My Top Ten Holiday Movies and our dream TV
James and I are taking off to England to be with his family over the holidays so since we'll be gone for a decent chunk of December I'm feeling all of the happy Christmassy vibes a bit earlier than usual this year so today I want to talk about one of my favourite activities over the holiday season (is watching movies an activity? haha)
One of my favourite holiday traditions is watching Christmas movies. When I was growing up my family always made a point of sitting down together to watch lots of holiday movies. It's one of my favourite parts of the season. As I mentioned last year, we usually spend Christmas Eve at my mom's relaxing, spending time together and watching one of my favourites so this is a tradition that's carried on into my adult life.
James laughs at me sometimes over how excited I get at Christmas but what can I say, I'm a sucker for the holidays! This year I'm especially excited as we now FINALLY have a TV upstairs to watch my favourite movies on! I wont' lie - at first I didn't really want a TV in the upstairs living room but now that we have one, I'm loving it. Sometimes real life wins over decorating haha.
When we were choosing a TV, James took the lead. He's the one who knows all of the proper tech info like 4K and UHD and picture resolution etc that makes me roll my eyes and say "whatever one is best, you decide" lol. I on the other hand, was just concerned that it wouldn't obstruct the room too much and that it would have a slim frame and profile and good picture quality.
I'm thrilled with the TV we ended up selecting from The Brick. We chose the Samsung 60" 4K UHD TV for its picture quality and smart features. This Black Friday this TV will be on sale for $1299 - a savings of $400! Plus there will be a ton of other great deals in store on mattresses (check here for more on that) and more!
What was also important to me, was the mount. Since we mounted our TV above the fireplace it was fairly high up. We needed a mount that had the option to tilt downward for optimal viewing and that could support a 60" television so we chose the Sonax adjustable tilt tv wall mount. When you're mounting a TV there are 3 different types of mounts you can choose from depending on your style and function preferences.
1. Fixed
The cheapest and easiest to install, this type of mount provides an almost flush finish with the wall. There is no ability to adjust so this is best suited to mounting at eye level. Aesthetically this is my favourite choice as it draws minimal attention to the television but do keep in mind cable positioning at the back of the television as there is not much room to work with once the TV is hung.
A fully adjustable mount allows you to pull the television out and rotate it in any direction plus tilt it up and down so you can watch from anywhere in the room. This mount is great for corner installations, recessed areas or long narrow rooms where you want to watch from different angles. These mounts tend to be a little more expensive and a little more complicated to set up than the other two options plus you'll need to take into consideration that you will need longer cables to accommodate the full motion of the mount.
3. Tilting
This is the best choice for most installations as it provides the best of both worlds. It's still low profile so it won't draw too much attention to the television but it provides enough space at the back to easily connect the cables. This mount allows you to tilt the television up and down and is best suited to environments where the television is to be mounted above eye level (like in our living room). The mount we chose has great features which even includes a built in level to ensure your tv sits straight on the wall!
So there you go! A little TV knowledge for you ;)
Now - let's talk Christmas movies! In no particular order (because who can choose?!) I wanted to share some of my favourite holiday movies that I watch almost every year. Are any of my picks your favourite? Let me know your fave movies in the comments below!
1. Christopher the Christmas Tree
Many of you are probably scratching your heads and thinking "what on earth is Christopher the Christmas Tree?!" Well - let me inform you. CTCT is a short animated movie that I watched EVERY Christmas Eve for years when I was growing up. It's the cutest movie that brings me right back to my childhood. This one is on the list for it's nostalgia (warning: it's very 90's haha) but if you have half an hour, it's worth the watch. File this one under - too cute! (The movie starts at the 5:35 mark - enjoy!)
Oh I just LOVE this movie! I'm so glad my family used to watch the old black and white movies such as this one. A heartwarming classic, watch this movie to put you right in the Christmas spirit!
3. Scrooged
I can't help but love this Bill Murray classic. The classic tale with a more modern twist (although even now the film is almost 30 years old!), this film is a little bit dark, a little bit funny but a whole lot of Christmas awesome! I watch this movie every year without fail.
I have my mom to thank for my love of this film as it's one of her favourites too. We'd gather together as a family growing up and watch this movie while my mom sang along and it's one of my favourite family holiday memories. If you want an old school Christmas classic I highly recommend this one.
This movie is without a doubt one of my top holiday films. And as a bit of an embarrassing confession: it makes me cry every time I watch it. I love following the different characters and their stories and while not everyone gets their happy ending in this movie, I appreciate the realness in it's portrayal of relationships over the holiday season. This one is definitely a classic if you ask me.
6. Home Alone
A top Christmas movies list wouldn't be complete without Home Alone. No matter how many times I see this movie (and I've seen it A LOT!) I never tire of the classic film of the forgotten child and his adventures in keeping his home safe.
7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
This film has way too many perfect moments. This is another one that I make sure to watch every year. It's hilarious, it's relatable (though maybe on a slightly less exaggerated scale) and it's a holiday film I hope everyone has a chance to see at least once. I'm already looking forward to watching it this year.
8. Elf
I owe James credit for introducing me to this movie. Will Ferrell is a little hit and miss in my opinion but this move is great. It has a very playful Christmas tone to it that I love and I think it'll go down as a holiday classic as the years go on.
9. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Oh I LOVE this movie so much. Jim Carrey was the perfect cast for the Grinch if you ask me. The over the top sets and costumes and makeup make this movie a magical pick and one that I look forward to watching every year.
10. The Santa Clause
As cheesy and dated as it may be, I love this movie. I watched it over and over again when I was growing up and I still love it even as an adult. I've never seen the sequel because in my opinion, the first movies are always the best - have you seen it? Would it be worth watching this year?
Happy holiday movie viewing! And don't forget to check out the great Black Friday deals at The Brick tomorrow!
