Christmas Movies

          It's Christmas time, so I have decided to write this blog about Christmas movies. I am not including TV specials here. Strictly movies. For many years Christmas movies were always put out at this time of year. However over the past couple of years they have been decreasing in number of movies as well as quality of the movies themselves. Over the passed couple of years Hollywood has decided to release all of their Oscar movies this time of year. I'm OK with that because I love movies, so its fine as long as they keep releasing movies, but is it so hard to to have a good Christmas movie in there too. Maybe one so good that it too could possible be an Oscar contender. Especially with the fact that now there are 10 possible Best Picture spots. 
          Now I am a HUGE Christmas fan. I love this time of year. Everything about it. The lights, the family, the presents, the music, and especially the movies. So why is it that recently the movies have been decreasing in quality. I mean it should be easy, but people are having a hard time creating something original and entertaining.
         Christmas with the Kranks, Four Christmases, The Family Stone, Surviving Christmas, This Christmas, Fred Claus, Deck the Halls, A Christmas Carol, Bad Santa, and possibly some others that I haven't mentioned, have all been released within the past 6 years. I haven't had the pleasure to see them all, but the ones that I have seen have been at best good (Bad Santa is the best and better then good, however not a family one so going to have to keep it out), and at worst, why did they bother. (I haven't seen A Christmas Carol, so that movie is not included in my discussion.) This year there is The Nutcracker, which is getting bad reviews and nobody is really going to the theater to see it. Have we lost touch with how to make a good Christmas movie so quickly?
           In 2003 we had one of the best Christmas movies that I have seen and one that has become a staple of the Christmas season to me in Elf. It had everything that you need in a good Christmas movie, somebody who truly believes, a "bad guy", lots of laughs, and a fun and original way to tell the story. The others that I named have been so-so in doing these things. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed some of them, even own a couple, but some of the others, I wonder why they just plain stunk.
          I own many of the classics, but not all. I make a point to watch a new one or more every year as well, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy the new ones like I do the classics. Heartwarming story, nothing beats It's A Wonderful Life. Hilarious, nothing beats Christmas Vacation. Adult version, nothing beats Bad Santa. Family, nothing beats Elf. Story, nothing beats A Christmas Carol. Re-watchabilty, pretty much all of these and add in things like The Family Man, Eight Crazy Nights, Scrooged, A Christmas Story, A Miracle on 34th Street, and White Christmas (I'm sure I missed some good ones here but hard to remember all of them).  I'm not going to say that all of these are great but they are all good, and some are great and beyond. Some of the stories have been recycled, and redone so many times, you forget what the original story is. In some cases the story has been improved, some just reworked to be made more relatable for today's audience. I don't mind this as long as they do a good job. It just seems that it is becoming hard to be original with a Christmas movie.
           It really isn't the most difficult genre to tackle. People are constantly making new movies in every other genre, I mean how many horror movies are there? I don't want there to be dozens a year, but one good one a year isn't a lot to ask. I guess if Hollywood can't do it, I could always ask Santa.