10 Best Christmas Movies

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. Notice I didn't just say Christmas I said, the Christmas season, because it isn't just December 24 and 25 that contribute to it. I love when Christmas music starts to play on the radio, decorations are put up all around and best of all you can't turn on the TV without finding a Christmas themed program.

I know some people get annoyed by the commercialization of Christmas and how the season seems to be longer and longer each year and to some extent they are right. But, instead of letting it turn me into a Scrooge, I just go with the flow and embrace cheer and try and spread it around as much as possible.

So here are a list of my 10 all-time favorite Christmas movies.

1. Home Alone - 1990

This movie is a classic and because of it, I think its every kids dream to get stuck at home by yourself and be able to do anything you want.

2. The Family Stone - 2005

With a cast full of great actors this movie is a Christmas can't-miss. It highlights the hilarity involved with being a part of a big family and the pressure of bringing a significant other home for the holiday.

3. Elf - 2003

No best of Christmas movies list would be complete without this hilarious addition. Will Farrell at his finest playing Buddy an Elf  in the middle of an identity crisis and highlighting the Big Apple at Christmas time.

4. Its a Wonderful Life - 1946

This movie is a must see for every Christmas season, a tad more depressing than I remember but, the final scene makes up for it in the end.

5. Four Christmases - 2008

All I can say is this movie is laugh out loud hilarious. You have to check out the scene when they play Taboo, it my favorite part!

6. White Christmas - 1954

Its a Christmas tradition in the Matney household to watch White Christmas on Christmas Eve and it never gets old. Its old Hollywood at its finest.  Every year I hold out hope that I'll have a true White Christmas, so far no luck, but I'll keep my fingers crossed this year will be the one.

7. The Polar Express - 2004

Do you want to take a journey to the North Pole? Well this is the movie for you, all you have to do is ... believe.

8. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - 1989

Christmas is a time for spending time with your family ... even when your family is the Griswolds.

9. How The Grinch Stole Christmas - 2000

If you are one of those people who thinks the Christmas season a little much sometimes then this is the movie for you, if this can't get you in the holiday spirit, nothing can. Take a journey to Whoville to learn about the true meaning of Christmas.

10. Love Actually - 2003

Set in London in the weeks leading up to Christmas, this movie always gets me in the holiday spirit. Follow as the love lives of  several people around the holiday season. What I love though is that it shows that there are so many kinds of love out there, not just romantic love and that it is important to be with the ones you love at Christmas.

It was hard to make this list because there are so many great Christmas movies out there, but, these are the ones I go back to year after year.

What are some of your favorite Christmas movies? Any that you can't believe didn't make the list?

Hoover Dam Tour

Most of my planning flew out the window the second I got to Las Vegas, but one thing I did stick to was our tour of the Hoover Dam -- probably because it was already paid for. My mother had a real hankering to see the Hoover Dam since she had never been there before which was surprising because she's been to almost every state in the country. So we booked the Hoover Dam Tour with Lake Mead Cruise with Viator.

First stop was the infamous Las Vegas Sign.  

Next stop on the tour was the Hoover Dam itself. The tour includes a pick up from the hotel which is super convenient. The tour of the Dam was pretty quick, which I personally like, I'm not a fan of things that last longer then necessary. The inside of the Dam is impressive, its massive. 

Next up was the cruise around Lake Meade. They give you lunch on the boat which is just a basic sandwich and chips, but it was good enough. The cruise around the lake was my favorite part it was beautiful and gives you a really amazing view of the Dam.

At the end of the tour you are supposed to get a tour of the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory -- but we were there at the end of the day and there wasn't really much to see. But, there was lots of chocolate to buy so it all worked out for the best and was a great way to end the tour.

Viva Las Vegas!

If you want to do any thing else in Las Vegas besides drink a lot, eat a lot and walk around aimlessly a lot, then you need to make a plan! I did not do this so, I did a lot of the drinking, eating and walking around aimlessly. Don't get  me wrong that is fun too and is definitely part of the quintessential Vegas experience, but Las Vegas has so many cool things to see and do that you don't want to miss them. 

I had done some planning ahead of time of things I wanted to do but, didn't get the chance:

The Mob Museum

Circus Adventure Dome

Las Vegas Neon Museum

Zipline Down Freemont Street 

Pinball Hall of Fame

See a Show

I went to Vegas for a my best friends wedding, so that took up significant chunk of my time. The rest of my time was spent wandering from hotel to hotel, lounging at the pool, drinking ... lots of drinking, and acquiring a slot machine gambling problem.

The Aria Hotel, where we stayed! Definitely the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in my entire life.

I guess that just means I'll have to go back to Vegas to do all of those other awesome things. Oh bummer! (wink wink)

Have you ever had all of these ideas about what you'll do on a vacation and then when you get there it all goes out the window?

Why Travel Local?

Annapolis Rock, Middletown Maryland 

If you are a travel junkie like me, travel can morph into this grand and lofty idea. It becomes bigger than itself in the sense that so many people think that great travel can only take place when when you are off on some adventure in a far away and exotic land, in a place you need a passport to get to. It is often forgotten that there are so man beautiful places just outside our back doors.

Don't get me wrong. I am often one of those people. 

But, when you are in a situation where international travel is not exactly feasible you don't need to get on a airplane or use your passport to have a meaningful travel experience.

With gas prices lowering and insanely cheap bus tickets (thanks Bolt!) you can travel locally without breaking the bank. In the past month I have visited the Baltimore Aquarium, headed to the top of the Washington Monument and taken a cruise around Annapolis.

I always remember this quote from the movie Eat, Pray, Love. It's when the character Luca Spaghetti (yes, that's his name) says:

   "Americans. You work too hard, you get burned out. You come home and spend 

the whole weekend in your pajamas in front of the T.V."

That line stuck with me, because its so true. Trust me I love a weekend lounging on the couch, binging on some new TV show as much as the next person, but since we live in a country where half of the citizens don't use up all of their paid vacation days, weekends are precious time. So why don't we make the most of them and get out there and see what our backyards have to offer.

Have you traveled locally recently? Are there any places close to home that you have been dying to see?

A Day of History - Washington D.C.

I am embarrassed to admit in all of the 20+ years that I've lived in DMV (District Maryland Virginia), and in all the time I've spent in D.C, I have never been to the top of the Washington Monument.

And, get this, its free!

Yea, how awesome is that! Actually, there are insane amounts of cool things to do and see in D.C that are completely free.

So after the earthquake damage was repaired and the Monument, which I used to refer to as "the pencil" when I was younger, reopened back in May, I knew that, once I came home from Paraguay, I had to finally make the trek to the top.

Fun fact of the day - the Washington Monument is the tallest building in D.C. due to the Height of Buildings Act of 1910 which made it impossible for other buildings to be taller.

Our next stop was the Lincoln Memorial, one of my favorite memorials in D.C. You get a great view of the Washington Monument but, Lincoln himself is pretty awesome. Every time I go there he is much bigger and grander than I remember.

Our final stop of the day was the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I have been there several times, but its always fun to go to a place you have been before and see it through someone else's eyes, and Jose was like a kid in a candy shop, amazed by everything he saw.

It was a long, long day, and by the end of it, I was dead and so were my feet.

Have you eve been to Washington D.C.? Is there a place close to where you live and have always wanted to visit, but never got the chance?