The Monkees

The time has come... once again... for...






OFFICIAL RULES

-Movies, TV shows/specials, Short Films & Cartoons Count

-The movie or TV show DOES NOT need to be holiday oriented. It could simply take place during the holiday season (i.e. Batman Returns, Gremlins, Die Hard, etc.)

-Although the movie doesn't have to take place during the holiday season, a MAJORITY of the film HAS to take place during the holiday season. No movies with just one scene during the holiday season. If you're not sure, ASK!

-Any holiday from Thanksgiving through New Years Day may count

-A film can only be viewed once, UNLESS you watch it and then watched it again with a commentary

-There is no global goal, shoot for a personal goal. Whatever you want your goal to be go for it. For returning participants maybe your goal should be to beat a previous year's goal.

-Again, like past years there will be a THREE Wild Card option to include movies or TV shows you might watch during the holiday season that is not holiday oriented. My family used to watch Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory every Christmas. So anything is allowed, up to 3.

-Specials such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Years Rockin' Eve, etc. can count, but you MUST watch the entire special in order to count it.

-PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE number your lists!

It doesn't matter how you see the film, VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, Laserdisc, Theatrical release, it can be counted. Just have fun.

The challenge begins at 12:00am CST on Monday November 21, 2011 and ends at 11:59pm CST on Sunday January 1, 2012




CHECKLIST



PLEASE KEEP THE DISCUSSION TO THIS THREAD

Enjoy the Horror Movie Challenge and I Look Forward to All Participants!

Trevor

I'm really looking forward to this one. I'll probably be very busy finishing up my move to Maryland, but I will have a wife and step-daughter to share a Challenge with for the first time. Most of the other Challenges aren't up their alleys, but this one should be a lot of fun, especially in later years when I'll have more time.

Trevor

The First Annual November Comedy Challenge will also merge nicely with this one, as many holiday films/shows and films are comedies and could count for both Challenges those last 9 days of November.

mike07

I always look forward to this challenge, but never manage to reach my personal goal. However THIS YEAR, even though I won't be able to start until Dec 1st due to family & work arrangements,


What is this "November Comedy Challenge" you speak fondly of?

The Monkees

Hmm, cool. I'll be able to participate in that as well since I watch mostly comedy films anyway.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I'd like to finally try and do this challenge from start to finish. At best I've only watched half a dozen things out of the previous ones combined.

Indy24LA

Yes, I love this challenge and holiday movies are probably the only ones I can watch over and over again every year.

Trevor

Takingchase just started the official thread for it in the DVDTalk subforum.
I agree. Scrooged, It's a Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are perhaps the only DVDs I watch every year.

jacob_b

This is going to be interesting. I have no idea what movies take place during the Holidays, so I'll def be looking to see what you all put down. I just know I'll get my kid cartoon shows in. Heck, I'll just DVR the entire ABC Family and Cartoon Network and call it a victory LOL.

The Monkees

My favorite part of this is tracking down TV show episodes. They tend to be incredibly emotional and/or moving in their own right. Usually very sappy (i.e. Full House) but still fun to watch. I love the holidays and I always feel so happy during those times so I love to see TV shows/specials/movies that are very emotional in either a happy or (in the lesser case) sad.

Trevor

You could look through all the old lists to get ideas for things that qualify.

But yes, you can also just DVR most of several channels during December to get thousands of hours of Christmas movies and TV episodes. I did that in a past Challenge or three, creating hundreds of DVD-Rs of Holiday content. Well, maybe not hundreds, but definitely over 150.

Wezzo

This challenge is what first got me to post on DVDTalk, I think; I can't wait to take part again, and try and beat my 99 from last year (admittedly, a high percentage were TV episodes, but Christmas is all about the heartwarming TV specials for me)

nodeerforamonth

Which holiday are we talking about? There's over a dozen of them between Halloween and President's Day. I say we limit it to Christmas.

Trevor

So close to 100! I couldn't have stopped at 99. It would have driven me crazy.
It's mainly for the three major US holidays; Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's; but all the other holidays during the time frame are welcome as well. But in actual practice, it's 99% Christmas stuff.

Wezzo

Haha, I know. Unfortunately both my fiancee and I got ill just before Christmas - too ill to even concentrate on TV properly! - and after Christmas I got consumed by all the new discs I'd received on the day

This year I intend to go well over the 100 barrier, though I won't be able to start until November 26, as we're on holiday from 21st to the 25th.

