Weary of Christmas classic viewing? Try these 6 fun alternatives

If you've had your fill of Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and all the Home Alone movies, here's a list of alternative flicks to help change up your holiday viewing.

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CBC Radio: Mainstreet pop culture commentator Dave Stewart has these suggestions.

1. Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special

"It's got everybody from Dinah Shore to Grace Jones to Oprah Winfrey," says Stewart of Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special, first broadcast in 1988. It also features Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, as well as k.d. Lang and Magic Johnston.

"Everybody wanted to be on Pee Wee!"Stewart says of the late 80s.

He says the production takes the basic concept of the Christmas special and "camps it up but in a very accessible, funny, nice way."

Stewart has a copy of the special on DVD, but a quick Google search may locate the movie online.

2. Die Hard

Die Hard (1988) has "gained Christmas viewing cult status" over the years because it not only takes place over Christmas, but is often shown on network television over the holidays, Stewart says.

"It really has entered the lexicon of Christmas movies and I mean, it's one of the great action movies of all time," he says.

It stars Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia and the late Alan Rickman.

• ANALYSIS | Why Die Hard is the ultimate Christmas movie despite naysayers

3. Gremlins

When Stewart first saw Gremlins he was about 20 and admits, "it scared me a little bit!"

The movie is set at Christmas and "is a lot of fun," he says.

"I really love this movie, it's very funny. Joe Dante is the director and is a director with a lot of wit he was a big fan of the Loony Tunes cartoons, and it shows."

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas

This Tim Burton-produced classic has "some cool characters that have really kind of ballooned into their own industry," Stewart says of 1993's animated The Nightmare Before Christmas.

"You'll see Jack Skellington shirts, and all the characters on Christmas ornaments, and backpacks it's amazing how popular that's become."

5. Black Christmas

Black Christmas, a Canadian slasher movie from 1974 starring Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder and SCTV's Andrea Martin, is Stewart's favourite Christmas movie of all time.

"It's the original 'the calls are coming from inside the house' movie," Stewart explains. A group of sorority sisters gets a series of creepy phone calls over the holidays.

While the movie is scary, Stewart says it's "very Canadian" its winter scenes actually look very cold.

Black Christmas was re-made in 2008 but Stewart recommends the original.

6. Homeward Bound

Stewart makes no bones about declaring his everlasting hate for a huge holiday favourite, 2003's Love Actually.

"One of the things I despise about it is that the opening scene is stolen from a short film that I love it's called Homeward Bound," he said.

The moving film, directed by Gary Weis, uses the music of Simon and Garfunkel as background to three minutes of travellers reuniting at airport arrivals. It was first shown on Saturday Night Live in 1975.

"It is so heartwarming take your three minutes and watch that if you watch one thing this holiday season," he urges. Watch the film here.

• Why Love Actually may be the worst Christmas movie of all time

'Very scary, very fun!'picks

Stewart also gave thumbs-up to Silent Night, Bloody Night and Silent Night, Deadly Night as well as The Silent Partner with Christopher Plummer and Elliot Gould. Bad Santa with Billy Bob Thornton is another black comedy favourite, he adds.

Tales From the Crypt is a 1972 horror anthology with five stories and includes stars a murderous Joan Collins "very scary, very fun!" he says.

Female Trouble (1974) is a dark comedy that follows a juvenile delinquent whose parents do not get her a pair of heels she wants for Christmas "and pandemonium ensues."

"It's a very famous cult movie scene destroying Christmas morning and I think it speaks to a lot of disappointment that some of us feel on Christmas," says Stewart.

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