There's a unanimous agreement among most people that Christmas is their best time of the year. It's mine too and one of the many ways that I celebrate this occasion is by watching movies. It's a tradition in my family, apart from the parties, carolling, baking, and sightseeing trips to neighbouring towns and amusement parks, to sit together, munch on a snack (not popcorn, sorry) and watch a Christmas-themed movie.
Every Yuletide holiday, I'm thrown into a state of nostalgia especially when I reminisce about my childhood. Then my parents would slot in the Home Alone series into the video player and make us watch them. For the sake of the season, merrymaking and togetherness, I watched but secretly I never liked the films for inexplicable reasons. I see it's a franchise that often makes the list of favourite Christmas movies and I'm yet to understand why people love the films.
So in this post, I'll be discussing some of my favourite Christmas movies that I watch every holiday as part of my tradition. Of course, Hallmark and Netflix flood our TV screens with many such films but you'll agree that in recent times, the quality has drastically reduced. We are inundated with cheesy films that seem like a repetition of the oldies and lacking in motivation.
Three African-American Christmas movies will remain meaningful to me for a long time to come. I have them on DVD so I'm not scared of losing them unless someone takes them away without my knowledge. They are:
This Christmas (2007)
One popular theme often explored in holiday movies is family. This Christmas comedy focuses on the Whitfield family. It's Christmas Eve and everyone turns up at the family house for the celebration of the season. Like most families, they highlight their strengths and differences. As they are faced with obstacles that threaten their unity and peace as a family, they must decide whether to stand by each other or give up.
The setting of this film nailed what Christmas is like in most homes. Members of the Whitfield family include Idris Elba, Regina King, Chris Brown, Sharon Leal, Loretta Devine, Lauren London and other actors. Their performance is spectacular and the two-hour runtime is worth every scene. Another plus to this film is the soundtrack. I love all the songs, especially Chris Brown's Try a Little Tenderness.
So when I want to relive family moments in a Christmas movie, I settle for This Christmas.
The Best Man Holiday (2013)
This comedy drama came fourteen years later after the release of the first film The Best Man (1999). It's about this group of friends who've been together right from their college days. In this sequel, they are older and more mature. The popular basketball player, Lance Sullivan (played by Morris Chestnut) and his wife, Mia (played by Monica Calhoun), invite their friends over to their mansion for Christmas.
This reunion tests the strength of their friendship, their love and loyalty towards each other. Old wounds are reopened with no hope of healing until a heartbreaking secret is revealed.
This film is fun, poignant and a delight to watch. I enjoy the banter and witty scenes the most. The ensemble of cast is impressive and it's always a joy to watch them all together in a single film. That's the reason I have this film at the top of my favourite Christmas movies.
The Preacher's Wife (1997)
In this fine film, a preacher gets help from heaven at Christmas time to put his family right. Guess who this angel is? The handsome Denzel Washington. This comedy drama brings together the iconic Whitney Houston, Courtney B. Vance and Denzel Washington to make a heartwarming classic.
The preacher is more invested in the church and his congregation than his own family. He's slowly losing his wife and doesn't realise it until the angel literally lands in his town. The first time I saw this film, I was so sure the filmmakers would make Whitney's character fall in love with Denzel Washington. Well, she did but how do you think it ended? You'll have to see this fine Christmas movie to know.
It's family themed as well and one I'll recommend for everyone.
These are three of my favourite Christmas movies that are timeless even if it's the year 2035. Hehe. What do you think? Share your timeless Christmas favourites in the comment section.
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