Christmas in May: Warner Bros. Top 10 Binge Watching Guide

It’s beginning to look a lot like, Memorial Day weekend and the kickoff to summer fun, so why am I posting about Christmas in May? Apparently, this lover of all things Christmas didn’t get the memo that some Americans start putting up their Christmas lights now to help spread cheer throughout the year. Are you among them?  Now that I know this tidbit of information, I’ll be looking for Christmas decorations everywhere. 

Don’t feel like putting up the full display just yet? Well, have no fear, as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is dedicating this week’s Top 10 Binge Watching Guide to the most wonderful time of the year to lift your spirits and make you feel jolly!

My thanks to Warner Bros.Entertainment for sharing the information and movie clips/photos for today's post. I did not receive any compensation for sharing it, but my heart is happy because of it. 

I know the holidays can be a stressful time, but here at our house, we love the holidays and one way we get into the spirit is watching classic holiday TV shows and movies.  Why not take some time this week to warm your heart and bring the magic and spirit of the holidays into your home! It’s the perfect time to do this especially if you have younger kids at home who may be getting bored.

Warner Bros. Top Pick of the Week: 

1. A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish:

“Brimming with overtones from the classic fairytale, this contemporary musical follows Katherine “Kat” Decker dreaming of becoming a famous singer-songwriter. Her reality, however, is suffocated by her conniving and cruel stepfamily and a demoralizing job working as a singing elf at billionaire Terrence Wintergarden’s Santa Land. When she starts to fall for Nick, the handsome new Santa at the tree lot, things begin to look up. Unfortunately, when her stepmother and stepsisters realize Kat has been invited to the prestigious Wintergarden Christmas Gala, they’ll stop at nothing to procure their own invitation and keep Kat from attending. With the help of her attentive dog, a true friend, and a little bit of holiday magic, Kat may just make it to the gala, discover the true identity of Nick, and experience the true meaning of Christmas.

The enchanting original movie stars Laura Marano (Disney’s Austin and Ally) as Kat Decker, Gregg Sulkin (Marvel’s Runaways, Faking It, Wizards of Waverly Place) as Dominic Wintergarden, Barclay Hope (Riverdale) as Terrence Wintergarden, three-time Leo® Award winner and Hallmark Channel favorite Johannah Newmarch (When Calls The Heart, Garage Sale Mystery franchise) as the cruel stepmother Deirdra Decker, Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time) as Kat’s best friend Isla, and evil-stepsisters Joy and Grace are played, respectively, by Lillian Doucet-Roche (The Miracle Season) and Chanelle Peloso (Syfy’s Deadly Class). This is the fifth installment in the A Cinderella Story movie series, and first one with a Christmas theme. Other titles include A Cinderella Story (Hilary Duff), Another Cinderella Story (Selena Gomez), A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (Lucy Hale) and A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits (Sofia Carson).”  

I can’t wait to watch this movie with my daughters because they used to love the TV show Austin and Ally! 

Behind the Scenes Footage:

Please check out this clip below from the bonus content featurette titled “The Mic & The Stage, “ and get a glimpse into the production of this heartwarming musical as you go behind the scenes with Laura Marano and Director/Writer Michelle Johnston to see how the magic was created!

As promised, below you find the top 10 binge watching picks from Warner Bros. in no particular order. I’ll not each family favorite in the list with a *, which for today’s post will be a snowflake.

2. Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love:

“Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors - Circle of Love continues with the story of young Dolly Parton as the Parton Family experiences a true Christmas miracle drawing the Partons closer together than ever - with deepened faith and love for one another. The film delivers Christmas joy and peril as an unexpected blizzard threatens the Parton family while Dolly’s father (and his kids) make sacrifices to raise enough money to finally buy his loving wife the wedding ring he could never afford. Meanwhile, an important person in little Dolly’s life begins to see that her amazing voice and musical gift might just be made for something bigger than rural Tennessee.” *New Favorite of Mine.*

3. Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas:

“Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas tells the story of Buddy the elf, and his quest to reunite with the human father he never knew existed. While Buddy's sincerity and idealism are commonplace at the North Pole, these attributes are rejected in cynical New York City. But through song, dance, and relentless good cheer, Buddy rekindles the spirit of Christmas for the entire city. This stop-motion animated holiday musical movie combines the humor and spirit of the beloved holiday film Elf with songs from the Broadway hit Elf: The Musical to create an all-new retelling of Buddy’s delightfully absurd yet heartwarming story.”

