5 Underappreciated Christmas Films

It's been a long time since we did one of these. The 5 Underappreciated Films series has been on hiatus for a while because I really couldn't decide on what genre to cover. Now that Christmas is coming up, I figured we'd look at Christmas-themed films.

Let's get into it.

5 - Jack Frost (1998)

This one is...weird. Released in 1998, Jack Frost follows a workaholic musician named...Jack Frost (duh!). Frost is pretty much obsessed with his work and, as such, is a very neglectful father. While on the way to sign a record deal, Jack is killed in a car accident.

A year later, his son Charlie is struggling to cope. He builds a snowman one night, and it comes to life when he plays a harmonica that his father had gifted him. Jack Frost, now a snowman, realizes that he has a second chance to make things right with Charlie and his family.

4 - Jingle All the Way (1996)

Jingle All the Way is one of those comedies that nobody seems to discuss nowadays. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a salesman named Howard who is constantly busy. Of course, that means he doesn't get to spend much time with his family. This has obviously negatively impacted his relationships with both his wife, Liz, and son, Jaime.

After missing one event too many, Howard is tasked with getting a specific action figure - Turbo Man (the film's version of a Power Ranger, I think). Being that it's Christmas and Turbo Man is a popular superhero, there aren't any figures left. Things get interesting when Howard teams up with a guy named Myron, who's also looking for the same figure.

Hijinks ensue when they get word of a single Turbo Man figure left in stock...

3 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Another Christmas flick that doesn't seem to get much love anymore.

The story of the Grinch is very well-known. The Grinch, a grumpy green creature, lives alone on Mount Crumpit (yes, that's how it's spelled). At the base of Mount Crumpit, is the town of Whoville. The people who live there - the Whos - don't really like him. When the Christmas season comes around, one of the Whos - Cindy Lou - invites the Grinch to the town's Christmas celebration and hijinks ensue.

Jim Carrey's performance as the Grinch is phenomenal, and while there are a few adult jokes here and there, they'll probably go over the kiddos' heads.

2 - The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

A Christmas Carol is one of Charles Dickens' best-known books, alongside Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield. There have been several film adaptations of his books, including this one. Of course, I don't think there was a Dickens-based film that included puppets.

The Muppet Christmas Carol follows the original book fairly closely; Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine) is a grumpy man who doesn't share in the Christmas spirit. After a particularly nasty day, he's visited by the ghosts of Jacob and Robert Marley (Waldorf and Statler). They tell him that 3 ghosts will visit him because his negative attitude towards Christmas is set to have serious consequences.

The fact that Gonzo plays Charles Dickens and serves as the film's narrator is a funny bit that works well.

Honorable Mention: Krampus (2015)

Okay...so, Krampus is an interesting film that doesn't really get much attention nowadays. The Engel family gathers for Christmas one year, when the youngest son is mocked for his belief in Santa Claus, he lashes out. He shreds his letter to Santa and says he hates the holiday. This summons Krampus, a creature who punishes those who lose their holiday spirit.

Krampus spends the next 90-ish minutes tormenting the family.

1 - Buster and Chauncey's Silent Night (1998)

Buster and Chauncey's Silent Night is a film that almost nobody, and I mean nobody, talks about. It follows a pair of mice as they go through a small Austrian town. They're planning to perform for the queen, and end up teaming up with an orphan named Christina when thieves come calling for the town's riches.

I haven't seen this one in ages, but it was an all-time favorite when I was a kid. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.