Let's see.... I'm not a fan of straight ahead Christmas movies, but always enjoy the odd Christmassy scene in a movie with an altogether different theme. Christmas in novels and films is often used as a kind of thematic punctuation, or as a way of encouraging emotional response from the audience, as well as for the more obvious reasons. A quick rummage in my overflowing memory bank brought a trio of films to the surface. I've watched all of these several times over the years:
Little Women - the famous book's opening line is, "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug." Opening line of the movie varies according to the adaptation in question, but all mention that it's Christmas time.
Falling In Love - Opening scene and closing scene: characters played by Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro meet accidentally when, Christmas shopping, they accidentally pick up each other's packages; doing so sends their lives on a quite unexpected trajectory.
Ben Hur - The Nativity scene, and visit of the Magi. Around that same time, in the same country, was born another child whose story is told by the movie, his name: Judah Ben Hur.
There's a fourth, but it's a dark one:
The Victors - a surprisingly little-remembered war movie - the best one ever made in my view. It was directed by Carl Foreman, shot in black and white. There's an unforgettable scene showing a truckload of GIs being taken to witness execution of a GI deserter in a broad, empty snow-covered field in France. Background music is Frank Sinatra singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". After shots have been fired we hear a chorus of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". There is no dialogue in this scene at all. The image and irony here are something I've never forgotten.
Those are my own most memorable films punctuated by a Christmas scene. There must be many more. (Anyone?)