Ash Ketchum

For last year's challenge, I bought a sale copy of this DVD:

CHRISTMAS TREATS: 9 Heartwarming TV Classics
Christmas eps. from the following shows
The Lucy Show (1962)
Petticoat Junction (1963)
Beverly Hillbillies (1963)
The Odd Couple (1970)
Love American Style (1972)
Happy Days (1976)
Laverne & Shirley (1978)
Mork and Mindy (1978)
Cheers (1982)

It was a 2010 release from Paramount/CBS Video.

I looked for it on Amazon and found this:
http://www.amazon.com/Sets-Christmas...8349810&sr=1-1
The picture matches my set, although the description doesn't.

Wezzo

There's a similar one, HOLIDAY TREATS - I can't post URLs yet but it's listed in "similar products" on that item - with I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith, Taxi, Honeymooners, Brady Bunch, Family Ties, Wings and Frasier. That's the one the description is erroneously referring to, I think.

Ash Ketchum

Yeah, I think I'd rather have that one.

Also, for this challenge I picked up a used box set at Book Off, that should keep me busy if I run out of everything else or simply get lazy:

FAMILY CLASSICS: HOLIDAY FAMILY FAVORITES 4-disc set/Mill Creek/
12 holiday movies, 27 Christmas cartoons

Family Movies:
Beyond Tomorrow Starring Charles Winninger (1940) B&W 84 Minutes
A Christmas Without Snow Starring Michael Learned (1980) Color 95 Minutes
The Great Rupert Starring Jimmy Durante (1950) B&W 87 Minutes
Little Women: Jo s Story Starring Kent Smith (1950) B&W 55 Minutes
Little Women: Meg s Story Starring Kent Smith (1950) B&W 55 Minutes
The Littlest Angel Starring Johnny Whitaker (1969) Color 90 Minutes
The Miracle on 34th Street Starring Thomas Mitchell (1955) B&W 60 Minutes
The Nativity Starring Hurd Hatfield (1952) B&W 50 Minutes
The Pilgrimage Play Starring Nelson Leigh (1949) Color 90 Minutes
Santa Claus Starring Jose Elias Moreno (1959) Color 94 Minutes
Santa Claus Conquers theMartians Starring Pia Zadora (1964)Color 81 Minutes
Scrooge Starring Seymour Hicks (1935) B&W 78 Minutes

Classic Christmas Cartoons
The Candlemaker Christmas Comes But Once A Year A Christmas Dream Christmas Fairy Tale Christmas Night A Christmas Tree The Christmas Visitor The Elf and Mr. Little The First Christmas Hector s Hectic Life Howdy Doody s Christmas Jack Frost Jingle Bells The Little Lamb The Little Match Girl Merry Christmas The Night Before Christmas O Come All Ye Faithful O Little Town of Bethlehem A Present for Santa Claus Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen Santa and the Three Bears Santa Claus Story Santa in Animal Land Silent Night: Story of the Christmas Carol Snow Foolin

Bluelitespecial

I still have my dvd list for this challenge on my computer, but now I can just fill up the dvr with movies and tv shows from cable. I'm in for another great year. For my own reference, hopefully I can get back over 100 again this year.
2006- 43
2007- 86
2008- 89
2009- 117
2010- 60

Wezzo

I've been updating my spreadsheet of holiday-themed movies and TV episodes I own on DVD. Up to 60 movies and 400+ TV episodes. I've got a few dozen more holiday movies on my hard drive, too. Plenty of choice for the challenge

Cardsfan111

Another helpful resource is the Holiday TV schedule put together by Rob in this thread.

Here's a direct link to the list which will be updated frequently in coming weeks: Holiday Schedule

BobO'Link

Same here with holiday films that get watched *every* year. My list is:

A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and Christmas in Connecticut (1945).

The Monkees

The list thread will be created sometime next week

FantasticVSDoom

After shitting the bed this year for the Halloween challenge, all in for this especially after last years horrific holiday season for me... Time to jump back in head first.

mike07

The only titles I ensure i watch every Holiday season are A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, and Dutch (Thanksgiving). Everything else is just gravy.

I have so many Christmas titles sitting on my shelf unwatched, that I hope to reach 100 this year (of course, work will probably get in the way of that goal).