That ’special’ holiday movie

ALBANY — With the holiday season in full swing, there are no shortage of movies and television specials to get us in the Christmas spirit.

And even some that might bring out the Scrooge in us.

With that in mind, we at The Herald wondered which holiday movies or specials Southwest Georgians love ... or can’t stand.

Alicia Croxton of Albany Junior Theatre favors “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” the 1989 film that stars Chevy Chase as a father whose holiday festivities are met with multiple mishaps and unwanted relatives.

It’s a movie that Albany resident Linda Pendleton has also grown to adore — but only recently.

“A friend of mine said they had watched it for several years, but I had not seen it,” she said.

But two or three years ago, Pendleton finally decided to watch the movie that has become her favorite.

“It’s a comedy and also has a really neat message relative to family,” she said. “Despite all the things that happen, Chevy Chase’s character loves Christmas and believes in Christmas. It combines the joy and frustration of Christmas beautifully.”

Linda Davis of Lee County Chamber of Commerce agrees and also gets a good laugh out of another off kilter film, “A Christmas Story.” The sardonic 1983 release stars a young Peter Billingsly as a boy in the 1950s who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.

“It’s not Christmas if you don’t watch it,” she said.

But Kate Willis of Colquitt Miller Arts Council disagrees.

“That one that they play over and over for 24 hours on TBS,” she said. “I’m so tired of that movie.”

However, she does fancy Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

“The animated one, not the one they did with Jim Carrey,” Willis said. “It’s one we grew up watching, that and ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’”

Another fan of the 1965 CBS special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is Albany Fire Department fireman Lee Flanigan.

“It has to deal with the selection process of the Christmas tree,” he said. “He (Charlie Brown) took a simple little twig, and his friends help turn it into something beautiful.”

There are plenty of quirky holiday films out there. “Jingle All the Way” is a favorite of Claire Leavy, director of Lee County Public Library.

“I love the interaction between Sinbad and Arnold Schwartenager,” she said of the 1996 film, “and Arnold Schwartenegger is more humanized in this movie.”

But one holiday movie that Leavy doesn’t care to watch is the 1951 rendition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” which stars Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge.

“It’s just scary,” she said.

Of course, some Southwest Georgians prefer those purely sentimental yuletide films. An example is Debra Loehr of the Albany Area Arts Council, who favors the post-World War II flick “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.

“I watch it every Christmas morning with cheese toast,” she said.

Pendleton also considers that movie, as well as “Miracle on 34th Street” to be an idyllic holiday film that puts life in perspective.

“A lot of grown-ups get pretty cynical sometimes,” she said of the 1947 movie that’s set in Macy’s department store and stars Maureen O’Hara and a young Natalie Wood.

It’s also a favorite of Lee County Magistrate Court Judge Jim Thurman.

“My wife and children enjoy it so much,” he said.

For Eric Riggle of Palmyra Medical Center, one Christmas classic stands out.

“According to my wife, it is ‘Holiday Inn,’ ” he said of the 1942 film that stars Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and debuted Irving Berlin’s holiday tune “White Christmas.” “I have a version at home.”

For the Colorado native, the setting of “Holiday Inn” reminds Riggle of his youth.

“When they sing ‘White Christmas’ at the end and open the barn doors and it’s snowing,” he said.

But one movie that doesn’t stir warm feelings for Riggle is the 2002 live-action version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

“Maybe it’s a Jim Carrey thing,” he said.

Then there are those children’s television specials that still stand the test of time, such as Davis’ favorite, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which debuted in 1964.

“Because it reminds me of my early Christmases,” she said.

Another one of Davis’ childhood holiday favorites is the 1968 special “The Little Drummer Boy.”

“That’s ideally what Christmas is all about,” she said. “It gives it at a level that even children can understand.”

It seems the list of Christmas movies and televisions that Southwest Georigans love is considerably longer than the list of those disliked. Maybe it’s a sign of the season.