Christmas movie locations that actually exist and where you can find them
The holiday season means Christmas cookies, Christmas music, and of course your favorite Christmas-themed movies. It’s the time of year to bundle up under a warm blanket with hot cocoa and rewatch your favorite classics.
But if you’re looking for a Christmas-themed adventure this season, you could go a step further than simply dusting off the old DVD and plopping down on the couch. You could actually visit some of the iconic filming locations in your favorite holiday films!
“You’ll shoot your eye out!” This legendary line from A Christmas Story has been cracking families up since the film’s debut in 1983. The movie was shot on location in Cleveland that year, but sadly the original Christmas Story house was left in shambles by the early 2000s. Enter Brian Jones, who bought the yellow house on eBay for $150,000 in 2004. Jones poured another $240,000 into restoring the house to look exactly like the 1940s home in the film.
Today, the house is open to the public as a living tribute to the film. Visitors can tour the house and see exactly where each of their favorite scenes from the movie were filmed — yes, much to Mrs. Parker’s dismay, the leg lamp sits in the front window. Across the street from the house, Jones opened a museum with original props from the film, including the infamous Red Ryder BB gun responsible for shooting Ralphie’s eye out!
The truest fans can even spend the night in the house. The third-floor loft in the A Christmas Story house has been converted into an apartment for six overnight guests, who have access to the entire home all night long.
While Ralphie entertained families during the ’80s, the holidays in the ’90s were completely dominated by Kevin McCallister’s trickery. And while we’re still not sure how on earth the McCallisters were able to afford a nine-person family vacation to Paris over the holidays (the economy was better in 1990 perhaps?), we can pretend by visiting the original mini mansion featured in Home Alone.
The red-brick Georgian house still exists in Winnetka, Ill., where many scenes from the movie were filmed. In 2012, the home sold for $1.5 million, but unlike the A Christmas Story house, the buyer did not open a museum dedicated to the holiday film. Still, fans of Home Alone continually drop by to take photos outside the house, doing their best Kevin McCallister impression, of course.
In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Kevin’s temporary home was the Plaza Hotel, where he wreaked havoc on the staff and the robbers. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the film, the Plaza is letting you take over with the ultimate Kevin McCallister experience.
From now until October 2018, you could relive your favorite moments from Home Alone 2 with the anniversary room package. The amenities include all five Home Alone DVDs, a backpack, and the exact giant ice cream sundae Kevin orders in the film. Guests can also upgrade their experience with a four-hour limo tour through NYC that will take you to every location Kevin visited in the movie! Note, this package does not include a cameo from Donald Trump.
One of the most timeless Christmas movies enjoyed by millions each year is the classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Although the movie was released in 1946, audiences today still relate to the family tale, and one town in upstate New York has taken the message to heart. Seneca Falls, N.Y., is known as “The Real Bedford Falls.” The residents swear their little town inspired filmmaker Frank Capra’s fictional town of Bedford Falls in the movie. In fact, a few years before It’s a Wonderful Life’s debut, Capra visited Seneca Falls. He got a haircut at the local barber shop.
Fans don’t deny the similarities between Bedford Falls and Seneca Falls. Both towns have similar Victorian houses, old-time shops, and even identical bridges. Each year, the town transforms into the set of It’s a Wonderful Life with a three-day festival of activities dedicated to the movie. The residents even recreate the 1946 Los Angeles gala that was held on the film’s opening night. Though the Christmas festivities are only a weekend long, Seneca Falls also has a It’s a Wonderful Life museum that’s open year round.
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