Well, the winners have been selected:



First prize (Love Actually DVD): Miss Erin

Second prize (Prague Bookmark): JessicaBurkhart



Strangely enough, one came from my MySpace blog and one from LiveJournal, though, I didn't plan that.

You both have been contacted, but just email me your mailing addresses to elmarshall (at) gmail.com to receive your prize.

Thanks so much for everyone that participated. It's been fun. Sorry to all those that didn't win, you can blame my husband for note selected your name from the pile (nice, how I made him pick a name and not be, right? :)

We are down to the final three of the countdown.

Make sure to leave a comment by the end of today, and I'll draw a name tomorrow morning to win the Love Actually DVD and a separate person to win the bookmark.

10:) Eloise at Christmastime (2003):



I'm fairly certain my husband is laughing at me right now. As he always laughs when I watch any of the Eloise movies. But what can I say? I just like them, even though I'm fairly certain these are probably supposed to be for children like my six-year-old niece. Oh well, I guess Hannah Montana is supposed to be for them, too, but that doesn't stop me from watching it religiously.

Eloise is slightly annoying at times, but this is still a good movie. Some of you might be familiar with the books, if not the movie. It takes place at the Plaza Hotel at Christmastime and involves Eloise helping with a Christmas wedding, while she's plotting a matchmaking scheme.

11.) Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004):



What can I say, I guess, I'm in a cheesy kid Christmas movie mood today. But I love historical films and I love Christmas films, so it's only natural that I'd like this movie. And I know there are more historical Christmas films out there. I just can't think of any at this time. So if you know of any, please remind me. And I'll make sure to check them out.

This movie is set in 1904 and revolves around the popular American Girl character Samantha. She lives with her grandmother after her parents death and bonds with Nellie, a girl that moves in to be a servant next door. She also bonds with her uncle and his new wife, while improving the lives of some orphans. Good clean fun. It's really a cute story. I need to see the rest of the American Girl movies. I have them DVR'd as I write this.

12.) Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Clause (2004):



This last one was hard to narrow done. There were tons in the running, but ultimately, I had to stick to the cheesiness of them. And this one's title alone is pretty darn cheesy. It stars Steve Guttenberg and Crystal Bernard, and basically involves Santa's sons search for a wife as he's about to take over Santa's duties. He meets Beth, whose a workaholic at an advertising firm. He stars in several commercials for her company, all while trying to convince Beth and her son to believe in Santa. The sequel Meet the Santas is decent, too.


So there you have it, my top 12 Cheesy Movies. Now, share yours . I need more Cheesy Movies to find.

There's a few that look good this year, especially:
• A Christmas Caper
• Holiday in Handcuffs
• Snowglobe


And just in case you were wondering, these are my top Cheesy Movies, but my FAVORITE movies to watch at Christmas isn't really a tough decision. They easily are:

5.) His and Her Christmas (2005):



This one is a no brainer for me. Merely because David Sutcliffe (Christopher from Gilmore Girls) is in it. And I’m all about anything from Gilmore Girls. Plus, it involves the publishing business (newspapers, but still publishing.)

Anyway, it’s about Tom (Sutcliffe), whose large newspaper wants to buy out a smaller one. One of the staff members of the smaller newspaper, Liz (Dina Mayer—who has amazing curly hair in the movie, in case you were wondering), finds a way to try to save the newspaper by creating a special Christmas column. When the column’s a hit, Tom gets assigned to write a competing column. Then the sparks fly. In Cheesy Christmas terms that means in multiple ways, of course. First, they are rivals. And we all know what comes after rivals…why romance, of course.


6.) The Night they saved Christmas (1984):



To me this movie isn’t cheesy at all, because I’ve loved it since I was little. But when I get down to it and examine it at it’s core, it is pretty cheesy. Plus, I realized there were an abnormally high number of movies on my list that were from 2003-2005 (must have been a good cheesy Christmas movie time), so I figured I needed to mix it up a bit.

For all those that said they hadn’t heard of any of the others, I’d be pretty surprised if you hadn’t seen this one on at one time or another.

If you haven’t seen it, it’s about an oil company that’s blasting in the Artic. Santa gets concerned more blasting will ruin the North Pole, so he gets the wife of an oil executive and her children to convince her husband to stop. But the best parts of the movie are when they ride around in the snowmobiles and end up in the North Pole. I haven’t seen this movie in a few years, so I forget all the details, but I’m fairly confident the special effects on this one alone are pretty cheesy. But still this is an all time favorite.


7.) A Carol Christmas (2003):



As I’m sure you can guess by the title, this one’s a retelling of a Christmas Carol. But Tori Spelling's the one that needs the lesson this time around. She plays Carol a successful and shrewd talk-show host. And while putting together a Christmas special for her show, she’s visited by “ghosts” from her past. And you all probably know the rest of the story. Plus, there’s a romance in this version, which personally is just what the original story needed, in my opinion.


Don't forget to leave a comment. The more days you comment, the better your chance for a prize.

Onto numbers 3 and 4 of my favorite Cheesy Christmas Movies.

