The Advent Calendar

This year we're having a slightly different Christmas Calendar compared to previous years, oh yes, we'll probably still splurge on a couple of Thornton's Advent Calendars when we next go near one (I like to have chocolate with my name on).

I've always liked the idea of getting a fabric or wooden advent calendar where you can put a different treat inside each pocket or drawer. It's something I'm going to do, maybe not this year, but maybe for next year, it'll make a good craft project I'm sure. This year we're going for something a little less traditional.

We've managed to collect a number of different Christmas (and Christmassy) films; a number which has recently grown to the grand total of 25! Enough to watch one for each day in the run up to Christmas (well, technically we'll have to watch two because we won't be watching any films on Christmas Day).

We had a bit of debate about how to go about watching them - some days we probably won't be able to watch any because of other commitments so we'll have to have catch up sessions. Considering the fact that we have six different variations of the Christmas Carol story, I didn't want to end up watching all six of them on one Saturday. But being incredibly obsessive and slightly anal I wanted to impose some sort of order to the watching of them.

Then I hit upon it: Chronologically. So I did a bit of investigating and I've sorted all twenty-five films into chronological order (with the help of good old imdb.com).

For those of you who are curious, these are the films we'll be watching*:

1. Holiday Inn (1942)
2. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
4. White Christmas (1954)
5. Scrooge (1970)
6. The Snowman (1982)
7. A Christmas Carol (1984)
8. Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988)
9. Father Christmas (1991)
10. Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
11. Mr Bean's Christmas (1992)
12. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
13. Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
14. Flint Street Nativity (1999)
15. The Grinch (2000)
16. A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
17. Elf (2003)
18. Love Actually (2003)
19. The Polar Express (2004)
20. Hogfather (2006)
21. The Holiday (2006)
22. Four Christmases (2008)
23. Nativity! (2009)
24. A Christmas Carol (2009)
25. Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010)

*There has been a slight change to this list since I originally compiled it, we've actually added a few more films to the line up.

I realise now that we may have a bit of a Christmas Carol pile up during the second week of the month, and again at the very end, but I'm sure we'll muddle along somehow.

And I'm planning on posting a few words about each one as we go. Should be fun.