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Editor-in-chief, New York.

Second-Tier But Fun Christmas Movies

Everyone knows the usual Christmas classic movies on the top of every list. But what are some favorite second-tier Christmas movies that, while not classics, are thoroughly enjoyable?

Almost everyone has seen the classic great Christmas movies like It’s A Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, and the many iterations of Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. While familiarity is the point of re-watching your favorite Christmas movies, sometimes a person wants to branch out a little to find their own comforting movie for a quiet night.

Below are three movies that are not classics and have their faults, but that I enjoy for something a little different.

Holiday Affair (1949)

Viewers of Turner Classic Mvies are probably already fans of Holiday Affair. Like It’s a Wonderful Life, Holiday Affair was not a big hit when it was released after World War II, but repeated showings on television have given the movie a broader audience.

Holiday Affair doesn’t have the holiday spirit and deeper meaning of It’s a Wonderful Life. There’s no angels and Christmas plays more of a background in this romantic comedy. But it has Robert Mitchum, who reportedly accepted the role in the family friendly movie to repair his image after getting busted for having marijuana.

Mitchum and Janet Leigh are a great couple in the movie, even if the will-they or won’t-they aspect is fairly a foregone conclusion, as it is Mitchum after all. But the movie is fun, with a highlight being that Mitchum’s competition played by Wendell Corey is not a typical heel but a nice guy.

If you like your movies in black and white, check out a couple of Barbara Stanwyck films, Christmas in Connecticut (1945) and Remember the Night (1940). The latter also stars Fred MacMurray and is endearing for a storyline that is not your typical romance as a prosecutor ends up falling in love with the woman he is supposed to prosecute.

Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)

While Daddy’s Home was a fun comedy that touched on issues of masculinity, the sequel ramps up the fun with the addition of Mel Gibson and John Lithgow and with setting the movie at Christmas time. The cast also includes Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, and John Cena.

You do not need to have seen the first film to enjoy Daddy’s Home 2, which finds Ferrell and Wahlberg’s characters having come to a happy way to work together raising healthy kids while Ferrell is married to Wahlberg’s ex-wife. But things take a funny turn when their fathers show up for Christmas.

I won’t ruin more, but like many great holiday movies there is a wonderful music scene that helps bring everyone together and tie up some loose ends.

You will not be abandoning your favorite Christmas movies for this one, but it is a fun addition if you want something lighthearted and a little different.

A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)

This film is also a sequel, but this time a sequel to a movie that has become a classic in its own right, A Christmas Story (1983). Producers had made two previous tries at creating a good sequel to the original A Christmas Story. But My Summer Story (1994) and A Christmas Story 2 (2012) are at best, for die-hard fans of the original, or at worst, better forgotten completely.

A Christmas Story Christmas, however, does things that a good sequel does. It brings back many of the actors from the original, including Scott Billingsly as Ralphie but also many of the other kids as grownups. So as a start, the movie is a nice nostalgic trip to catch up with favorite characters (from an original movie that was already nostalgic).

A Christmas Story Christmas also has callbacks to man of the events from the original, like a trip to see Santa Claus, someone accepting a dare, etc. If there is one weakness in the movie it is that it might be a little too long and seem episodic, straying from the main story in an attempt to squeeze everything in. But those episodes gives something to fans of the original.

More importantly, the over arching story captures many of the themes of the original while adding something worthwhile. While the original focused on a grown up’s memories of being a child, A Christmas Story Christmas, at its best, is about the challenges of the holidays as an adult trying to survive Christmas while also trying to create new memories for the children.

While A Christmas Story Christmas may never reach the classic status of A Christmas Story, it has a lot to say and is a nice break from the repeated viewings of the beloved original.

Honorable Mention: While many might mention Love Actually (2003) as a fun second-tier holiday film that many love and many hate, there is another movie from one year earlier also featuring Hugh Grant that deserves mention. About a Boy (2002) is a comedy drama based on a Nick Hornby novel that is not entirely about Christmas, but has several Christmas references including he setting at the end and the lead character, played by Hugh Grant, living off the money from one Christmas song. But the film captures the holiday spirit, where one might see Grant being a version of Ebeneezer Scrooge and one awkward boy (played by Nicholas Hoult) replacing Dickens’ ghosts.

What your favorite second-tier Christmas movies? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Joe Ely’s “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me” (Song of the Day)

Joe Ely, who passed away in 2025, created some of the defining Texas music for more than fifty years as both a solo artist and working with other legends.

The year 2025 seems to be ending with a lot of bad news. With more mass shootings, we have also very recently lost artists like Todd Snider, Raol Malo, Rob Reiner and his wife. And now comes news that Joe Ely has passed away due at home in New Mexico due to “complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia.”

Born in Texas on February 9, 1947, Ely became a legend of Texas country and rock music starting with his work with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock in the Flatlanders. The band broke up in 1972 soon after recording their first album, though the three would reunite several times through the year. Ely went on to his own solo work as well as performances with artists such as The Clash, Uncle Tupelo, The Chieftains, Bruce Springsteen, and Guy Clark. That’s Ely singing backup on The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”

In the late 1990’s, Ely joined the supergroup Los Super Seven along with other artists including Freddy Fender, David Fender, David Hildago (Los Lobos), and Ruben Ramos. Their 1998 self-titled album won a Grammy for best Mexican-American music performance.

One of my favorite albums that has been in my collection for decades is Joe Ely’s Live Shots, recorded and released in 1980 while he was touring with The Clash. One of my favorite tracks on the album is “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me,” written by his former Flatlanders bandmate Butch Hancock. Below Ely sings the song at the International Country Festival at Ahoy Hall in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on May, 18 1978.

