Now Showing at Aster Aging: Seven Movies to Make Your December Bright

Nov 13, 2026

Grab a comfortable seat, for an afternoon movie adventure in December at Aster's Senior Centers. Seven of them, in fact. Every Thursday at the Downtown Senior Center in Mesa and every Monday at the Red Mountain Senior Center. 

Whether you've seen A Christmas Story thirty times or you've never watched Jurassic Park on anything bigger than your living-room TV, there's something here for you. Below you'll find the full schedule, followed by a closer look at each film: what it's about, who made it, and a few behind-the-scenes stories worth sharing with the neighbor sitting next to you.

The December Lineup at a Glance

Seven films: four Thursdays at Mesa Downtown and three Mondays at Red Mountain. Every showing is free, starts at 12:30 pm and comes with popcorn.

Thursday, December 3 at Mesa Downtown: Michael (2026, PG-13)

We kick things off with a toe-tapping look at the life of the King of Pop. Michael follows Michael Jackson from his childhood days in the Jackson 5 to his rise as a solo superstar during the Thriller era, when his music, dancing and music videos changed pop culture.

The film arrived in theaters on April 24, 2026, directed by Antoine Fuqua, the filmmaker behind Training Day. It was written by John Logan and produced by Graham King, the same producer behind Bohemian Rhapsody. The title role is played by Jaafar Jackson, Michael's real-life nephew, in his first feature film. Colman Domingo and Nia Long play Michael's parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller appears as attorney John Branca.

If you grew up dancing to "Billie Jean" or watched the moonwalk on a living-room television the first time around, this one is a chance to relive it on the big screen, with friends who remember it just as well as you do.

Thursday, December 10 at Mesa Downtown: Jurassic Park (1993, PG-13)

When the security system fails at an island theme park filled with cloned dinosaurs, the visitors are in for the fight of their lives. Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Crichton's bestselling novel opened on June 11, 1993, and it still holds up as one of the great popcorn movies.

A few stories to share while the lights are down:

• A record-breaker. Jurassic Park became the highest-grossing film in the world at that time and held the title until Titanic arrived. Its worldwide total has passed $1 billion with re-releases.
• Spielberg's big year. He was finishing Jurassic Park while shooting Schindler's List, and both came out in 1993. Schindler's List won Best Picture and gave Spielberg his first Best Director Oscar, while Jurassic Park won three Oscars of its own: Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects.
• Sold before it was published. Studios were so eager for Crichton's novel that the movie rights were sold before the book hit shelves.
• That logo. The unforgettable logo came from designer Chip Kidd.

Expect jump scares, wonder and a few gasps. You may want to hold on to the armrest.

Monday, December 14 at Red Mountain: Miracle on 34th Street (1994, PG)

Can a department store Santa really be Santa Claus? In this warm-hearted holiday tale, an elderly man claims to be the one and only Kris Kringle, and the question lands in a courtroom, where a lawyer named Bryan Bedford sets out to prove it.

This 1994 version is a remake of the beloved 1947 original. It was written and produced by John Hughes, the same writer behind Home Alone, and directed by Les Mayfield. Richard Attenborough, the Oscar-winning director of Gandhi, plays Kris Kringle with a twinkle in his eye, joined by Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott and a young Mara Wilson as the skeptical little girl, Susan.

A fun bit of trivia: in Hughes' first draft, Susan was written as a boy. And Mara Wilson landed her next big role, the title character in Matilda, while this movie was still being filmed. Much of the production took place in Chicago, which helps explain all that snowy, big-city holiday atmosphere.

It's gentle, hopeful and perfect for a Monday when you could use a little faith in something you can't quite see.

Thursday, December 17 at Mesa Downtown: A Christmas Story (1983, PG)

Young Ralphie Parker has one wish this Christmas, a Red Ryder BB gun, and he'll scheme his way through his parents, his teacher and even Santa himself to get it. You already know the answer he hears from every grown-up he asks.

The film is based on the humorous childhood stories of radio storyteller Jean Shepherd, drawn mainly from his book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. Shepherd also narrates the movie as the grown-up Ralphie, and he pops up on screen in a cameo while Ralphie waits in line to see Santa. The fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, is modeled on Shepherd's real hometown of Hammond, Indiana.

