Holiday Favorites: BeatCreative Yuletide Picks

Happy holidays!

To get in the spirit of the season, the BeatCreative team has gathered up our favorite holiday videos and songs for your enjoyment! Read all about each team member’s pick and share in our yuletide cheer!

Michelle:

Saturday Night Live – “I wish it was Christmas Today”

I have ALWAYS loved this SNL skit. I especially LOVE Tracy Morgan and Chris Kattan’s experssions in this skit every single time they reprise it. Tracy Morgan is simply hilarious and his moves are absolutely the best. (On a side note – I want to thank Tracy Morgan for buying me a drink back in 1997 at the Palladium in NYC!)

SNL via NBC

Gif via NBC SNL Tumblr blog

I digress…back to “I Wish it was Christmas Today.” Throughout the years of being a fan of Saturday Night Live and living in New York, the tune of the song (and the lyrics: “I don’t care what your Mama said, Christmas is here today”) really resonates with me and it is a genius piece written by Jimmy Fallon. The origins of the song are really cool too and you can check it out via this great article from Slate.com

Stephanie:

“Snow” from “White Christmas”

I actually hadn’t seen “White Christmas” until a few years ago, after my husband chiding me for not watching classic holiday films (favoring “Home Alone” instead). I knew a lot of the songs, but I didn’t realize how entertaining the comedy and dancing would be. Now that I’ve seen “White Christmas” multiple times, I can’t imagine a holiday season without it.

One of my favorite songs that is specific to the film is “Snow.” All of the main characters are fantasizing about snow and how amazing and magical it is as they ride the train to Vermont. Of course, like in any good musical, they break out into song! The best part is about halfway through when Rosemary Clooney and Danny Kaye create a snowy mountainside out of their dinner napkins.

Patrick:

“Christmas (baby please come home)”

The best Christmas song of all time is this sucker. Darlene Love’s voice is perfect and I always miss NJ every season. This tune makes me sentimental for my family.

Jamie:

“Santa Claus is comin’ to Town”

My favorite Christmas specials are the Rankin/Bass stop motion animation specials, especially “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”

Ever since I was a little kid, I was always excited to watch the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials on ABC Family once the 25 Days of Christmas started. They’re the creators of the classic TV specials like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman.” During the holidays, I would sit on the couch and marathon the specials while baking cookies with my mom. My favorite special was “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” because of the amazing songs and voice actors. Nothing beats Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney singing in the same movie! (I know, I’m old-fashioned, haha.)
They don’t show the specials on TV much anymore, but I always make sure to record as many as possible so I can marathon them while making piles of chocolate chip cookies at my house in Orlando. It really helps me remember my childhood, and it’s one of my favorite holiday traditions.

Jen:

“Elf”

My best friend and I watched this movie religiously in college, and laughed our hearts out every single time. I can recite most of the movie line by line, and probably 60% of our inside jokes were inspired by this classic. “What’s a Christmas-Gram? I want one!” I think we loved this movie so much, not only because it’s hilarious, but because it really helped us through a rough year. Now, Will Ferrell and the awesomeness of this movie will forever be a part of our bond.

Steph:

Faith Hill- “Where are you Christmas”

This song helps fill your heart with love and Christmas spirit. It’s a must for me every year. “Where Are You Christmas” and the Christmas movie “The Grinch” really help to bring in the spirit of Christmas and gives you the childhood joy for a very merry Christmas season. They are both definitely needed to help fill me up with the love of Christmas.

Carol:

“What’s This?” From “The Nightmare Before Christmas”

My favorite Christmas movie ties together my two favorite holidays! People might debate whether it’s a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, but for me it’s both! It was the first Tim Burton movie I had ever seen and I remember instantly falling in love with the way it looked!

My Christmas highlight of the movie is definitely the “What’s This?” scene! I adore watching Jack Skellington experience Christmas for the first time, set to a beautiful soundtrack by Danny Elfman! The scene is perfectly crafted, from the glittering snow to the glowing Christmas lights. Everything in Christmastown is like a postcard of the perfect holiday season! When you mix all that with a funny and sweet storyline, you’ve got an awesome movie which is definitely on my “Must Watch” list every year!

 
 
What is YOUR favorite holiday song or video? Let us know and we’ll post it on our social media!