Those who knew the music of Ely and The Flatlanders know he was a legend. Check out more of his music, including this more recent performance of Billy Joe Shaver’s “I’m Going to Live Forever.” Here, Ely sings the song at the Music Fog showcase during SXSW 2010 at Threadgill’s in Austin, TX on March 18, 2010.

RIP Joe Ely. Leave your two cents in the comments.

The Mavericks on The Tonight Show in 1994: “What a Crying Shame”

Raul Malo, who passed away in December 2025, and the Mavericks released several singles off their third album, “What a Crying Shame.”

Raul Malo passed away from cancer on December 8, 2025. Known as the lead singer of The Mavericks and a successful solo career, Malo’s voice brought one of the most identifiable sounds to whatever original or cover song he was singing.

I first heard that voice in 1994 on the radio playing the title track from The Mavericks’ album What a Crying Shame, a song co-written by Malo with Kostas Lazarides. Four more singles from the album would follow: “O What a Thrill,” “There Goes My Heart,” “I Should Have Been True,” and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “All That Heaven Will Allow.”

After first hearing “What a Crying Shame,” I immediately went out and bought the album on cassette tape, eventually playing it so much I wore it out.

Although the band would disband by the end of the 1990s, they soon reunited. They would break up again and reunite again, and Malo would also continue to do solo work. On December 5 and 6, 2025, various artists performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville as part of a tribute concert to the Mavericks. Unfortunately, Malo fell ill and could not attend the tribute concert “Dance the Night Away: A 35 Year Musical Legacy Celebration Honoring Raul Malo.” And he died two days later.

Malo left behind a legacy of the great songs he wrote, the music he made himself and with The Mavericks, and that voice, always that voice. Below is a performance from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1994 when the young band’s song “What a Crying Shame” was climbing the charts. RIP Raul Malo.

What is your favorite song by Raul Malo? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Marty Brown Sings His Song “To the Moon” (Originally Recorded by George Strait)

Singer-songwriter Marty Brown has recorded his own version of the song he co-wrote for George Strait called “To the Moon.”

Marty Brown to the moon video

In an earlier post, we noted that legendary country singer George Strait recorded a song written by singer-songwriter Marty Brown and Steve Clark. The song, “To the Moon,” is a wonderful country love song that appeared on Strait’s Cowboys and Dreamers album, while Strait often dedicates to his own wife in concert. Now, Marty Brown has made his own version of the song.

While we like both versions of the song, Marty Brown’s country tenor is a nice contrast to Strait’s laid-back baritone, giving an added immediacy to the song. For his version, Brown has released a fun video featuring some clips of him and his wife Shellie, along with the star of the title, the moon. Check it out.

Brown’s most recent album is 2019’s American Highway, and he continues to write music for other artists and to bring his music to fans through touring.

In other Marty Brown news, make sure to tune in to the January 26, 2026 episode of American Idol where he makes a guest appearance supporting his son Christian Brown auditioning for a spot on the show.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

Todd Snider Live in Nashville 2010

Singer-Songwriter Todd Snider passed away unexpectedly in November 2025 after some recent odd news. We remember his music and a live show from 2010.

Todd Snider passed away at age 59 on November 14, 2025 after a few weeks of strange news on social media from his Instagram account and from his record label Aimless, Inc. First, his Instagram account posted on November 3, 2025 that Snider was cancelling tour dates after he had been violently assaulted in Salt Lake City, Utah. Not long after that, news broke that Snider had been arrested in Salt Lake City at the hospital where he went after the assault. By reports, he had been discharged but then returned to the hospital saying he was not well enough to leave and things escalated from there. He was charged with disorderly conduct, threat of violence and criminal trespassing.

While we still were waiting on any more verifiable news about the assault and arrest, Snider’s family and friends revealed that he had passed away. They noted that he had been “quietly suffering from an undiagnosed case of walking pneumonia.” His publicist later confirmed that Snider had died from pneumonia. Aimless, Inc. wrote:

“He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs, and showed many of us how to look at the world through a different lens. He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves, those same giants who let him into their lives and took him under their wings, who he studied relentlessly. Guy Clark, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker.”

Todd Snider had been touring in support of his latest album High, Lonesome and Then Some. He leaves behind a wonderful collection of albums, many of which he recently re-recorded as acoustic versions with the stories behind the songs (giving the downloads away for free on his website). I first discovered his music in 200 with Happy to Be Here, and 2003’s Near Truths and Hotel Rooms remains one of my favorite live albums.

The outpouring of sorrow and love for Snider has been a testament to how his music touched many lives. He never had a major hit and many reports on his death struggled to figure out what Snider song to put in their headlines (For example, Hollywood Reporter headlines “Alright Guy”; Deadline headlines that his song “Just Like Old Times”” inspired the 2020 film Hard Luck Love Song; San Antonio Express-News mentions “Beer Run” in its headline, etc.). But many loved his music. If you know artists like Todd Snider and Jerry Jeff Walker, you get it.

While the circumstances of Todd Snider’s death leave us with many questions. his music leaves us with much joy. Whether you are a fan or new to his work, check out this great Nashville live show The Storyteller – Todd Snider Live from Nashville (with Great American Taxi). The show was recorded at the James K. Polk Theatre on February 20, 2010. The title captures that he always was a great storyteller, and we hope he is somewhere telling Jerry Jeff some new stories. RIP.

Leave your two cents in the comments.