My Ten Personal Favorite Christmas Movies/TV Specials of All Time

With it being December and officially the Christmas season, I thought I'd go over my ten personal favorite Christmas movies or TV Specials.  There are a few things I have to preface this list with, which I'll outline in bullets for organizational purposes:

• These are not what I consider to be the ten best Christmas movies ever.  These are just ten movies (or Christmas specials) that I am very fond of and invoke nostalgia and childhood memories.  These are the ten movies I'd personally pick to watch every Christmas season if I could only choose ten.
• I am allowing sequels as separate entries as some sequels I like while others I don't.  
• These are ranked in order of how much I personally like them, not by how good of a movie I think they are.
• A few of these aren't your typical "theatrical release" style films, and more so TV specials or TV movies.  To me, they're close enough to be considered a movie or film.

With that said, here are my personal 10 favorite Christmas movies, ranked:

10. 'Twas the Night
This is a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie), but it's still a movie about Christmas.  Basically, an Uncle who's always getting into trouble (portrayed brilliantly by Bryan Cranston) has to watch over his niece and nephews on Christmas night while his brother and sister-in-law (their parents) have to work.  They accidentally knock out Santa and decide to deliver toys for him.  I won't get into it anymore, but it's a good family Christmas movie with a good message.  You have to suspend disbelief during this film for some parts, and the technology in it has NOT aged well.  But if you can get past those few things, it's really quite enjoyable.

9. Elf
Everyone else loves it, and yes, I have a certain fondness for it as well.  It came out in 2003, and I didn't see it until several years after it came out.  It might've been close to a decade later.  It has rewatchability and it's one of the few roles I enjoy Will Ferrell in, so there's that.  Perhaps I'll have this higher on my list as the years go on, but for now it's only #9 because I haven't seen it quite enough.

8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 TV special)
Don't get me wrong, I like the Jim Carrey version and the 2018 "The Grinch" film isn't bad, but this is the one that makes me feel all nostalgic.  That classic animation style is just timeless, and I absolutely love the "You're the Mean One, Mr. Grinch" song performed admirably by the legendary Thurl Ravenscroft.  This just never gets old.  

7. Frosty the Snowman
This is one I watched as a small child and have seen it sporadically throughout the years.  It always pulls at my heartstrings.  The Frosty the Snowman song alone is enough to make me emotional.  I also love the animation style and the voice acting is just classic.  I have this on DVD so I can watch it anytime I want during the Christmas season, even if I can't find it on TV/streaming.  

6. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
This is the one Christmas movie sequel that worked.  The Santa Clause 2 wasn't bad, but it still fell a bit short for me.  But this one ups the stakes, changes the setting, and recreates the magic of the first.  In some ways, I almost enjoy it more than the first one, but the first one is such a classic.  It's too bad all the rest of the "Home Alone's" were not even close to the first two.

5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Another timeless classic is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  It's another TV special, but at 52 minutes it almost feels like a film.  My favorite thing about this is its songs.  From "Silver and Gold" to "We are Santa's Elves" to "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year", there's a song in here for everybody.  As a kid, I related to Rudolph, in being picked on for something you were born with and couldn't control (for me, it was my lack of height).  I will never stop loving this TV special.

4. Jingle All the Way
The crazy thing is, I almost want to rank this higher.  I've seen it at least a dozen times.  I love Arnie in it.  It's such a simple premise: A father trying to make something up to his son, goes on a hunt to find him a Christmas gift that's nearly impossible to find.  I love all the hijinks and to me, it's entertaining from start to finish.  Yes, a lot of it is a bit cringy and doesn't make logical sense, but you have to suspend belief when watching this.  

3. Home Alone
Of course, it had to be here if Home Alone 2 was here.  And the first just always slaps, as the kids say these days.  I kind of wanted the same thing to happen to me as a kid--be able to eat as much junk as I wanted, stay up as late as I wanted, watch whatever I wanted.  How Kevin learns about and later deals with the burglars is always my favorite part.  And it includes some great Christmas songs from "Walking Around the Christmas Tree" to "Run Run Rudolph".  

2. The Santa Clause
Similar to 'Twas the Night", Santa becomes incapacitated, and the family whose home where this happens has to take over his route.  This one, however, does it a bit better, with Tim Allen assuming the title of Santa Claus because of "The Santa Clause".  As a kid, this movie made me believe Santa Claus was spelled with an "E" at the end.  I've never been the biggest fan of the custody battle between Scott and his ex-wife for Charlie, but it does add another layer to the plot.  Nevertheless, I absolutely love this movie, and I have very fond memories of watching this on ABC with my family shortly after it came out.

1. A Christmas Story
It had to be, right?  And the weirdest thing is that I didn't see this until near adulthood.  I think I only watched it because I was told I resembled the kid (Ralphie) from the movie.  And boy, I'm glad I did.  It's the perfect Christmas movie.  Anyone who's ever wanted that super special Christmas gift can relate to Ralphie's quest for the Red Ryder BB gun.  I sure look forward to watching this each Christmas season.

