Since Jack Frost won’t be nipping any noses, the best way to tell it’s holiday season in southern California is by the mall Muzak and what we’re pushing to the top of our Netflix queue. Here, we Film Independent film geeks share our fave holiday movie moments—from the twisted to the traditional.

“Drunken, suicidal Santa Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places (Christmas scene, not movie, but still).
Ending of How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966, animated of course).
Zuzu’s petals in It’s a Wonderful Life.
Court scene in Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version, obviously).
Ending of Love Actually (Shut-up, haters).
Ending of A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Ending of A Christmas Carol (1951 version).
Every scene in Bad Santa.
Every scene in Life of Brian.
Every scene in A Christmas Story.”
-Maggie Mackay / Senior Programmer

“Christmas in film has never been as beautifully represented as in the colorful Christmas feast scene in the first part of Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander.”
-Cristhian Barron / Senior Accountant

“There’s that great Christmas party scene in Goodfellas when the guys arrive after the Lufthansa heist showing off the ostentatious gifts they bought their wives with the loot: a brand new Caddie and a full-length mink. Jimmy (DeNiro) goes nuts—What are you, stupid? You’re going to get us all fuckin’ pinched! He removes the fur from Frankie’s wife’s shoulders, balls it up and hands it to him. Best of all, the tirade is accompanied by the Ronettes singing Frosty the Snowman.”
-Pamela Miller / Website & Grants Manager

“Home Alone when Kevin (Macauley Culkin) has the party by himself at his house with mannequins ‘dancing’ on his train set and scares away the burglars. I wouldn't want to spend Christmas alone but that party looked super fun.”
-Jasmine Teran / Online Community Coordinator

“End of the film Love Actually when the little boy gets to play in the band as drummer with the girl he's ‘in love with’ to ‘All I want for Christmas is you!’”
-Patty Davis / Executive and Board Relations Manager
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“There is only one correct answer to this question and if other people don't answer it then they have never been to the movies. Hans Gruber is an excellent reader (benefits of a classical education).”
-Will Slocombe / Events Coordinator

“The closing credits of Scrooged where Bill Murray realizes he's a schmuck, gives an impassioned speech, and breaks the [fourth] wall by addressing the audience watching the film at the movie theatre.”
-Evan Ward-Henninger / Associate Director, Membership

“From Clark W. Griswold, Jr. (Chevy Chase) to you and yours: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and everything in-between.”
–Cooper Hopkins / Website & Database Manager

“A Christmas Story—so many great scenes, but I love Ralphie's Old Man (Darren McGavin) swearing at the furnace as smoke billows from the basement. It always makes me laugh because it reminds me of my own father's tendency for obscenity-ridden tirades in the heat of battle with various broken household items. And White Christmas. After the General has been surprised, Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney have performed their hearts out in the finale and they open the barn doors to reveal the snow. It's a soundstage, obviously, but I still love it.”
-Kate Walker D’Angelo / Director of Institutional Giving

“George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) calling out, ‘Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!’ at the end of It's a Wonderful Life.”
-Doug Jones / Associate Director of Programming

And if our picks aren’t enough sate your appetite for festive films, check out this amazing montage of the movies featured in Alonso Duralde’s book Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas.

By Pamela Miller / Website & Grants Manager