John Bolton - Leave The Politics Until Tomorrow - John's Top 10 Christmas Movies

00:00:00.000 Hi, it's John and welcome to the channel. It is Saturday, December the 20th. We're five days away

00:00:10.840 from Christmas. Merry Christmas to you. I guess I'll call myself Santa John today. And just for

00:00:16.440 this day, unless there's some other Christmas theme video between now and the 25th, I've switched

00:00:23.000 up my mug to my A Christmas Story mug. It's a major award and there's the award on that side,

00:00:29.380 the famous leg lamp. So only today, all right? But what I wanted to do today is I wanted to be a

00:00:37.100 little more positive. Things can be so negative and I just hate being negative all the time. So I

00:00:41.660 thought what I would do here is I would run through what I consider my top 10 Christmas movies of all

00:00:48.700 time. Now they may not be yours. This is all subjective. I would love to hear if you've got

00:00:53.560 any that I don't have on my list here because I love watching Christmas movies. I have dozens of

00:00:58.280 them in my computer and some of them unfortunately had to leave off this list. But I'm going to go

00:01:04.020 through them 10 to 1 and I might have a few like an honorable mention or something at the end. So

00:01:08.980 coming in at number 10, we're starting things off with a comedy from 1989 National Lampoon's

00:01:16.300 Christmas Vacation. Chevy Chase stars as Clark Griswold, a well-meaning disaster magnet determined to

00:01:22.820 create the perfect family Christmas. Beverly D'Angelo plays his patient wife, Ellen, while

00:01:28.080 Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki appear as their long-suffering kids. Chaos erupts when cousin

00:01:33.920 Eddie, played by Randy Quaid, arrives uninvited, turning the holiday into a hilarious, unforgettable

00:01:39.900 mess. Where I think my list is different is there's a number of different movies on this list you may not

00:01:46.180 have seen and that certainly is the case with number 9 from 1945, Christmas in Connecticut.

00:01:52.440 Barbara Stanwyck stars as Elizabeth Lane, a famous food writer whose entire perfect homemaker persona 0.99

00:01:59.140 is a lie. When her boss, Sydney Greenstreet, insists she hosts a war hero for Christmas,

00:02:04.660 she scrambles to keep up the facade. Dennis Morgan plays the visiting sailor, while Reginald Gardner and

00:02:11.260 S. Z. Sakal add comic chaos as her improvised family. A warm, witty holiday farce. At number

00:02:19.060 8 on my list, the most recent film here, 2003 it came out, and it's Elf. Will Ferrell stars as Buddy,

00:02:27.280 a human raised at the North Pole who travels to New York City to find his real father,

00:02:31.600 played by James Caan. Along the way, he charms store employee Jovi, played by Zooey Deschanel,

00:02:37.600 and reconnects with his new family, including Emily Hobbs, Mary Steenburgen. A joyful, modern

00:02:44.380 Christmas classic filled with heart and humor, Bob Newhart is great as Papa Elf as well. I do think

00:02:50.620 this picture lags a bit near the end, but the movie has charm, and Ferrell is terrific. At number 7,

00:02:57.260 it's hard to believe this movie is 35 years old this year. It's from 1990, Home Alone.

00:03:04.840 Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McAllister, an 8-year-old accidentally left behind when his

00:03:10.940 family flies to Paris. He's forced to defend his home from two bumbling burglars, played by Joe

00:03:16.000 Pesci and Daniel Stern, using a series of chaotic, hilarious traps. Catherine O'Hara and John Hurd

00:03:22.320 appear as his frantic parents racing home, routing out this beloved holiday classic with a great

00:03:27.540 appearance by the late, great John Candy. When film number six came out way back in 1946,

00:03:33.600 it didn't do that well at the box office, but it has become a Christmas classic. It's a wonderful life.

00:03:42.540 James Stewart stars as George Bailey, a man who believes his life has been a failure until

00:03:47.000 guardian angel Clarence, played by Henry Travers, shows him what the world would look like without him.

00:03:51.860 Donna Reed shines as Mary, his devoted wife, while Lionel Barrymore delivers a memorable turn

00:03:57.960 as the ruthless Mr. Potter, a heartfelt classic about purpose, community, and the impact one life

00:04:04.480 can have. This might be another one of those movies that you haven't seen. It's not very common,

00:04:10.000 although I have seen it on a number of the streaming services. It's the first of three movies on this

00:04:15.300 list from 1947. At number five, The Bishop's Wife. Cary Grant stars as Dudley, a charming angel who

00:04:23.200 arrives to help stress Bishop Henry Brougham, played by David Niven, as he struggles with his work

00:04:29.000 and his neglected marriage. Loretta Young shines as Julia, the Bishop's warm-hearted wife, who finds

00:04:35.260 renewed joy through Dudley's guidance. With support from Monty Woolley and Gladys Cooper, the film blends

00:04:41.040 romance, faith, and gentle humor into a timeless Christmas classic. Number four on the list is a

00:04:47.860 movie I just discovered a few years ago, but almost every year it's the very first movie I watch.

