I know many people watch a lot of movies over the holidays (both Christmas movies and other types as well). With my annual manuscript deadline falling in January, most of my movie-watching occurs after the holiday season traditionally ends. But once I reach that deadline, I reward myself with a few movies that have become treasured old friends.
Here are five of my go-to movies I like to watch every year—movies I never tire of and that inspire me and uplift my soul.
Babette’s Feast, Enchanted April, Persuasion (1995), The Last Holiday, and It’s a Wonderful Life
How many of these have you seen? Do we share any favorites? Do you have a different beloved movie to recommend?
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JULIE KLASSEN loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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Last holidays is an absolute favourite! Watched it several times and just love it.
I have seen Persuasion and It’s a Wonderful Life. And funny enough, I saw The Last Holiday for the first time last night. It was an excellent movie. Two Christmas movies that my husband and I watch often are The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and Christmas Chronicles.
I love that version of Persuasion, and I also watch It’s a Wonderful Life every December. I also love You’ve Got Mail, these all make me smile no matter when I watch them!
I watch Persuasion (1995) every year also. I always try to watch it and reread the novel in November. That’s the season of the year in which the first part of the book takes place. It’s a Wonderful Life is always on my yearly watch list too. Robin Jones Gunn has fondly mentioned Babette’s Feast, but I have never seen it. I’ll have to look into it and the other two. I’ve never heard of The Last Holiday.
Babette’s Feast is such a beautiful story! And I adore the 1995 Persuasion. Others I watch often: Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson/Hugh Grant version), You’ve Got Mail, While You Were Sleeping, and That Thing You Do.
Oh D’Ann, I love While You Were Sleeping and That Thing You Do. So good!!
While you were sleeping is my absolute favourite!
Oh I have watched that version of Persuasion a couple of times. Last Holiday is a hoot and I’ve watched it numerous times. But It’s a Wonderful Life is a yearly Christmas Eve tradition in our home. Love it!! I haven’t been able to find it for a while, but I love The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996) adapted from Anne Bronte’s book. I truly love that movie. And of course, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice are yearly must-sees.
Of note the special anniversary edition of “It’s a Wonderful Life” on DVD features the original black and white movie and in color on separate discs. I loved watching the colorized one since it brings out the details!
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“The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” was on PBS’s “Masterpiece Theatre.”