The Christmas Movie-House Tacky Light Tour

I’ve noticed a lot of folks are already decorating outside for Christmas this year. I’m going to hang my outdoor window wreaths in the next few days. I normally wait and do it the day after Thanksgiving but I always feel so rushed to get it done when I wait until then. Thanksgiving comes really late this year so I”ve decided to go ahead and get them up this week. I really love this time of year, so why not enjoy the decorations for as long as we can.

If you are wondering the best way to hang wreaths on your exterior windows, check out this old post: The Easy Way to Hang Wreaths from Exterior Windows

Christmas Movie-House Tacky Light Tour

Today I’m taking you on a Tacky Light Tour of some of our favorite movie houses to see how they were decorated outside for the holidays. We’ve toured the inside of all but one of these houses here at BNOTP.

Christmas Movie House Tour

Home Alone

One of the most famous Christmas movie houses is from the movie, Home Alone. For this 1990 movie, they decorated the exterior in white lights, still a very popular look for the outside of  many homes today.

Home Alone House

Have you ever outlined all your windows with lights? Can’t imagine how long that takes! The trick would be hiding the electrical cords for each window. Maybe you could bring it inside the window and close the window down, although I see some stray lights on the roof in this shot below.

House in Movie, Home Alone

It kind of gives the home a “Gingerbread House” look, doesn’t it?

Tour the inside of this Christmas Movie House here: Home Alone Movie House Tour

House in the Movie, Home Alone

Mystery House

I’ve never featured this movie house at BNOTP. Do you recognize it or the movie it’s from? (Cue Jeopardy Music while you think.)

Hint: All those Snowmen on the roof is a big clue. Yup, definitely qualifies for a tacky light tour!

Movie, Christmas with the Kranks 4_wm

Did  you guess? It’s the home from the movie, Christmas with the Kranks. Christmas with the Kranks was the movie version of John Grisham’s book, Skipping Christmas. We read that book in our neighborhood book club and it was funny, so I’m not surprised it was made into a movie.

Movie, Christmas with the Kranks 5_wm

 

Here’s a panoramic view of the neighborhood.

Movie, Christmas with the Kranks

I don’t quite get the “snowman on the roof near the chimney” thing. Wouldn’t that make a bit more sense if it was a Santa? lol

Movie, Christmas with the Kranks

 

Christmas Vacation

Of course, no “Movie-House Tacky Light Tour” would be complete without the most lit up, tacky movie house of them all, the one from Christmas Vacation.

House in the Movie, A Christmas Vacation

A rusty, run-down motor home out front completely finishes out the look! 😉

House in the Movie, A Christmas Vacation 1

Do you remember Clark’s trials and tribulations as he tries to figure out why the lights are not working? Definitely an iconic Christmas movie and one of the funniest of all!

House in the Movie, A Christmas Vacation 3

One of my fave scenes is where they show the overhead view of the city just as Clark flips the switch to light up his home. Of course, the meters at the power company madly spin as Clark’s home drains the whole city of power! The whole city goes into a blackout while Clark’s house, of course, stays beautifully lit!  🙂

House in the Movie, A Christmas Vacation 4

The power company throws the switch for their nuclear powered generators to restore light back to the city and all is well.  So funny!

Tour the inside of this Christmas movie house here: Christmas Vacation Movie House Tour

House in the Movie, A Christmas Vacation 5

 

A Christmas Story

Another great Christmas movie house is the one in the movie, A Christmas Story. This was one of my son’s favorite movies, he watched it every year growing up. Thank goodness he never asked Santa for a Red Ryder BB Gun!

The house wasn’t really tacky at all until….

House in the Movie, A Christmas Story

The LEG! Who can forget the infamous “Big Award” that turned out to be a lamp in the shape of a woman’s leg–in fishnet hose, no less.

Yup, that leg definitely pushed this movie house into qualifying for a tacky house tour, although it doesn’t last long since zay leg meets with an untimely demise in the movie.

