“Slay” Bells & silver screens

Slashing Through the Snow: My Definitive Top 10 Christmas Movies, Blending Timeless Classics with Thrilling Action!

Delving into the world of Christmas movies is like unwrapping a bundle of memories and emotions. We all have our favorites! While the list may not cover every beloved holiday film, here are my top 10. Now, let’s kick back, grab a beer, pour a glass of wine, or indulge in a bit of bourbon, and embark on a cinematic journey infused with the enchanting magic of dual Uzis, Beretta 92Fs, an M60, a Walther PPK and an “official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time.”

Can you figure out what seven of these ten movies have in common?

Lethal Weapon

My number one pick as my favorite Christmas movie of all time and one of my favorite movies of all time.  Period.  It had everything: a burnt-out suicidal cop living in a trailer on the beach, Vietnam veterans, Phoenix Program (though they call it “project” in the movie), Shadow Company, Special Forces tattoos, mercury switches, snipers, 9mm Berettas, Alfred, Dixie, General Peter McAllister, Michael Hunsacker, Amanda Hunsacker, Mr. Joshua, and Burbank the Cat.  It is also the first movie to incorporate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu into a fight scene.  This movie hit at a very formative time in my youth and certainly did nothing to dissuade me from answering the call to serve my country in special operations.  Be sure and carve out a little time for Riggs and Murtaugh this holiday season.

Die Hard

The movie that introduced the world to John McClane and cemented the Beretta 92F into every adolescent boy’s mind as the pistol to use when fighting an onslaught of terrorists when trapped in skyscraper.  Along with Lethal Weapon, it influenced a generation of authors who, for the most part, equipped their protagonists with Berettas just like John McClane and Martin Riggs.  This Christmas movie was a staple of the holiday season in my house growing up.

FIRST BLOOD

Admittedly an unconventional choice, but John J. Rambo is an unconventional guy.

INVASION USA

Don’t think this is a Christmas movie?  You obviously have not seen it enough and need to watch it again…on Christmas.

RONIN

Not a Christmas movie?  Think again!  Watch it with a sharp eye.

“What’s the color of the boathouse at Hereford?”

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

“Merry Christmas, 007.”

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Fun for the entire family.  Chevy Chase reprises his role as Clark Griswold but it’s Cousin Eddie who steals the show.

A Christmas Story

Who can forget Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun, Little Orphan Annie, Higbee’s, Lifebuoy Soap, triple dog dares, “Fudge,” the Bumpus’ hounds, Ovaltine, and the leg lamp.  A classic.

Rocky IV

I’m just glad Rocky fought Ivan Drago on December 25th so I could include this on my list.  I think we saw this movie as a family about the same time we tied our Christmas tree to the top of the Wagoneer in 1985.  For a twelve year old kid, it didn’t get much better than Rocky going to Russia to beat the commies in their own backyard… on Christmas.  The Soviet Union would fall just six years later.  Coincidence?  I think not.  This is also the movie that invented Crossfit before Crossfit invented itself.

It’s a Wonderful Life

Based on the short story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern and starring the legendary Jimmy Stewart, this film truly is one of the greatest movies ever made.  If you have not seen this classic film, settle in to watch it this holiday season.  Join George Bailey as his guardian angel 2nd class, Clarence, grants his wish of experiencing a world in which he’d never been born.  This movie gets me every year.  The fact that its lead actor served in World War II and remained in the military rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the Air Force Reserve doesn’t hurt my love of the movie either.  As part of its fascinating history, the film was investigated by the FBI for communist subversion.  The surveillance state was hard at work even in 1947.

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