Reel Corner - December 2025

December 2025 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine

Have Yourself a Vintage Little Christmas

When it comes to Christmas movies,
contemporary films like Elf, Love Actually,
Charlie Brown’s Christmas, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation may immediately spring to mind.

But if you really want to embody holiday cheer, nothing beats a nostalgic, old-school, Christmas movie.

Something about the charm of Old Hollywood stars, combined with a vintage sound track, immediately creates a cozy and enchanting holiday vibe. When The Reel Corner asked friends to recall their favorite old holiday films, here’s their picks: It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, The Bells of Saint Mary’s, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas in Connecticut, and White Christmas.

No matter what movies you decide to watch this holiday season, be sure not to overlook the following options, as they are proof that the true magic of Christmas transcends time.

Beyond Tomorrow
In this little-remembered 1940 romance, two strangers, a teacher and a cowboy, are invited to spend the evening with a trio of wealthy, but lonely, engineers. The teacher and the cowboy hit it off, but the next day the engineers are tragically killed in a plane crash. But even death will not stop those three from making sure the two get their happy ending. As ghosts, the trio works together to ensure the teacher and cowboy’s romance succeeds.

3 Godfathers
In this 1948 retelling of the biblical story of the Three Wise Men, three cowboys (including John Wayne) happen upon a pregnant woman in the middle of a desert sandstorm. They help the woman as she gives birth to a baby boy. Before she dies, she anoints the men as her son’s godfathers and makes them promise to watch over him for the rest of their lives.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Francie Nolan is growing up in Brooklyn in the 1900s, and though her family is struggling with the clutches of poverty and alcoholism, she is determined to make it out of her Brooklyn apartment—just like the single tree persevering outside her window. An adaptation of the classic novel, this film features a holiday scene so touching, it just might rival the Cratchit’s Christmas.

Since You Went Away
A familial drama about a wife who holds down the fort while her husband is away at war. Though this one is not necessarily festive from start to finish, it does air on movie channels around the holidays due to its moving Christmas scene.

The Cheaters
Highly acclaimed, yet lesser known, The Cheaters unravels around the daughter of a wealthy New York City family who brings a down-and-out former actor home for the holidays. Turns out, the family is not doing so well either. On the verge of bankruptcy and plotting to steal an inheritance, the group spends Christmas all wrapped up in a comedy of errors.

We’re No Angels
One Christmas, three inmates escape from Devil’s Island prison and hunker down with a kind family who take them in. Seeing the family is not doing so well, the trio offer their charms in different ways to keep them afloat. (The original, filmed in 1955, stars Humphrey Bogart)

Remember the Night
Another Christmas-in-the-courtroom classic worth warming your heart! This black-and-white rom-com unfolds in session—or rather, during court recess over Christmas. This is when district attorney John Sargent (Fred MacMurray) falls in love with the shoplifter he is prosecuting (Barbara Stanwyck).

The Shop Around the Corner
A pair of gift shop salespeople, who despise each other, anonymously fall in love via their pen-pal correspondence. This precursor to Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail, starring Jimmy Stewart, is The Reel Corner favorite!

Plácido
A Spanish classic comedy—wealthy inhabitants of a tiny town decide to host those of lesser fortune at their Christmas Eve tables to share a meal.

Whatever films become your holiday favorites, let them bring comfort, nostalgia, and a reason to pause amid the season’s rush. Light a few candles, bake a batch of cookies, and remember to lend a hand to those who need it most. After all, the true classics—family, friendship, and generosity—never go out of style. Happy Holidays from The Reel Corner!

References: www.townandcountry.com; www.oprahdaily.com; www.elle.com; www.harpersbazaar.com

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachu-setts, where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts, especially films, she has traveled to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters, Park Plaza Theater and Northridge. To support her habit of frequent movie going, Donne is a vaccine medicine nurse consultant and also the author of 4 Interview Pillars available on Amazon. See you at the movies!