Tour the inside here: A Christmas Story Movie House Tour

A Christmas Story House

 

The Holiday

There’s absolute nothing tacky about this adorable cottage from the movie, The Holiday, but there was just no way I could leave Rosehill Cottage out of a tour of Christmas movie houses.

Tour the inside here: The Holiday Movie House Tour

House in the Movie, The Holiday

 

You can tour the inside of any of these movie houses here: Iconic Christmas Movie Houses.

Christmas Movie House Tour

 

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie house? If so, leave it in the comments and I’ll try to post a tour of the inside between now and Christmas.

Not just counting Christmas movie houses, what’s your favorite movie house of all time?

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Comments

  1. Ha..I have seen all those movies, what can I say?…I am a Christmas nut!
    Of course *The Holiday* is my favorite of all and it is on t.v. next week I believe. I shall be watching it for the umpteenth time. *A Christmas Story* has already been shown.
    Hubby was sorting through the lights yesterday, I was surprised, it is usually a fight to get him out there. We no longer put them around the roof line, do not want any accidents.
    The next fight, will be getting him to fetch all my Christmas decorations and tree from the crawl space. Always a fun time Christmas!! 🙂

  2. I love, love, love the Home Alone house! One non-Christmas movie house I liked but have never seen featured anywhere is the one from the Freaky Friday remake. Thanks for posting these great homes! Dee

  3. Another tacky house is the one in “Deck The Halls” (with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick) – very similar to the power drain of the Griswold house! 🙂
    I love the Christmas-y feel of the neighborhood in “Christmas with the Kranks,” but “A Christmas Story” is my all-time favorite holiday movie, and therefore my favorite house.
    I’m trying so hard to wait until after Thanksgiving to put my decorations up, but my resolve is crumbling as I read your wonderful posts, listen to Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, etc. 🙂

  4. LOVE Rosehill Cottage (my house has a lot of those elements) and the house in Christmas In Connecticut. Thanks for sharing!

  5. SharonFromMichigan says

    Oh I love Christmas Vacation – we watch that movie every year after Thanksgiving Dinner! LOL Our neighbors across the street decorate for Christmas the same way Clark Griswold does – if they leave their light display on too late into the night all the light comes through our bedroom windows!

  6. I love A Christmas Story. To this day, I can’t sing Deck the Halls without wanting to break out in laughter and change the words to Fah rah, rah, rah, rah, rah.

  7. I am a Christmas girl, have always been.
    HOWEVER. Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday, and an opportunity for every Christian person to share a moment of being thankful/grateful/gratitude attitude, call it what you will.
    Our religious history is being diluted and pilgrims turned into monsters, rather than people oppressed for their faith.
    I know of so few merchants who decorate for Thanksgiving, the one nearest to me is 3 hours away, in Snider Plaza, Dallas, Tx.(Peek In The Attic) As my children have grown, so has my fondness for Thanksgiving. Think of it: a day for giving thanks to GOD for his provision. Ours is full of family, football and excellent food favorites, lots of chitchat, tradition. But the family prayer is so sweet…I miss the faces that are now gone, and welcome a new baby this year to our gang. We can’t let this day become diluted! It’s ours. I hope we can lean into it, rather than view it as an obstacle to tinsel.

    • Thanksgiving is and always will be my favorite! Have been getting ready for over a month! We have 27 coming for dinner and yes the prayer is an awesome time for young and old! I am so thankful for all I am blessed with! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours Kathleen.

      • Thank you Miss Peggy and I hope your holiday is sweet and fun and lots of laughing and talking. My largest crowd is 25, but with the real world entering in(that means the college kids graduating and getting jobs far away), our numbers are diminishing. If we could move black Friday to black Monday, I’d be so happy to have Thanksgiving of not so long ago, when we stayed put, played games, went to the movies, and made gumbo with the turkey carcass…casual and together. Nephews don’t always open up and chat freely til they’ve eaten, snacked and then eaten some more 🙂 Now we have 7 involved in retail with no hope of a long family weekend. The upside: they have good jobs! Blessings to you and Have a great day!

