It’s the holiday season. With the whoop-de-do and dickory dock… The Colonial has a full slate of holiday films coming your way, starting Thanksgiving Weekend. We hope that you will join us for both our films and live events (seen here).

ELF. Son of a nutcracker! The big elf returns to the big screen. Hard to believe it’s been 20 years already since Will Ferrell teamed with director Jon Favreau to gift us this modern holiday classic. A deadpan Bob Newhart plays the adoptive Papa Elf and an understated James Caan is Buddy the Elf’s biological father; Zooey Deschanel charms as Buddy’s love interest, Jovie. And what about Ed Asher as Santa Claus?! This film is full of fun, laughs, and heart–all that much bigger on the silver screen. November 28th to November 30th.
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THE POLAR EXPRESS. When a doubting young boy takes a train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. November 29th. Sponsored by Generations Toy Store.
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MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. A comedic send-up of the grim circumstances of the Middle Ages as told through the story of King Arthur and framed by a modern-day murder investigation. When the mythical king of the Britons leads his knights on a quest for the Holy Grail, they face a wide array of horrors, including a persistent Black Knight, a three-headed giant, a cadre of shrubbery-challenged knights, the perilous Castle Anthrax, a killer rabbit, a house of virgins, and a handful of rude Frenchmen. November 30th.
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LITTLE WOMEN. In this 1994 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, the March sisters confront growing pains, financial shortages, family tragedies and romantic rivalries in mid-19th-century Massachusetts. Jo (Winona Ryder) struggles for independence and sometimes clashes with her beloved mother and her sisters Meg, Amy and Beth. She also contends with their cranky Aunt March, their impulsive neighbor Laurie (Christian Bale) and kindly linguistics professor Friedrich Bhaer (Gabriel Byrne). December 4th. A Craft Cinema Event presented by Here and Now Crafts.
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THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL. The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets — Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle — weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases — past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness. December 6th to December 12th. Sponsored by the Fabius Family. DETAILS

CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT. While recovering in a hospital, war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) grows familiar with the Diary of a Housewife column written by Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck). Jeff’s nurse arranges with Elizabeth’s publisher, Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet), for Jeff to spend the holiday at Elizabeth’s bucolic Connecticut farm with her husband and child. But the column is a sham, so Yardley hastens to arrange a publicity ploy by setting up single, nondomestic Elizabeth on a country farm. December 7th.
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DIE HARD. New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there’s no one to save the hostages — but him. December 12th.
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HOME ALONE. When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O’Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to not have a family has come true. His excitement fades when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) plan to rob the residence, and that he alone must protect the family home. December 13th. Sponsored by Morgan Francis Realty.
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WHITE CHRISTMAS (SING ALONG ). Two talented song and dance men (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. One winter they join forces with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen) and trek to Vermont for a white Christmas. The result is stuff dreams are made of. December 14th. Sponsored by The Stove Shop Fireplace Experts.. Please note the organ will play one hour before the film. So please arrive early!
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EYES WIDE SHUT. After Dr. Bill Hartford’s (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings — and quickly discovers that he is in over his head. December 17th.
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A CHRISTMAS STORY. Based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd, this beloved holiday movie follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who spends most of his time dodging a bully (Zack Ward) and dreaming of his ideal Christmas gift, a “Red Ryder air rifle.” Frequently at odds with his cranky dad (Darren McGavin) but comforted by his doting mother (Melinda Dillon), Ralphie struggles to make it to Christmas Day with his glasses and his hopes intact. December 19th to December 21st. Sponsored by Twelve78 Brewing Co.
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IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) is so troubled he’s considering ending it all — and it’s Christmas! His guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers) shows him what Bedford Falls would have become had it not been for all of George’s good deeds over the years. Frank Capra’s first post-WWII film is rich with emotion, sacrifice, and a strong sense of community. Still uplifting more than 70 years later. December 21st. Sponsored by Century 21 Norris-Valley Forge.
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THE THING. At a remote Antarctic base, a group of American research scientists are disturbed by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the dog, brutality and a frightening realization follow: the beast can assimilate and imitate other organisms. A resourceful helicopter pilot (Kurt Russell) and the camp doctor (Richard Dysart) lead the crew in a desperate, gory, and possibly futile battle against the vicious creature. December 26th.
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TRADING PLACES. Upper-crust executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and down-and-out hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) are the subjects of a bet by successful brokers Mortimer (Don Ameche) and Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy). An employee of the Dukes, Winthorpe is framed by the brothers for a crime he didn’t commit, with the siblings then installing the street-smart Valentine in his position. When Winthorpe and Valentine uncover the scheme, they set out to turn the tables on the Dukes. December 28th. Sponsored by Heather and Michael DiBella.
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