movie: It’s A Wonderful Life. I never grow tired of this feel good, nostalgic, love filled Holiday movie! But, in my way of thinking, it’s also a great romance. From the moment George says “What is it you want, Mary?…You want the moon?…I’ll give you the moon, Mary”, to their loving embrace by the Christmas tree at the end of the movie, George and Mary Bailey are the epitome of romance. No one ever said happily ever after would be easy, but with friends, family, and each other, George and Mary weather every storm. Even that dang finale on the staircase. Of course, one of my favorite parts is when it begins to snow again. Awwwww…everything is going to be okay. And, don’t forget the guardian angel Clarence—how can anyone hear a bell ring, and not think of him earning his wings?
Kerri Carpenter, author of Tempting Mr. Wrong
Favorite Holiday movie = A Christmas Story
“You’ll shoot your eye out!”
I LOVE Christmastime! The food, the cookies, the lights, and especially, the movies! But if I must narrow it down (that’s so tough!), my all-time favorite holiday movie is A Christmas Story. How can you not love Ralphie’s quest to get a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle and all of the things that happen around that special Christmas wish? From “oh fudddggggeeee” to “Fra-GEE-leh” to “Be sure to drink your Olvatine” to getting your tongue stuck to a flagpole to the Chinese turkey, this movie is funny, sweet, and reminds me of that certain magic I always feel at this time of year. Happy Holidays!
Heather McCollum, author of Captured Heart
I love holiday movies! My favorite classic is the first Home Alone because it makes me laugh out loud so hard that my kids come running to see if Mommy has finally lost her mind. I also discovered the Hallmark movie, Holiday in Handcuffs, and it’s become my favorite with it’s fabulous conflict, hilarious outbursts and sweet ending.
Diana Rodriguez Wallach, author of Proof of Lies, Book One in the Anastasia Phoenix Series (March ’17)
It’s not Christmas until you watch Big Bird ice skating and Oscar the Grouch tumble down a flight of stairs. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street debuted the year I was born. My siblings and I used to scour the TV guide in December to make sure we didn’t miss it when it aired on PBS. Then when I was in college, I bought the special on VHS and watched it with my roommates. Now, I own the DVD and watch it with my kids, ages 2 and 5. I still know all the sign language featured in the song “Keep Christmas With You,” and I hope my kids will too when they’re older.
Barbara White Daille, author of Snowbound with Mr. Wrong
As I’m a big fan of Christmas and holiday movies, it would be impossible to choose just one. So I’ll share my latest favorite holiday movie: Christmas Angel in the House. (It has also aired as Foster and as Angel in the House.) The movie covers everything I love both for the holidays and in a Bliss book: families, kids, drama, comedy, and of course, romance!
L.E. Sterling, author of True North coming April 2017
“George Lassoes the Moon” — Favorite Holiday Film: It’s a Wonderful Life
Just before he storms out, George Bailey tells Mary Hatch in an offhand way, “You’re supposed to have all the answers.” He comes back and joins her on the telephone moments later, his perfect exit ruined. Mary’s on the phone: together they speak with their mutual friend, Sam. Still, it’s the words in between that has me transfixed: the silent words passing back and forth with the flicker of an eye, an uneasy breath, the quiver of a lip. That’s the thunderbolt moment for George, when he realizes Mary really does have all the answers—all the answers he’ll ever really need. He shakes her and rails against his fate—“Now you listen to me! I’m not going to marry anyone, you hear me?”—as the phone falls limp and forgotten between them. But by then it’s far too late for George Bailey. He’s gone and fallen in love—and me along with him.
Jolyse Barnett, author of Text Me Maybe
One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Holiday, starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law. This rom-com is about two women intent who switch homes for the holiday season because they each have just gone through a bad break-up. Cameron’s character flies off to snowy, rural England while Winslet’s character treks to sunny L. A. While at each other’s homes, they both meet men who capture their attention…and later their hearts. I love the movie’s fish-out-of-water vibe, Jude Law (Need I say more?), and that Cameron’s character allows herself to become vulnerable while Kate’s character grows a spine!
Sahara Roberts, author of Secrets and Seduction
I’ve always loved action and suspense so my go to movie is Die Hard. It’s not Christmas until I see John McClane fighting bad guys. Last Christmas Santa brought me the Nakatomi Plaza: Die Hard Collection, complete with a replica of the skyscraper. Best gift EVER!