 

4. Teen Titans Go! Holiday Collection:

“From Warner Bros. Animation, it’s the return of Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg in all-new comedic adventures. But these teen superheroes have more than just superpowers — they have super-sized chores to do and they’re unsupervised! So, get ready for pizza parties and pranks as the teens totally annoy one other, in between fighting crime. Unless there’s something good on TV.”

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas:

"In this Emmy® and Peabody Award winning classic, Charlie Brown is upset by how commercial the Christmas holiday has become. To coax him out of his holiday blues, Lucy suggests he direct the school’s Christmas pageant and decorate a glorious tree. Charlie Brown concedes. The tree he finds however, is puny, prompting everyone to ridicule him." * Family favorite! Must watch every year! *

6. A Christmas Story Live!:

“A live musical event inspired by the perennial holiday movie favorite and the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical production, A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE! follows nine-year-old Ralphie Parker, who dreams of finding a genuine Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun under the tree on Christmas morning. The over-two-hour TV movie stars Maya Rudolph, Matthew Broderick, Jane Krakowski, Chris Diamantopoulos, Ana Gasteyer, and talented newcomer Andy Walken as Ralphie. This winter-wonderful extravaganza features stunning choreography on massive sets and family-friendly songs with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, lyricists of La La Land’s Academy Award®-winning* song, “City of Stars.” Get ready to sing and dance along to your new favorite holiday tradition!”  *I can’t wait to see!*

7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas:

“Magnificently narrated by Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, The Mummy) and directed by animation genius and cartoon legend Chuck Jones (Looney Tunes, What's Opera, Doc?), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! tells the story of the miserable Grinch, who wants to sabotage Christmas for all the Whos in Who-ville. The Grinch thinks that by stealing the Whos Christmas trees and presents, he’ll succeed in stealing their joy. However, when Christmas morning arrives, the Grinch is taken by surprise when he notices the Whos greet the day joyously singing Christmas carols regardless of the fact that their village has been completely stripped of holiday gifts, decorations and treats. The cheerful attitude of the Whos prompts the Grinch to ponder the true meaning of Christmas and he slowly comes to realize the spirit of the season is not generated by material possessions. Will the Grinch have a change of heart and consider returning the Whos’ Christmas gifts?” * Family favorite! Must watch every year! *

8. Tom & Jerry Nutcracker Tale:

“In an empty opera house, Jerry wishes for a chance to perform -- and magically his dream comes true. The little mouse is whisked away to an enchanted kingdom where anything is possible: candy forests, singing snowflakes, even the toys spring to life! Jerry has a great time with his new friends, and when Jerry dances with the music box ballerina, he is as happy as happy can be. Unfortunately, alley cats led by Tom crash Jerry's party, kidnap the music box ballerina and wreak havoc in the holiday kingdom. It's up to Jerry to set things right -- and with help from a fellow mouse named Tuffy and more newfound friends, Jerry just may win the day!”

9. The Year Without a Santa Claus:

“Mrs. Santa Claus tells the story of the year that Santa Claus, feeling ill and unwanted, decided to take a holiday. But when the elves show Santa all the toys they are preparing--and the children eagerly awaiting Christmas--Santa dons his red suit and drives his gift-laden sleigh for his annual rounds in this stop-motion animated family special.”  *I can’t wait to see!*

 10. Frosty’s Winter Wonderland:

 

“The world's favorite snowman, Frosty, has lots of young friends, still he's lonely for another snowperson. The children build him a wife named Crystal, but jealous, cold-hearted Jack Frost plots to keep Frosty and Crystal from finding happiness together in this musical, animated family special.” *A family favorite.*

I hope this list inspires you to break out your Christmas movie collection and watch a few this month. If you see a movie you’d like to watch, all titles are now available to own at major digital retailers, including iTunes, Amazon Prime, VUDU and Google Play. For more information about Warner Bros. classic fun, please visit them here. 

Happy Holidays in May! I hope you find joy in the every day little things that bring you and your family joy. 

Please share in comments: Did you favorite Christmas movie make on this Top 10 list?