Sometimes you want a Miracle on 34th Street – It’s a Wonderful Life – Lifetime Christmas movie that’s full of romance/family togetherness/holiday spirit. Other times (like after an afternoon at the shopping maul), you need a break from it all. Not a complete break, you still want to be able to post #ChristmasMovieTimeWithFriends to all of your social media, what you need is just a little Christmas.

We’ve got a list of Christmas, but not really Christmas, movies in a variety of genres and for a range of audiences.

Gremlins

PG-rated comedy/horror movie released in 1984.  In the movie, Billy gets a pet Mogwai from his father. He doesn’t pay enough attention to two of the rules for its care, don’t get it wet and don’t feed it after midnight, and the Mogwai multiplies and then they turn into gremlins who take over the town.

Who should watch Gremlins? Anyone who likes horror movies (that aren’t too horrific even though it does include a brief homage to Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

The Ref

A 1994 dark comedy where a married couple get taken hostage by a burglar. They still have a better Christmas than Bob. Rated R.

Who should watch The Ref? Anyone with a less than perfect family, especially if they have a mother/mother-in-law who could use a good telling off.

 Die Hard

1988 R-rated action thriller where a man takes a vacation from his NYPD job to visit his wife and fight terrorists. (The first part planned, the second not so much…at least you would think so, but with five films in the franchise, you have to wonder. The man’s a magnet for terrorists.)

Who should watch Die Hard? Anyone who wants to reminisce about a time when a cop could carry a gun onto a plane and when terrorists were named “Hans”.

Love Actually

R-rated romantic comedy from 2003 that weaves together multiple love stories that range from first love to mature love, romantic love to lust.

Who should watch Love Actually? Anyone who wants to see what Hans Gruber’s home life is like. (Alan Rickman plays Gruber in Die Hard and a character named Harry who comes close to cheating on his wife in Love Actually.)

Tokyo Godfathers

2003 PG-13 rated anime about three homeless people who find a baby on Christmas Eve. They set out to find the infant’s parents and through luck, and Christmas miracles, find their way to a happy ending.

Who should watch Tokyo Godfathers? Otaku. You know who you are.

What movies are on your Christmas but not Christmas list?