Every year after christmas dinner, my cousins and I would flop on my Aunt Ann’s plaid couches and watch A Christmas Story. Being from the Michigan, it was easy to relate to the hazard’s of ‘triple-dog-dare-ya’s’ on winter playgrounds and Stay-Puft-Marshmallow snow-suits. Now my kids and I love to watch this classic while making Santa cookies on Christmas Eve!
Tamara Hughes, author of His Pirate Seductress
My favorite holiday movie is While You Were Sleeping. I love the chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. Sandra plays Lucy, a girl with no family who is lonely, especially during the holidays. She works at a train station and fantasizes about a guy she’s never met. When he is pushed onto the train tracks, she saves his life, but he’s in a coma, and through a misunderstanding, everyone believes she is his fiancée. She tries to explain at first, but once she’s welcomed into a loving home, she wants to live the fantasy if just for a little while. The only trouble is when she falls for the brother of the guy in a coma, she’s stuck. This is such a heartwarming movie, it makes me smile just thinking about it.
A.J. Pine, author of Worth the Wait, releasing January 16, 2017
I love holiday movies, but I put them in two categories–holiday movies to watch with the kids and holiday movies just for me. Of course I have a favorite in each! The holiday movie I love to watch with my minis is Rise of the Guardians. The one that’s just for me is When Harry Met Sally. I know WHMS isn’t a holiday movie per se, but the grand gesture happens on NYE in NYC, and it’s pretty perfect.
Seleste deLaney, author of the Agents of TRAIT series
I’m more than a little unconventional in most things. My favorite holiday movie is no exception. I’m a die hard movie lover, but I’m an action adventure type girl, which means (of course) that my favorite holiday movie is…Die Hard. I know on the surface it’s about terrorists trying to rob a company during its annual Christmas party, but if you actually pay attention, it’s a movie about love and family and coming together even when everything is falling apart. Die Hard is a movie that is very literally about all the things people say the holidays are for, and isn’t that what should be the determining factor in what makes a great holiday flick?
Cindi Madsen, author of An Officer and a Rebel
Whenever I’m asked to pick a favorite most anything, I like to cheat, so I’m picking two movies, While You Were Sleeping & Just Friends.
Every year my husband and I watch Just Friends. It’s hilarious, it has one of my favorite tropes—friends to lovers—and Ryan Reynolds. Need I say more? It’s also got a ton of great one-liners that my husband and I quote all the time.
As for While You Were Sleeping, just gah! LOVE! It has such great characters, and Sandra Bullock is amazing as usual. There’s her cat, Joe Junior, and a loveable, entertaining family who embraces her and gives her people to spend the holidays with. Then she (and I, to be honest) starts falling for Jack and you’re so scared it’s not going to end well, but man do you want it to. It’s one of my favorite romance movies and the holiday stuff makes it perfect for this time of year.
Just talking about these movies makes me want to sit on the couch and have a holiday movie marathon. May you all get many of those this season. Happy holidays!
Amy Andrews, author of ‘Tis the Season to be Kissed
Favourite movie – Love Actually
Why – I love this film so hard because it’s not just one Christmas story. It’s nine! All interwoven so seamlessly and tugging on every emotion I own. I laugh and I cry and I happy sigh and I rail at the fates and feel gut-wrenched and I grin like a loon. I’m totally exhausted by the end of it J Also, I totally love the opening scene at Heathrow’s arrivals gate. Gives me goose bumps every time.
Elle Kennedy author of the After Hours series, Entangled Brazen
My all-time favorite holiday movies are Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. I watch them every single holiday season with my best friend. We know all the lines—“Kevin, you’re such a disease!” “Look what you did, you little jerk!” And this year we’re upping the ante—we’re getting sweaters made that say “Keep the change, you filthy animal.” It’s one of those childhood movies that followed me to adulthood and is now a holiday tradition.
On a recent trip to New York, I seriously only took pictures that related to Home Alone 2 – I’m talking The Plaza Hotel, the ridiculously large groups of pigeons (if you’re a fan of the movies, you know exactly what I’m talking about!), and I even found a Monopoly game that had a Home Alone 2 square! #HardcoreTraditions
Do any of these movies make your holiday binge list? Let us know in the comments!
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