  8. Uh oh…..I must be alone in this one…..LOVE that old, old house in “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Right down to the newel post that never did get fixed. Deck the Halls is one I haven’t seen but will keep my eye out for it. My decorations are making their way out into the light. Christmas is my time of year and just like Susan said it’s a short season this year. I stretch it to New Year’s day then all the outside stuff comes down.

  9. The Christmas Story is my favorite Christmas movie. Just wouldn’t be Christmas without it. xo Laura

  10. Oh, I so love this house tour and I am amazed at how it has made me want to put on Christmas music and sit by a warm fire and watch movies! I will be back to delve deeper into the houses!

  11. I do love It’s a Wonderful Life too Chris. Must be showing my age, mine not yours. I always put Christmas up after Thanksgiving, but as you said Susan, it does come a bit late this year. So I’ll wait for one of my sons to come over and get the decorations out, although I NEVER put out very many lights like those Christmas houses. Susan, I have a request, I’ve been trying to find the post with the drink you serve for festivities with the colored sugar rimmed glasses. Can you help me? I thought I had saved it. But thinking and doing is two different things with me. Thanks again. Vivian

  12. I was thinking that it’s time to bring out my Christmas movies and this post really convinced me; it’s time. I love to have them playing while I’m in the kitchen baking. Last year I found a very old favorite in the discount bin at Big Lots. “The Gathering”, starring Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton, love, love, love that one! The first time I watched it I was pregnant with my oldest daughter and I cried almost through the whole movie. Might as well cue the Holiday CD’s as well!

  13. Not a holiday movie (except for bits) but I love Meg Ryan’s apartment in “You’ve got Mail”. I even watched it frame by frame and then did a sketch! In the commentary done by Nora Ephron on the video, she says the apartment was patterned after one she had as a young working woman in New York.

  14. Charlotte B. says

    I love the house in Christmas in Connecticut too – that big beautiful fireplace. The decorations are very simple, but so homey.

  15. Love to watch the original movie, The Bishop’s Wife, starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven. I don’t understand why this isn’t one of the top Christmas movies. It’s a wonderful story, with Cary Grant at his most wonderfulness (love that word?? and Cary Grant, HaHa). Check it out, you won’t be sorry.

  16. Wow! The romantic cottage from The Holiday is… fake?! Noooooo! I was going to go on holiday there! Thanks for sharing this with us!

  17. Sometimes less is more (beautiful) when it comes to Christmas lights. I live near Williamsburg and love the old fashioned Christmas decor. I do use faux because here it is so warm . In my old neighborhood near Washington DC someone decorated just awful. Lights just thrown all over with no rhyme or reason. Many neighbors were upset and even said “We don’t live in that kind of neighborhood!” When the Christmas light contest came around, for some crazy thing , this house WON! What a to do in the neighborhood. Of course they decorated again like that the next year.

    • What a funny story! lol If I could decorate the way I wanted, I would use all natural greenery everywhere. But the problem with that is I don’t have much growing in my yard right now with which to decorate AND you can’t decorate as early as I prefer because it all dries out by Christmas. So I use a mix…best solution I’ve come up with. I love Colonial Williamsburg this time of year. I bet they have to change out all the decor a few times during the season to keep it looking fresh. That’s what we need Peggy…we need staff! 😉

      • Susan, that sounds real good to me. Especially, since I am a staff of one most of the time. So much lifting and I am sure not getting any younger. Over abundance of Christmas and than I still keep buying more. You do such a beautiful job. I stumbled on your blog by looking up Williamsburg apple cones on Utube. Your dining room was just gorgeous!! Than I joined your blog and just love it . I always look forward to your posts. Thank you.

  18. One of my favorite Christmas movies is “While You Were Sleeping”. Sandra Bullock is precious. Especially in this movie. Bill Pullman is perfect. The grandma, Glynis Johns. (remember her from Mary Poppins?).

