The 5 Best Christmas Movie Fathers
3. George Bailey, The Put-Family-First Father
From a forgotten father to an iconic father, I give you George Bailey. Truth be told, It’s A Wonderful Life is my favorite Christmas movie and one of my top two favorite movies in any category. I love this film. And who doesn’t cherish George Bailey as one of the great fathers in cinematic history?
George struggles financially but takes care of his wife and kids all while honoring his father’s legacy and helping the community. When given opportunities in life to help himself but maybe not his family, George always puts family first. He captures so much of what all dads should strive to be. He makes mistakes like all of us and almost forgets what matters most, but in the end, he makes the right choices.
“In spite of his frustration and dreams, George honors his father’s work and keeps the Savings & Loan running. With a drafty house, sick kids, low wages, work stresses, and a normal man’s frustrations, he loves and supports his family. Is it easy? Heck no. But he comes through.” – Harold Pond, The Art of Manliness
Every caring father can relate to George. Life is tough, filled with challenges and obstacles. Sometimes we even make poor decisions when striving for the right ones. We love our families so much that sometime we can even hurt them when we put too much stress on ourselves. It can be hard to prioritize what matters most with so many stresses and so many options. George, like all of us, even loses perspective at one point. Thankfully he gains it back as his family reminds him of what he taught them: nothing is more important than family and friends.
What a great list! It’s always good to see pictures of good fathering in entertainment. Merry Christmas!
A list like this must include John Walton from The Homecoming (the christmas movie that introduced the Walton tv series)
Thanks for sharing this list of examples of great fathers—(I liked that you included the adoptive father, Joseph as an example, although not on film). We all need to be reminded how important fathers are to children as they grow up. Thanks for the insight.
Really? The father from A Christmas Story is not there (played perfectly by Darren McGavin)? I know Jimmy Stewart gets a rave, but he was planning on committing suicide. He doesn’t get a pass because an angel saves him from the ultimate selfish act.
+1 for the ‘old man’
2+ for the ‘Old Man.’
And the funniest – anybody that would buy their 10 year old son a Red Rider BB gun gets top dibs in my book.
+3 for the “Old Man” who worked in profanity like other artists worked in oils or clay.
“Now, I had heard that word at least ten times a day from my old man. He worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master. But, I chickened out and said the first name that came to mind.”
Cheers -
I agree with Cliff. I think it’s borderline insulting to forget about Mr. Parker. While Christmas Vacation is funny, it is mostly fascicle, compared to A Christmas Story which is funny but genuine.
You missed The Three Godfathers, the Western allegory referring to the Three Wise Men of the Bible. The John Ford 1948 film starred John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, and Harry Carey as three men who find a live baby among a massacred family. The men, outlaws, sacrifice their lives to save the baby by bringing it to civilization. Best line in the movie, spoken by the dying character played by Mr. Armendariz:
“Hey, Bob… I just remembered what tomorrow is. Feliz Navidad.”
And Feliz Navidad to readers of PJMedia.com.
+1,000 for The Old Man.
Even now, Mr. Cooper, he is cursing you, working “in profanity the way other artists work in oil or clay.” Clearly, you are a Baptist or a Catholic and not an Oldsmobile man.
Clark Griswold? Good Lord, it’s not even a Christmas movie, it’s the Christmas-setting version of a tired franchise.
That cracked me up Jake! And yes, I am a Baptist:) A Christmas Story is my second favorite Christmas movie, and the dad is super awesome at the end.
The Old Man is a classic. From the excitement in following Ralphie loading the BBs to the ultimate frustration at the Bumpes’ hounds, yet not letting it ruin his family’s day.
I was happy to see Clark there, as I always smile at the end, his entire family singing, dancing and making merriment, and hending with a satisfied smile and…”I did it.”
John McLane, the protective father!
Best Christmas movie? White Christmas. It’s perfect fluff. It’s a musical about doing a musical, where the guy gets the girl and the forgotten retired general gets recognition. Heck even the gay guy gets the girl in White Christmas.
He wove a taspesty of obscenity that’s still hnging out over lake Michigan…
I still like Christmas Vacation the best. It didn’t have much of a point, but it was the funniest Christmas movie ever. Anyone who has had to deal with fighting relatives and holiday hassles can relate to it. Clark Griswold is the classic well-intentioned and idealistic, too idealistic father.
Also, Jingle All the Way is a good Christmas movie, although it had a father who was more of a bad example than a good one. Arnold Schwarzenegger neglected his son all year, then tried really hard to make up for it on Christmas Eve. Sometimes too hard.