3.) Christmas in Boston (2005):
Okay, this one I really like. I have no idea why. But it stars Marla Sokoloff and Patrick J. Adams, and honestly, I think Marla Sokoloff needs to do a ton more movies. I’ve been a fan of hers, since she was Gia on Full House. And I loved her in last year’s Big Day.

Anyway, it’s about two pen pals that have been friends for 13 years and when one goes to Boston for a toy conference for work they decide to meet for the first time. Problem is that both of them sent pictures of their best friends, instead of sending their real pictures. So they force their best friends to meet instead, not realizing that the other one is doing the same thing. Then the friends start to fall for each other.

Seriously, it involves a toy conference, Boston, pen pals, cases of mistaken identities. What’s not to love?


4.) Eve’s Christmas (2004):


This one involves time travel in the vain of 13 Going on 30 (except backwards). Good cheesy stuff. It stars Elisa Donovan (from other great movie Clueless) as Eve Simon, a wealthy and successful career women whose alone at the holiday season and wondering about the year’s past and if she’s taken the right path in life. She runs into a homeless man who tells her to “wish upon a Christmas star,” and when she does she’s thinking about her ex-fiancé, Scott, that she walked out on twelve years ago. She’s sent back in time and given the chance to relive a crucial week in her life, right before her would-be wedding.


Don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible for a prize. I've still yet to find a movie. It's really hard to find an actual DVD of a Cheesy Christmas Movie in the stores, so please bare with me as I figure out what the final prize will be.

I'm back from my trip to Europe. I had an amazing time and will post a recap and pictures soon. In the mean time, I must deliver what I promised before I left, due to the seasonality of the issue.

It’s almost that time of year again: when the holiday decorations go up and singing randomly at someone’s doorstep becomes not only acceptable, but also encouraged. Many people anticipate Christmas and the other holiday’s celebrated in December throughout the entire year.

And I’m no exception.

But for me starting December 1st, the holidays mean more to be then eggnog, hot cocoa, and roasting chestnuts over an open fire (side question: has anyone even attempted that last one and lived to tell about it?).

Instead, the end of the Thanksgiving Holiday begins a special time of year in the Marshall household…

…CHEESY CHRISTMAS MOVIE SEASON!!!!!!

Add a dash of romantic comedy, a pinch of snow and holiday cheer. Put it on ABC Family Channel or Hallmark Channel and you’ve got: Cheesy Christmas Movie Madness!!

So in celebration of Cheesy Christmas Movie Season, I’ll be counting down my top 12* favorite Cheesy Christmas Movies** of all time.

Up first and second (note these are in no particular order):




1.) A Boyfriend for Christmas (2004):



I’m sorry, but if the title of this movie doesn’t get you, then I think you shouldn’t continue on reading my tribute to Cheesy Christmas movies. Seriously, with a title like this, how could you not watch this movie? It’s classic Cheesy Christmas!

It's about Holly (the lovely Kelli Williams) who at the age of 13 stops believing in Santa Clause after her wish to receive a boyfriend for Christmas never comes true. It's truly a sad state of affairs, but have no fear, jump forth to the present 20 years later, and Santa finally makes good on the promise that a boyfriend will arrive. And this time, she has two to pick from: Ted (her one-time high school heartthrob) and Ryan, a rival attorney, who has a mysterious connection to a 20-year-old gift from a department store Santa Clause. Do you even think it's going to be a close call, between the two guys?



And next,

2.) Recipe for a Perfect Christmas (2005):

Not only stars the lovely Carly Pope as JJ, a food critic, but Bobby Cannavale, Will’s love interest Vince from Will and Grace as a young chef, Alex.

Things for JJ go south when her mother shows up unannounced for the holiday season. In an attempt to keep her mom busy and to avoid her, she works out a deal with Alex to occupy her mom. But of course, JJ ends up falling for Alex. Very cute holiday movie. Even though, it's not nearly as good as the non-holiday-cheesy-movie staring Carly Pope and Brian Austin Green (or Brian A. Green as I guess he likes to be called now), This Time Around. Had that been a Christmas movie it would definitely beat this one right out of it's spot.





Numbers, 3-12 will be coming later this week.

And as promised, I will even be awarding as a prize, one Cheesy Christmas Movie that has yet to be determined and a second prize of a small gift I picked up in Prague.

TO WIN A PRIZE, just leave a comment any day this week on either my LJ Blog or my MySpace Blog. I'll draw a winner at the end of the week (I'll put your name in the "hat" for every day you comment).



* NOTE: yes, 12 was choosen not because there are only 12 great cheesy movies out there (because, hello, there are clearly tons more in existence), but instead because 12 appears to be a very Christmasy number. And I must note, I had like 50 movies in the running for the top 12 and had to narrow it down to the most Cheesy. Thus, I have an extended list that I will be giving at the end of the week.

** 2nd NOTE: Cheesy Christmas Movies are not to be confused with Cheesy Classic Christmas*** Movies. So you will not be seeing any National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, A Christmas Story, or any of the cheesy classics on this list. Those are all in another movie genre to themselves.

*** 3rd NOTE: to any member of my family that might be reading this blog, please note that Cheesy Classic Christmas Movies in now an official genre of movies as proven in this blog dated November 26, 2007. Which means, at the next game of Scattergories if I happen to use this in the context of the game, it would be an automatic triple-word score!