My Christmas list

‘Hallmark Christmas Movies’ are everywhere these days. Every online streaming service, including catch-up services for linear channels, has a selection of festive films designed by committee to give you the kind of warm glow that usually requires mulled wine and a open fire.

The Hallmark style isn’t for me, but I do have a selection box of my own favourite watches. I may not find time to watch all of these every Christmas, but this is the well I’m drawn back to whenever I’m looking for something to watch in December:

My favourite version, thanks to its constant Christmas Eve showing on ITV in the early 1980s.

Not the most sophisticated of comedies by some stretch, but it makes me laugh thanks to a full range of unlikeable characters.

British TV has a great tradition of producing Christmas specials of its most popular programmes. Blackadder’s Christmas Carol inverts the usual Scrooge story with our ‘hero’ starting out good, then turning bad. Chock full of the usual Blackadder humour, including some of my favourite jokes of any series.

Lots of action films lack character. Die Hard has a three-dimensional hero in John McClane and a scenery-chewing villian in Hans Gruber.

The perfect black comedy for a white Christmas. Back in 1984 this film possibly marked my transition from a kid who enjoyed friendly Christmas cartoons to a surly, cynical teen who wanted ‘edge’ with my entertainment. Thankfully, I got past that eventually.

The second, and easily the best, of the Python films. It’s not about Jesus, but is about organised religion and people’s willingness to suspend their own disbelief in order to believe in something bigger than themselves. Tighter written than their other films, Life of Brian keeps each writer’s sketches tied to a single story and has some of the best jokes the group ever made.

Loads of people love this film and it deserves its place in anyone’s top Christmas list. It’s so good an adaption it even made me check if there were two Marley brothers in the original. It’s not my favourite version though…

I’ve written before of my admiration for Del and general love of this film. Okay, it’s really a Thanksgiving film, but it’s about adversity, stress, snow and the importance of family. That makes it a Christmas film for me.

Role reversal is a comedy staple going back to Shakespeare, and probably pre-history. Trading Places adds in class, race, and wealth to give a 80s spin on an old theme. And it’s really funny.

The film poses the question whether men and women can just be friends and comes up with the wrong answer. Despite that, it’s a regular on my watch list thanks to some great performances and set pieces. The most famous set piece is Meg Ryan in the cafe, but my favourite is the double-date where two of the singles head off in a taxi as fast as they can. The ending on New Year’s Eve (which is how it makes my Christmas list) gives you the warm glow a true festive romcom should deliver.