An Interior Designer’s Top 5 Christmas Movies

I don’t know about the rest of you, but during the holidays I watch a lot of movies and these are my favorites. But that’s not all! When I was making this list I realized that each of these festive flicks also holds a strong interior design message. Sound like I’m reaching for design-relevant Christmas content? Bingo. I give you An Interior Designer’s Top 5 Christmas Movies …

An Interior Designer’s Top 5 Christmas Movies

#5  – Elf

This is a relatively new addition to the list, bumping Home Alone to #6. What I love about this movie is that it starts off poking fun at Christmas and all of our childhood notions but by the end, we’re in love with them all over again. Will Ferrel as the naive Buddy the Elf is fantastic and I also have a soft spot for the manager of the kids department at Gimbles – Hilarious! Not to mention that this movie supports my long time theory that candy corn is a food group.

Synopsis: Buddy the Elf sets out from the North Pole to find his real father in New York City after discovering that he’s an adopted human and not a real Elf at all. Along the way, he spreads the spirit of Christmas.

Interior Design Message: Always pay attention to scale when selecting furnishings.

#4 – A Muppet Family Christmas

Someone bought me a VHS copy of this movie when I was 14 and I have been lugging it back and forth to my home town every Christmas since. Of course, no one has a VCR anymore so I’ve had to find a digital copy to keep this tradition alive. This movie is great because a) it has muppets … and that’s really all it needs. This movie brings together the Muppet Show gang, Sesame Street and the Fraggles into one puppet extravaganza but it’s not just for kids! The usual adult friendly humour of The Muppet Show appears throughout including a determined Swedish Chef who attempts to cook Big Bird in place of  the holiday turkey.

Synopsis: The Muppets decide to brave a terrible snow storm in order to have Christmas together at Fozee’s mom’s place in the country. Her tropical vacation plans are suddenly off the table, her home fills with hundreds of monsters, and the typical muppet sing-along fest ensues.

Interior Design Message: Storage is key! Mrs. Bear learns this the hard way as she is forced to turn closets into sleeping quarters for monsters.

#3 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without the hilarious antics of Clark W. Griswold and his family. It’s a classic! We’ve all tried to pull off the ‘perfect family Christmas’ only to be tested every step of the way. Maybe we haven’t had an uncle set fire to the Christmas tree, or our brother-in-law blow up the storm drain after some illegal dumping but we’ve all had a holiday season that, despite our best intentions, just can’t seem to go right.

Synopsis: The Griswold’s host the entire family (plus some unexpected guests) for the holidays and spend the entire time terrorizing the neighbours, putting out fires and depleting the entire city’s power supply.

Interior Design Message: The ’80’s were not kind to fashion nor interior design. Remember the Griswold’s neighbours, Tod & Margot? Proof.

#2 – A Christmas Story

Did you know that this movie was the inspiration for the series The Wonder Years? True story. Who doesn’t love this one?  The narration is superbly sarcastic and every moment in this movie takes you right back in time to your own childhood holiday dramas. I’ll even admit that I once licked a metal pole in the snow. Just as stupid as it looks.

Synopsis: The trials and tribulations of Ralphie’s family Christmas circa 1940. He wants nothing more than for Santa to bring him a Red Ryder BB Gun but he has to convince his parents first.

Interior Design Message: The fishnet adorned leg lamp would be an obvious way to go here but I’m going to say that a stronger message is the impact of a well designed retail window display. The film opens with Ralphie and friends dazzled at the magical Christmas display in window of Higbee’s Department store where he first spots ‘the Holy Grail of Christmas Gifts’ … The Red Ryder BB gun.

#1 – It’s a Wonderful Life

Yup, this is my favorite holiday movie of all time. I watch it every year on Christmas eve with my family and it really is magical. I’ve seen this movie more times than I can count and it only gets better each time. When Old Man Gower realizes that a young George Bailey prevented a fatal mix at the Pharmacy, the water works start. And that’s only 10 minutes into the movie! If George Bailey were a real guy I’d want to be his best friend.

Synopsis: George Bailey’s life didn’t turn out quite the way he planned but an angel helps him see all the good he’s done in the world by showing him just how diferent things would be if he’d never existed. *Sniff sniff*

Interior Design Message: This is not only a heart-warming movie about how every person on earth touches so many others, it’s also an epic renovation story! George and Mary buy and renovate the old Granville House, transforming it from town relic to family home throughout the film.

Whether you watch movies together or a family Monopoly tournament is more your thing, I wish you all a happy and healthy season with your favourite people. See you in 2014!

 

Photo sources: All Elf photos via IMDB; A Muppet Family Christmas photos via IMDB & Muppet Mindset; A Christmas Vacation photos via IMDB, Fahionista.com; Christmas Story photos via IMDB & Metzer Department Store; It’s a Wonderful Life photos via IMDB & Everydaypretty.com