Top 10 Personal Favorite/Underrated Survivor Winners

 Not long ago, YouTuber Peridiam did a Top 10 Survivor winners list, and I wanted to do the same.  Just like him, these are not who I consider the 10 greatest winners or winning games, but 10 personal favorites.  These are 10 winning games that I really enjoy watching, and I think that most of them are underrated.  This will include the new era and I'll do my best to explain why each person is on this list.  Keep in mind, there are winners like Kim, Yul, Earl, JT, and Boston Rob, who are generally considered some of the greatest winners of all time, so they are not here.  Here's my Top 10 Personal Favorite Winners:

10. Chris Daugherty, Vanuatu
I would love to play a game similar to Chris if I were to ever go on Survivor.  Although, would his game work in the modern era?  Hard to say.  I love Chris's game, and the fact that Jeff has hated on it so much makes me like it even more.  He was the last man standing at Final 7, and weaseled his way to to the title of Sole Survivor.  

9. Natalie White, Samoa
One potential strategy for a winning game is to latch onto a dominant strategic force that isn't playing a great social game.  This is the perfect example of that.  Natalie smartly did not play too aggressive at first, because otherwise, she'd be a pre-merge boot.  Then, she warmed up to the former Galu tribe members after the merge, earning their respect.  Unfortunately, her game is vastly overshadowed by Russell's massive edit, still the largest ever for one player in one season. 

8. Erika Casupanan, 41
Not a fan of this season, although I'll need to rewatch it someday.  Erika's game was a lot like Gabler's two seasons later, but she had a much better pre-merge and she didn't have to rely upon the threats turning on each other--she took care of it herself.  She also convinced Xander to take her to the end.  She kept her threat level low and struck when the time was right, and sat at the end against two guys that weren't as likable as her.  That's all it takes.

7. Mike Holloway, Worlds Apart
I love Mike's game.  He made one fatal flaw, but he did what he had to do to overcome it.  He was still a good social player, just made one huge social mistake, trying to go back on paying for the letter from home at the auction so he could get the advantage.  But from that point on, he did what he needed to survive.  That's the name of the game.  I don't fault a player for immunity streaks, because there's still no guarantee they get voted out if they lose immunity.  Crazy things can happen. 

6. Dee Valladares, 45
Yes, the most recent winner (as of the time of writing this) is on this list.  Dee played such a great game, and I think it's going to be viewed even more positively over time.  She insulated herself with two #1's, both of whom were aware she had a second #1, and neither of whom was willing to vote her out.  She controlled many votes, getting out who she wanted, such as Kendra and Kaleb.  Her winning move of telling Julie about her being the target is one of the most underrated moves, maybe ever.  Dee's a top 5 female winner of all time.  

5. Amber Brkich, All Stars
It sucks for Amber how people view All Stars as "Rob and Amber's season" rather than just her season.  Similar to Natalie White, she latched onto a strategic mastermind (although in a different way) and banked on playing a good enough social game to beat him at the end.  My one fault in her game is Rob basically saving her after the swap with his empty promise to Lex, but I also look at that as rotten luck in her getting swap-screwed, but playing a good enough social game to have someone vouch for her.  Amber was still looked a bit down upon for being Rob's right hand, but she managed to get less blood on her hands, which was enough.

4. Sophie Clarke, South Pacific
Yet another instance of a female latching on to a male who doesn't play the best social game--this time being Coach.  Sophie did what she needed to survive, whether it was appeasing Coach and the cult-like alliance, or that final clutch immunity win.  I need to rewatch this season to get the specifics, but Sophie is an incredibly intelligent player who employed the Natalie/Amber strategy and won, just like them.

3. Todd Herzog, China
Just like Peridiam, I have to give some respect to Todd.  A lot of Survivor fans do regard Todd's game highly, but I believe they don't regard it highly enough.  He expertly navigated the game, at times employing two meat shields in Jean-Robert and James.  He got two girls under his wing in Amanda and Courtney, neither of whom were willing to turn on him.  And then he ends up having one of the best final tribal council performances of all time.  He didn't win individual challenges or use idols, but Todd's social and strategic game makes his game one of the best ever.

2. Aras Baskauskas, Panama Exile Island
My guy, Aras!  I just love this season, and Aras plays a very underrated game.  His tribe easily could've lost numbers or collapsed post-merge, but Aras helped keep them together (along with Cirie and Danielle).  He went toe to toe with Terry and built a solid bond with Cirie that I think was the best thing he did in the game.  And with the fire-making at 4, he had no blood on his hands regarding Cirie's boot.  I just wish Aras had flashier moves, but if he had, others would regard him higher and he might not even be on this list for me.

1. Tina Wesson, Australian Outback
I remember when I first watched AO, I so wanted Colby to win.  But after watching it as a more intelligent adult, I realized how great Tina's game was.  So many moms and older women have tried to replicate her game and have failed.  She was someone who no one wanted to vote out, not even Colby at Final 3 when it was the obvious move.  It's unfortunate her pre-merge game was largely absent from the televised broadcast, but I still believe she played one of, if not the best social games of all time.  She got Colby to take her to the end and then at Final Tribal, not even fight hard to beat her.  You can tell by his reaction to Tina winning that he wanted her to win.