Requisite Holiday Viewing

Christmas is perhaps the only time of year that has a whole subsection of the entertainment industry devoted to it. There are movies one watches and albums one listens to only at this time of year. There are a few films and TV episodes that I try to take in annually. What follows is a quick listing.

A Christmas Story
Let's start this off with a betrayal of the concept I've got going here. I'm actually skipping this one this year due to lack of time and that I can already play the entire movie through in my head.

Bad Santa
A relatively new addition to the list, Bad Santa is a kickass movie that can easily be watched out of season as well. Funny as hell.

South Park: Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics (Episode 315)
South Park's done a number of Christmas episodes in its nine years, a number of which are simply amazing (including season 2's "Merry Christmas Charlie Manson" and season 6's "Red Sleigh Down"), but this episode and the corresponding album are simply wonderful. Is the Santa and Jesus duet the greatest in the history of televised entertainment? Probably.

A Charlie Brown Christmas
It just is.

Tokyo Godfathers
Another new addition, Satoshi Kon's (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress) take on the basic story from a John Ford-directed western with three homeless Tokyo denizens finding an abandoned baby hits closer to the "spirit" of the season than most films that purport to. There's also some brilliant comedy and a pervading sense of humanity.

NewsRadio: Xmas Story (Episode 210)
The other side of the "spirit" of the season. Brilliant episode from one of the most brilliant sitcoms.

I also should give props to How the Grinch Stole Christmas (anim.), While You Were Sleeping (kind of holiday-ish), and It's a Wonderful Life. But I won't.