00:04:54.880 Another movie from 1947. It happened on Fifth Avenue. Victor Moore stars as Aloysius McKeever,

00:05:02.520 a homeless man who secretly moves into a millionaire's vacant mansion for the winter. He's soon joined by

00:05:08.480 Down on His Luck veteran Jim Bullock, played by Don DeFore, and runaway heiress Trudy O'Connor, played by

00:05:14.400 Gail Storm. When her wealthy father, played by Charles Ruggles, unexpectedly returns, the house fills with

00:05:20.320 comedy, warmth, and unexpected holiday spirit. Be sure to check this one out. Number three on the list

00:05:26.640 is the reason why I pulled this mug out to do this video. It's from 1983, A Christmas Story. Set in 1940s

00:05:35.940 Indiana, this nostalgic comedy follows young Ralphie Parker, played by Peter Billingsley, as he schemes to

00:05:41.800 get his dream Christmas gift, a Red Ryder BB gun. Surrounded by his gruff but lovable father, Darren

00:05:48.000 McGavin, and his caring mother, Melinda Dillon, Ralphie navigates bullies, school, and a disastrous

00:05:54.080 mall Santa. Warm, funny, and endlessly quotable, it's become a holiday classic. You'll shoot your eye out.

00:06:01.280 Number two on my list is an absolute must for any Christmas movie list, and there have been dozens

00:06:08.520 of different versions of this movie, but this one is the best one of all. From 1951, Scrooge.

00:06:16.140 Alistair Sim delivers a definitive Ebenezer Scrooge in this adaptation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

00:06:22.780 After a lifetime of cold greed, he's confronted on Christmas Eve by the ghost of Jacob Marley

00:06:28.060 and the spirits of Christmas past, present, and yet to come, forcing him to face the damage he's

00:06:33.660 done. With memorable performances from Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Michael Hordurn, and George

00:06:39.760 Cole, the film charts Scrooge's powerful transformation from miser to redeemed man.

00:06:45.680 And at number one on my list, a movie that sets the perfect tone for Christmas. I think it's perfect

00:06:51.100 in every way. It's even got an Academy-winning performance in it. Another movie from 1947,

00:06:59.020 Miracle on 34th Street. In this beloved Christmas classic, a warm, gentle man named Chris Kringle,

00:07:05.120 played by Edmund Gwen in an Oscar-winning performance, steps in as Macy's Department

00:07:10.000 Store Santa and insists he's the real thing. His sincerity challenges the no-nonsense store

00:07:15.840 executive Doris Walker, played by Maureen O'Hara, and captivates her skeptical daughter Susan,

00:07:20.940 played by a very young Natalie Wood. When Kringle's identity is questioned in court,

00:07:25.820 lawyer Fred Gailey, John Payne, fights to prove that belief and goodwill will still matter and that

00:07:31.440 his Chris Kringle is the one and only Santa Claus. The film blends charm, humor, and heartfelt

00:07:37.940 performances from its stellar cast. The scene with the little Dutch girl will bring a tear to your eye.

00:07:44.020 So there you go, the number one movie, Miracle on 34th Street, and my top 10 favorite Christmas

00:07:50.460 movies. Let me know what you like in the comments below. You know, there are a lot of movies I really

00:07:55.420 like. Some of them I had to leave off the list. An honorable mention would be White Christmas with

00:08:00.240 Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen, and Rosemary Clooney. The finale, of course, Crosby sings the classic

00:08:06.180 White Christmas. But I like Christmas with the Cranks, the Santa Claus with Tim Allen, and I even like

00:08:11.600 Jingle All the Way with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It just puts me in the mood for Christmas. Thank you

00:08:16.840 very much for watching. I hope you liked this. I hope you appreciated it. A little different than

00:08:21.380 usual. But if you did like the video, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel,

00:08:25.740 ring the bell for notifications, and you have yourself a merry little Christmas.

John Bolton - December 20, 2025

Leave The Politics Until Tomorrow - John's Top 10 Christmas Movies

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