Tag: christmas movies

Posted in Moments and Musings

Top Five Favorite Christmas Movies

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Christmas movies are my absolute favorite. They’re filled with hope, redemption, love, comfort, and joy—everything that makes this season feel magical. There’s nothing I treasure more than curling up with a crochet project, a mug of hot chocolate, my warmest blanket, and my dog by my side, getting completely lost in the nostalgia of childhood Christmases.

And yes… I’m a Hallmark movie junkie to my very core.

So today, I wanted to share my top favorite Christmas movies—the ones I return to year after year, the ones that make the season feel whole, and the ones that never fail to bring a smile (or a few happy tears).

1.      A Christmas Carol – The theme of redemption runs strong through this story. I’ve always loved both the book and the movie. There’s something powerful about watching the buildup—seeing all the moments that shaped Scrooge into who he is. I love how the story forces us to confront the future and consider how different things could be if we made positive changes in our own lives (I think many of us could use a dose of that!). But my favorite part will always be the transformation itself—watching Scrooge rediscover joy and seeing how that joy spreads to everyone around him.

By the way, I love the Reginald Owen version, the Patrick Stewart version and the Disney version.

2.      The Man Who Invented Christmas – This film tells the story of Charles Dickens during the creation of A Christmas Carol. As a writer, I love watching how he absorbs everything around him—every interaction, every emotion—and transforms it into such a timeless masterpiece. One of the most powerful moments is his reunion with his deeply flawed father, which helps him confront and accept his own imperfections. This movie has become an annual must-watch for me.

3.      The Christmas Candle – This movie, based on Max Lucado’s story, is pure magic for me. It follows a preacher who is asked to serve as minister in the small town of Gladbury, a town with a unique tradition: every 25 years, an angel is believed to visit the town’s candlemaker and bless a single candle. Whoever receives this candle will be granted a miracle in the form of answered prayer. Faith is the central theme, as we watch the minister struggle to reconcile his skepticism with this cherished town fable. As the story unfolds, God’s faithfulness becomes evident through the answered prayers, ultimately restoring the minister’s faith in both God and humanity. This heartwarming tale is sure to leave you with happy tears. Adding to the magic, there’s a recurring song throughout the movie, beautifully performed by Susan Boyle.

4.      It’s a Wonderful Life – No holiday movie list would be complete without this classic. I have fond memories of watching it with my mom, and the final scenes never fail to bring tears as George Bailey is recognized as the “richest man in town” because of his friends. I love the theme of selflessness embodied in George—he gives everything he has to others, often at the expense of his own dreams, so that those around him can succeed. Yet, in his moment of greatest need, the very people he helped rally around him, providing support and care beyond his expectations. It’s a beautiful reminder that giving to others often comes back to us in the most meaningful ways.

5.      A Christmas Story – Another must-watch movie makes the list. Years ago, TNT would run this movie on repeat every Christmas Day. After my mom passed, we cut the cable cord and moved to streaming services. My girls and I then started a new tradition: watching this movie each Christmas morning while enjoying cinnamon rolls and unwrapping gifts. It’s a silly, nostalgic, and hilarious film—definitely worth watching at least once during the season.

I’ve shared my top five Christmas movies…now it’s your turn! 🎄🍿 Spill your favorites in the comments—I need more for my holiday watchlist!

Posted in Moments and Musings

Refilling The Glass

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Bishop’s Wife. There’s a scene – my mom’s favorite – where Cary Grant’s character, Dudley, counsels Professor Wutheridge (played by Monty Woolley). They’re drinking wine and Wutheridge goes to refill Dudley’s glass (and his own) only to find it already full. During the scene, we see Dudley waive his finger in the background using his angel abilities to refill not only their glasses but the bottle as well.

I was thinking about this on my morning walk with Percy as I saying my ‘good mornings’ to God. (I don’t have super wordy prayers with God anymore unless I’m led by the Spirit. But I do like to have real conversations with Him during the day.) So there I was, walking and thinking about how this is a brand new day and a lovely morning when suddenly, a quote from Anne of Green Gables popped into my head-

“Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it.” ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

And I felt a sense of relief and peace. If you’re a Failed Perfectionist, like I am, you’ll know what I’m talking about here. It’s refreshing to learn you get a horde of brand new chances each morning. After all, we probably fell asleep the previous night after using some distraction to keep our brains from highlighting for us all the ways we failed. So waking up to a brand new day feeling like the white board has been wiped clean is pretty important. Then this verse popped into my brain from Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22-23 (ESV):

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

God’s mercy is new every morning. Every morning, there is a fresh batch of undeserved favor available. Without fail.

For someone who is serially hard on herself, I decided to let this run around my brain for a while. I felt the Holy Spirit showing me that, just like Dudley refilled Prof. Wutheridge’s glass over and over, God’s mercy and grace is replenished for us continually. Grace, favor, mercy, love – they never run out. Every time we use a supply of any of these, God instantly refills. And He never waits for morning to do it, either.

I know this might sound simple and contrite to some but God knows me and He knows how I think. I feel like He gives me these examples so my very process-driven brain can fully grasp what his Word is saying is to me. He knows I’m a visual learner and need things to be drilled down for me. He’s aware that lack of understand leads to frustration which leads to giving up.

He knows us perfectionists so well!

Think about this as you go into your weekend. Think about this as you wake up tomorrow morning. There’s brand new, shiny, unused mercy ready for you and it is more than enough for your day. It will never run out. It will never grow stale. You will never reach the bottom of the glass or the bottle. They will always be refilled.

He is a God of more than enough.