It’s not quite a tradition in my family to go to the movies on Christmas Day but it’s not something rare and shocking. Even when I was a kid and the majority of businesses were closed on Christmas Day, there was almost always a movie theater open somewhere. I don’t know why this is. Maybe someone else does, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s just nice to know that whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you can still get your flick on. (If you happen to be downtown, you can follow your movie with a latte from Monoral Espresso who are also open on Christmas Day.)

still from Persepolis courtesy Sony Classics.

There are quite a few good movies already in theater, plus a few more open on December 25th:

Persepolis is based on a graphic novel that was the first “Seattle Reads” selection. It tells the story of how young Marjane’s life in Tehran was drastically changed by the fall of the Shah.

The Great Debaters is yet another “inspiring teacher” tale. This one might be better than most, though, since it stars Denzel Washington.

A young Scottish boy finds an egg that hatches into a creature who looks suspiciously like a certain legendary Scottish “monster” in The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep.

Fans of violent alien creatures are no doubt excited about the opening of Alien vs. Predator: Requiem.

The Bucket List stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two terminally ill friends who go on a road trip to fulfill a pre-dying wish list. Oops, I was premature: this doesn’t open in Seattle until January.