    Anyway, I still love it. But “The Family Stone is my favorite Christmas now. I don’t just want to watch The Family Stone, I want to be them (minus the liberal politics). I want to go home for Christmas somewhere in a house like that. Diane Keaton is fabulous. Claire Danes. Craig T. Nelson too. Rachel McAdams is just a doll. And the guy that plays her love interest…the EMT guy, he’s so good! Even though one of my least favorite actresses is in this (Sarah Jessica Parker)….even she can’t spoil this film for me. Luke Wilson nails his part. Charming. He steals Dermot Mulroney’s thunder. The Family Stone. Love.

  19. This was so sweet and fun. Enjoyed your tour as fun to remember these movies. Thanks!

  20. Good grief! I ‘m laughing with tears…those were some of the best…they don’t make them like “Chevy Chase and Steve Martin” anymore. franki

  21. Gloria in Pgh says

    Love all those holiday movies!! My favorites are The Preacher’s Wife, A Christmas Story and a very old Humphrey Boart movie called “We’re No Angels.” Bogie with Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, are convicts on Devils’ Island in the late 1800’s. Their efforts to escape the island hit a bump when they encounter the manager of the island’s general store and his family. It is absolutely wonderful and would not be Christmas without it! Check it out if you can! Speaking of the Christmas Story leg lamp, one of my neighbors actually has one! And they keep it up all year round!! I love it and chuckle every time I drive by and see it in all its glory. Thanks for boosting the holiday spirit!

  22. pam ~ crumpety cottage says

    Funny Farm! (Chant) Fun-ny Farm, Fun-ny Farm, Fun-ny Farm! I love that house! The back has an L shape to it and the interior is cozy without being too overly fancy. You know, these days everybody has granite counter tops and fancy shmancy this and fancy shmancy that. But I always loved the Funny Farm house. The living room, the kitchen, Chevy’s office and their bedroom are all so cozy, especially during the “Christmas,” part of the movie.

    I also (finally!) saw Christmas in Connecticut last year and though it’s in black and white (there may be a colorized version,) it’s such a beautiful home it’s worth watching. If you haven’t seen The Preacher’s Wife, that is definitely worth seeing. It’s a remake of the old The Bishop’s Wife with Loretta Young and David Niven. The updated version has Whitney Houston (back in her days of being absolutely adorable) and Denzel, who has always been adorable, lol. It’s one of my favorites, it’s so well done. And again, their house is big, but not fancy, but very, very, homey. A big dining room with an old set and cozy old buffet and mirror, and a cute kitchen, and the little boys room is so cute.

    It’s not a house, per se, but I have a remembrance that the Inn in Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire was pretty cozy and awesome. You know, some of the prettiest dang houses, even to this day, were from those old timey movies from the 40’s. Coffered ceilings, window seats, ornate mouldings, beautiful fireplaces, bookshelves, etc. I wish I had seen more to suggest them for you. White Christmas! Again, not a home but an Inn and a very cozy one, at that. Maybe I’ll try to catch some of those old movies this year and pass the intel along. 😉 I just thought of something, you probably won’t believe this, but I’ve never seen Gone with the Wind. Being that it was set in your neck of the woods, Susan, I’m surprised you haven’t featured Tara in one of your movie tours! (See how I get right off topic without even trying. :D)

    I feel sure I’m forgetting some, so I’ll come back and add to the list if I think of any. You mentioned my favorite – “Home Alone.” Another cozy house, well, actually neighborhood is in Jingle All the Way with Ahhnold and Rita Wilson and poor Phil Hartman. There are two homes featured, Ahhnold’s and Phil’s. The live on a cul de sac with stone front homes – so pretty.

    What about The Santa Clause? I haven’t seen that one in awhile. I barely remember Tim Allen’s (Santa’s condo, but his ex wife had a cozy place and of course, Santa’s village was freaking AWESOME!. And the newer version of Miracle on 34th St. had a couple of beautiful apartments for Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott. But at the end of the movie, the house that Santa gives Susan is out of this world! The exterior is especially pretty .. and the interior is like a child’s (well, and a grown woman’s, frankly) fantasy. When I think of it, the word “abundance” comes to mind.

    Oh golly, there are probably more. I’ll post them when I think of them. Which may be at random times as the memories strike. 🙂

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