Christmas Mix [DVD] [2015] [Region 1] [NTSC]

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Adam one day breaks the commuter code, and dares to speak to his fellow travellers, and worse, invites them to a Christmas party. Did you know? This is the third instalment in the National Lampoon Vacation series and was developed from a short story by John Hughes called "Christmas ‘59", which was published in the December 1980 edition of the National Lampoon magazine.

Party planner Holly must persuade architect Theo that a festive event will build his business, while he thinks a digital presentation is enough to win the commercial contract he is after. Speaking of heteronorm-nativity, a glossy, mainstream Christmas romcom with a queer couple at its centre was long overdue – and boy did writer-director Clea DuVall deliver with Happiest Season. Starring Kristen Stewart as Abby, a kind-hearted Christmas-sceptic who must pretend to be straight when her closeted girlfriend (Makcenzie Davis) brings her home for the holidays, the film broke streaming records when it premiered on Hulu – the silver lining of its Coronavirus-scuppered cinema release. The film has its detractors – for some, the comic farce leans too far towards genuine emotional trauma – but in the long, slow struggle to make the yuletide a little bit more gay, it’s a great place to start. Fast forward to the 20th century where Santa Claus has become overwhelmed by his workload and enlists the help of an assistant: an inventive and ambitious elf named Patch (Moore). When the toys Patch has made fall apart on Christmas Day, the elf flees the North Pole and heads to New York City. Things continue to go well with Kris boosting sales to the store. Word spreads among the children that he is indeed the real Santa Claus, although Dorey’s six-year-old daughter Susan (Wilson) remains a Christmas sceptic. Meanwhile, the Santa Claus whom Kris replaced hatches a plot to frame his successor, leaving Dorey and her attorney boyfriend Bryan (McDermott) to build a case to support Kris and prove he is indeed the real Santa Claus.

Christmas movies coming soon to BBC iPlayer

Walter is at first skeptical that Buddy is his son, but after a paternity test proves positive he takes him home to meet his stepmother (Steenburgen) and half-brother Michael, who eventually warm to him. Meanwhile, Buddy falls in love with Jovie (Deschanel), a co-worker at the Gimbles department store.

As Buddy wanders the streets on Christmas Eve wondering how he fits in with the world, he sees Santa and his sleigh crash land in Central Park. Can Buddy help fix Santa’s sleigh and restore Christmas spirit to the jaded people of New York? Did you know? This is a remake of the original 1947 film starring Maureen O’Hara and John Payne - which despite being a Christmas film was released in June that year! It was still a hit though. Unlike the original film, Macy’s department store in New York declined any involvement in the remake and a fictional store - Coles had to take its place instead. Miranda, a tech guru, has developed an app to help Christmas shoppers select the perfect gift for their loved ones. At a Christmas party, she is noticed by a mysterious Santa who seems to be on her wavelength, but they are parted before they can exchange numbers. Meanwhile, she is disappointed to learn that her app has been sold to another company and that they are merging with their greatest rivals. Three new Muppets take on the parts of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future to help Scrooge remember the magic of Christmas, soften his heart and scare him about what might happen if he refuses to change. Along the way there are familiar Muppet characters playing various characters. Dorey Walker (Perkins) is the director of special events for one of New York’s big department stores. She fires the store’s resident Santa Claus after he's found to be drunk before the Thanksgiving parade. Instead, she enlists the help of an elderly man called Kris Kringle (Attenborough) who looks like he really could be Santa. Kris does so well in the parade that Dorey hires him as the full time replacement.

There’s even more to watch.

Here’s the thing, though: sure, most Christmas movies are fluffy exercises in nostalgia, imparting messages about the importance of showing goodwill toward your fellow man, wrapped up with a tinge of innocent consumerism… but not all of them. As you’ll see on our list of the 50 all-time greatest yuletide classics, some subvert the tropes of the season and cast a critical eye at the more commercial aspects of the holiday. Others feature a lot of swearing, explosions and even a few bloody slayings. Whatever you’re looking for to get in the mood for this next month of merriment and Mariah Carey, you’ll find it under our proverbial tree. From Wallace and Gromit to a festive How To Train Your Dragon: Homecoming special, there are plenty of films to keep everyone entertained over the festive period.