I love Christmas. The incarnation of God, coming to Earth to be with his creation, is one of the most moving and awe-inspiring events imaginable. Because of that, I have plenty of criticisms of the commercial Christmas culture in America. And yet I still unapologetically treasure Christmas movies.
Some Christmas movies are true classics. “It’s A Wonderful Life” deserves all the accolades it gets. “Miracle on 34th Street” works both as a film about childhood and adult disappointment, and yet still inspires aspiring lawyers. “White Christmas” is as funny and clever of a musical as you’re going to get. Even (relatively) modern Christmas classics, such as “Elf,” have a lot to recommend them. You’ll probably watch these without my encouragement. But I’d like to recommend three you’ve probably never thought of — films I’ve discovered over the years and have become part of my own Christmas movie canon.
‘Silent Night’ — directed by Rodney Gibbons, 2002
“Silent Night” is about a German woman, Elisabeth Vincken (played by Linda Hamilton), and her son Fritz, who, during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge, go to their family’s cabin in the middle of the woods on Christmas Eve. They later encounter a lost platoon of American soldiers, one of whom is wounded.
Elisabeth allows them to come in to care for their wounded comrade. Of course, it’s not long before a German patrol stumbles upon the cabin as well. But rather than killing each other, Elisabeth convinces all of them to put the war aside for the night and spend Christmas Eve together. It sounds like one of the ridiculous, trope-filled movies that show up with regularity on streaming services, except for the fact that the story is essentially true.
While not as well known as the Christmas Eve Truce of 1914 during World War I, where troops on both sides decided to stop fighting and share some Christmas cheer, the Christmas Eve Truce of World War II is nonetheless real. There really was an Elisabeth and Fritz Vincken, they really did go to their cabin in the woods during the Battle of the Bulge, there really were a few lost American soldiers, one wounded, that she let in, and there really was a patrol of German soldiers that came by later. And she really did use her wits and motherly authority on the young soldiers to convince them to not kill each other and to celebrate Christmas together.
More, as the film’s opening shows, Fritz Vincken immigrated to America and opened a bakery in Hawaii. He then wrote a widely read Reader’s Digest story about his experiences that night. A resulting episode of “Unsolved Mysteries” in the late 1990s led to Vincken reconnecting with Ralph Blank, one of the American soldiers that his mother had taken in decades earlier. While there are clearly embellishments and dramatizations in this film, once you realize just how much of it is true, it’s difficult not to marvel at the story.
You can watch “Silent Night” for free on YouTube, Amazon Prime and most streaming services.
‘Noelle’ — directed by David Wall, 2007
This micro-budget film, also known as “Mrs. Worthington’s Party,” opens with a haunting vision of a young girl of perhaps 5 or 6 years old, standing next to the ocean in the snow. She shows up several more times with little explanation, and you don’t know why until the film is nearly over. And yet, there is no real twist. It’s just that you finally come to more fully understand the full truth that’s been intimated from the beginning. The result is very moving.
Father John Keen comes to a small fishing town on Cape Cod to evaluate if the local parish, run by an old seminary friend of his, Father Simeon Joyce, should be shut down due to low attendance and donations. The priests feud, get involved with various dramas of the locals, all while trying to put on a live nativity to “save the church.”
But this is not a Hallmark movie. Father Jonathan Keen (played by David Wall), the film’s protagonist, is a deeply wounded and grieving man. His service as a Catholic priest is more a penance than it is true devotion to the priesthood. While the film does have elements of comedy (not all of which work), there is a core to this film that is very honest and raw. It discusses themes of fear, isolation, loneliness and guilt, accentuated by the holidays, with little sugar-coating.
Its method is as raw as its themes: most of the characters are played by amateur actors who we could very charitably call works in progress. The exceptions are Father Keen, and Marjorie Worthington (played by Wall’s real-life wife, Kerry), a troubled woman in early middle age who has a beef with the church, and, we later learn, has an unplanned pregnancy.
Her dilemma becomes the true focal point of the film, but likely not how you’re expecting. In what is perhaps the most telling scene of the film, Father Keen tells Father Joyce that he’d never want to make the kinds of difficult decisions he has to make, because he’d never be the kind of man who would be in his shoes, due to his unfocused, seemingly undisciplined service to the church.
Father Joyce, in return, asks him, “John, do you like being in your shoes?”
It’s a devastating question, not because it’s clear the answer is “no,” but because you know nobody has been close enough to Father Keen to ask him this. And yet, like all good Christmas movies, in the end, there is hope.
You can watch “Noelle” for free if you are an Amazon Prime or Philo subscriber, or for free on YouTube.
‘This Christmas’ — directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, 2007
This film drew largely an African American audience (Idris Elba got nominated for a BET award for his performance), and yet it is the universality of the film that makes it worthwhile.
The story is pretty simple: an African American matriarch, nicknamed “Ma’Dere,” invites her six children and their significant others to her San Francisco “McMansion” for the first time in four years to celebrate Christmas. Everyone has a problem or a secret. One daughter’s scheming husband wants to bilk money out of his mother-in-law; one son is AWOL from the military and has a pregnant, secret wife; another son is a disappointment to his mother since he chose the life of a traveling musician; and Ma’Dere is terrified that her youngest, who still lives with her, will follow in his shoes, too.
None of this is even remotely unique, nor is any one subplot in particular all that interesting. But anyone who has spent Christmas with a family of any size, for any length of time, will recognize the conflicts, the surprises, the chaos, the rivalries and the new bonds that are formed during times of pressure and proximity. And this film captures the mess of all this far better than any other I’ve seen.
The excellent cast is what elevates it above other films of this kind.
Of course, I don’t recommend spending most, or even much, of this week watching Christmas films. Get out and see some holiday lights, go to church, and visit your family. But if you do have an hour or two where you’re out of energy and want to try something new, give one of these a chance — all while remembering the real reason for the season.