Throwback Thursday: The Holiday Movies That Made Us

It's beginning to look a lot less like Christmas. With the pandemic still raging due to the newly discovered Omicron variant, there's a lot less bells jingling and no welcome Santa without a mask and proper social distancing.

Nonetheless, holidays are what you make of it and why not take the time to make it extra special with your loved ones by catching up on some classic throwback holiday movies. While this list may not be all 'christmassy', these are the movies that remind me of the holidays - from 'night before the big picnic sleepovers' to 'schools out lets hit the cinema movies to 'droopy eyed after hours in the pool movies' to 'after the braai family movies', these are my favorite holiday-moment movies from back in the day. Note: They're a little creepy too!

10. The Neverending Story

This movie always captivated me as a kid. I remember staying up real late to watch it and feeling a lot like Bastian Balthazar Bux sneaking into the attic to read it all and be transported to the magical realm of Fantasia. I remember feeling gutted at the death of Artax, terrified by the wolf-like Gmork and positively enchanted at the wonderful luck dragon Falkor. This is still a much-loved classic and one of my fantasy favorite movies of all time.

9. Honey, I Shrunk The Kids

A classic movie that always seemed to be a part of our holiday road trip no matter where we found ourselves. Rick Moranis at his absolute best. Just make sure to include the giant Oreos!

8. Batman Returns

I remember watching this in the old local cinema with cousins and friends during the summer of 90s something. May have been 93 or 94 even. I then recall watching it again on VHS a few years later and it has gone on to become an iconic movie. It's definitely got that Christmassy feel but in a Tim Burton style with a creepy but sad Danny Devito and Keaton's Batman is as stylish as ever. It even has Christopher Walken in it! Oh...and of course Michelle Pfeifer...the ONLY real Catwoman for me...meow!

7. Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Funny as hell and with a creepy holiday vibe. This one I do recall watching in the local cinema as well with the cousins. And then, like Batman Returns, renting it a couple of times on VHS. It became a holiday cult movie for us.

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Another Tim Burton and probably his most iconic animated feature ever. The enigmatic Jack Skellington tries his utmost to bring Xmas cheer and spirit to the uhm...spirit-ridden Halloween Town. Oogie Boogie still gives me the creeps.

5. Addams Family Values

They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky! The Addams Family Values is next on my list of holiday movies. I recall giant bags of puffed chips and colorful puffed corn, cousins camped out in a holiday chalet in front of the TV watching this while the grownups all settled for the afternoon after-pool tea. Funny, zany and completely bonkers - this is another holiday favorite. Cousin It!

4. Jumanji

The OG Jumanji. I think we've probably watched this movie over a dozen times since seeing it on the big screen way back in 95. It's one of those movies that always has a bit of everything in it that always made it spectacularly special. Not to mention a stellar performance by the late Robin Williams, my favorite American comedian of all time.

3. Die Hard

It's a great action flick. It's got Alan Rickman. Bruce Willis's John McClane brought us a real action hero with a wicked humor and attitude and that made him even more memorable. Yippee Ka Yay...well you know the rest. Is it a Christmas movie? Yes, I believe it is. One of the best!

2. A Charlie Brown's Christmas

For some reason, I always remember watching this the day after school closed for the summer holidays. Like, it was always there. And there would always be that day, that one day, when you would be home in the holidays, bored out of your wits  - maybe cos of the buckets of rain that got tipped over in the sky or cos all your cousins and friends had suddenly just packed up and left to some faraway holiday place or for whatever reason you found yourself miserable...there was always Charlie Brown to share in your misery. And this movie kinda stuck and became a classic.

1. Home Alone

And of course, the antics of Kevin McCallister made this 90s movie the definite hit for holiday movies. Kevin's boobytraps against the absurd bumbling burglars Harry and Marv is still funny to this day. We watched this movie over and over and over again as kids - in the cinema, on VHS, during the last few 'movie-days' of school before the holidays and again and again. Now our kids have seen it as well and have grown up loving it too! It is the holiday cult classic holiday movie and a well deserved #1 on this list. Whenever we order pizza for delivery, I have to really resist the urge to yell "Keep the change ya filthy animal!".