Which Of These Christmas Sequels Are Real?

It’s very plausible that, as soon as Thanksgiving was over (or Halloween, I don’t know your life), you’ve been steadily loading up on Christmas movie classics. With each year there’s more and more Lifetime holiday specials, festive TV episodes, and Yuletide blockbusters to add to the ever-growing must-watch list. But sometimes Hollywood decides a new movie isn't as good as the continuation of an old movie. Sometimes a Christmas movie sequel comes along, and sometimes you don't understand why they came along because the first movie didn't really warrant a sequel. Can you guess which Christmas movie sequels are real and which are fake?

I’m sure you’ll be shocked and horrified to find that many of your favorite holiday movies have sequels and, sometimes, sequels to those sequels (or you’ll be delighted; again, I don’t know your life). Granted, some sequels, Christmas or otherwise, are aggressively fine follow-ups to the original. At best, they successfully re-write the original film with one or two fresh twists. At worst, though, they stagnate at the bottom of Best Buy’s $1.99 rack, right next to several copies of Reality Bites (which doesn’t make sense, because Reality Bites is a perfect movie).

Either way, why don’t we test out your Christmas movie knowledge? Scroll down slowly, and see if you can identify which Christmas sequel is real or (tragically) fake.

1. REAL OR FAKE?: Jingle All The Way 2

...REAL! Weirdly real, because the original Jingle All The Way was a perfect 10 of a film. Even stranger? The sequel only came up last year, almost two decades after the original film, and it starred Larry the Cable Guy.

2. REAL OR FAKE?: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

...REAL! You were probably all psyched when The Santa Clause 2 was released way belatedly, but, when The Santa Clause 3 rolled around... I mean, it probably didn't need to happen. I'm always glad to see Ann-Margret in a movie, but I'm just saying that this is a film that's solved by a warm hug.

3. REAL OR FAKE?: How The Grinch Saved Christmas

...FAKE! I mean, the story of how the Grinch stole Christmas is basically also about how he saved Christmas (from, um, himself), so this would be redundant. That said, the Grinch pops up in other kinds of sequels. Did you know that Halloween is Grinch night? Well, now you do.

4. REAL OR FAKE?: Rudolph And Frosty's Christmas In July

...REAL! And not much to tack onto that. There are a lot of Rankin/Bass productions done in this ilk.

5. REAL OR FAKE?: Miracle On 42nd Street

...FAKE! For two reasons, the first being "nobody would tamper with perfection" (actually, JK, there's a '90s remake that attempts to do just that). And the second? There are no miracles on 42nd street. As a tried-and-true New Yorker, I can tell you right now that Times Square is a horrible place.

6. REAL OR FAKE?: It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown

...REAL! In fact, there's been a few Charlie Brown follow-ups to the original 1965 special. Of course, nothing can hold a candle to those "loo, loo, loos."

7. REAL OR FAKE?: Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

...REAL! Come on, this one was a freebie.

8. REAL OR FAKE?: The Polar Express 2: Return To The North Pole

...FAKE! Does this even make sense in context with the movie?

9. REAL OR FAKE?: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure

...REAL! I don't know what else to say to this, except that it's a real thing, and we all let it happen.

10. REAL OR FAKE?: Babes In Toyland Versus The Nemesisters

...FAKE! I'm not sure who would be rushing to make a sequel to the original nightmare fuel that is Babes In Toyland. Amusingly, Nemesisters is the name of an album by all-girl grunge band Babes In Toyland so... easy mistake.

11. REAL OR FAKE?: The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge

...FAKE as a theatrical sequel. If there was another Nightmare Before Christmas movie coming out, I would know about it. However, there is a video game sequel by the same name. Debatably canon, though.

12. REAL OR FAKE?: Another Christmas Carol

...FAKE! Yeah, guys, I know there's a million Christmas Carol remakes, but, at this point, you should also know that I've stopped trying.

So how did you stack up? If you got anything less than six, chances are that Santa's giving you a lump of coal for not knowing your Christmas movies (it's an area he's very passionate about). If you got upwards of eight, than you know a normal amount about Christmas films, and probably just got tripped up by weird things like Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure.

And, if you got all of them right, then I am very proud of you and all of your Christmas spirit. May you keep it with you when they start making movie sequels like Christmas With The Kranks 2.

Images: 20th Century Fox; Giphy (12)