Some stories behind the story:

• An unlikely director. Bob Clark also made Porky's, a raunchy teen comedy. Its big success is credited with giving him the freedom to make this very different movie. Clark even has a cameo of his own, as the neighbor who comments on the famous leg lamp.
• Cleveland as Indiana. Clark's team scouted about twenty cities before choosing Cleveland, Ohio, and Higbee's department store downtown was the setting for the Santa scenes.
• You can visit. The Parker family house still stands in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood. A superfan bought it on eBay for $150,000 and restored it, and it's now the A Christmas Story House & Museum, where visitors can even stay overnight.

For many families, this movie is Christmas morning. If it's part of your tradition, come watch it with people who will happily say the lines along with you.

Monday, December 21 at Red Mountain: Christmas with the Kranks (2004, PG)

What if you just skipped Christmas? Luther and Nora Krank, played by Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, are facing an empty nest after their daughter Blair leaves for a Peace Corps assignment in Peru. So they decide to skip the tree, the gifts and the parties, and take a cruise instead. Their neighbors, led by Dan Aykroyd as the block's self-appointed holiday enforcer, are not amused. Then Blair announces she's coming home after all, at the last minute.

The movie is based on Skipping Christmas, a 2001 novel by bestselling author John Grisham. Director Joe Roth was familiar with the book before it was even published, when Grisham asked him to read it in galley form. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus, who directed Home Alone and its first sequel, and who, as it happens, was originally set to direct National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation before the project went to someone else.

Christmas with the Kranks opened on November 24, 2004, and took in roughly $96.5 million worldwide. Whether you're a Christmas-every-day person or a secret Luther, it makes for a fun movie day, and it's a gentle reminder that the holiday is really about the people around you.

Thursday, December 24 at Mesa Downtown: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989, PG-13)

Clark Griswold just wants one thing: the perfect family Christmas. What he gets is a tree that won't fit through the door, an attic he can't get out of, a house lit by enough bulbs to be seen from space, and a visit from the world's most unforgettable relatives. It's Christmas Eve, and there's no better way to spend it than laughing at somebody else's holiday disaster.

Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo return as Clark and Ellen, with Randy Quaid as the unforgettable Cousin Eddie, Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki as the Griswold kids, and Mae Questel, the original voice of Betty Boop, in her final film role. The movie opened on December 1, 1989, and was directed by Jeremiah Chechik from a script by John Hughes.

A few things to look for:

• A story first. Hughes based the movie on "Christmas '59," a short story he wrote for National Lampoon magazine in December 1980. Keep an eye out for the home movie labeled with that title when Clark is trapped in the attic.
• A surprise hit. It cost about $25 million to make and earned more than $73 million, and it has only grown in popularity on television and home video since.
• The director who got away. Chris Columbus was originally slated to direct but stepped aside after clashing with Chase. Hughes later handed him another script, Home Alone.
• Real animals, real lights. There was no computer animation to lean on in 1989, so the squirrel that ends up in the Christmas tree was a real, trained animal. The film was shot in Colorado's Summit County, which doubled for the Griswolds' wintry neighborhood, and at studios in Burbank, California.

If you've ever had a holiday get away from you, this one is for you.

Monday, December 28 at Red Mountain: A Christmas Story Encore (1983, PG)

We're closing out the month with a second showing of A Christmas Story, because some traditions deserve a repeat. If you're a Red Mountain regular, this is your turn to meet Ralphie, and if you caught it at Mesa Downtown on December 17, you're welcome to come back for another round of the leg lamp and the frozen flagpole. It's also a nice way to watch with a different group of friends.

Join Us in December

That's seven movies, seven chances to laugh, sing along and swap stories with friends old and new. Whether you join us on a Thursday at Mesa Downtown or a Monday at Red Mountain, we'd love to see you there. Bring a neighbor, bring a friend, and bring your favorite holiday movie quote.

Movies are free, start at 12:30 pm, and popcorn is provided at every showing. To secure your seat, RSVP online, by phone or email, or in person at your center.

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Aster Aging is a nonprofit senior center and social services organization. Films and schedule are subject to change.