By Michaiah Johnson ’23
The time has fallen upon us when it is not absolutely ridiculous to pop a bag of popcorn, make a cup of hot chocolate, dress in comfy pajamas, and sit on the couch to watch holiday themed movies. Not that you can’t do the same thing in July…
Whether you like your holiday movies heartwarming, comedic, or adventurous, there is certainly a holiday movie that is perfect for you to watch this holiday season!
Classics
These are all movies that came out before 1960. They are perfect for a calm winter night, preferably watched while comfy and cozy by the fireside. Timeless tales, these are all movies you should watch at least once in your life!
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- Miracle on 34th Street
- White Christmas
Claymation
These are the movies that come on in the evenings on ABC that are a surefire sign that it is the holiday season! Fun, musical, and adventurous, these are all a must watch!
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
- Jack Frost
Animated
A good holiday themed animated movie takes you back to memories of being young and excited and festive! You’ll likely feel nostalgic when you watch these movies.
- The Polar Express
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- Frosty the Snowman
- A Christmas Carol
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (although that’s up for debate)
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- Yes, Virginia
- Prep & Landing
- Arthur Christmas
Family
The movies that make you think of your loved ones, these are all strong choices to watch with your family! A shared bowl of popcorn and warm mug full of hot chocolate are the necessary accessories to add to these fun movies!
- Home Alone
- Elf
- A Christmas Story
- The Santa Clause
- The Christmas Chronicles
- Noelle
- Jingle Jangle
Romance
Whether or not you enjoy romance movies, holiday romances are sure to give you a heartwarming, tear-jerking, and sometimes laugh-inducing experience! Perfect to cozy up and watch with those you love!
- A Princess Switch
- Operation Christmas Drop
- The Holiday Calendar
- The Holiday
- The Knight Before Christmas
- A Christmas Prince
- The Last Holiday
- Hallmark Channel (what more do I have to say?)
These movies are just a small handful of your holiday options. What other movies would you add to the list? What are your favorites? Add it to the comments below!
Happy Holidays!
One of my favorite things to do is to watch Christmas movies with a big bowl of popcorn. I am thrilled to see Disney’s Prep and Landing on the list. It is a household favorite for us, and so many people have not heard of it. Hopefully its presence on Disney+ will introduce more people to the joys of these two Disney animated programs. My 5 year old daughter requests to watch Prep and Landing all year, and I can’t say no because I love it too!
Lots of good movies on the list; however, I did not see my favorite movie listed, Christmas Vacation. Who doesn’t love Clark Griswold? It’s a family tradition at my house to watch this movie every December.
I just love the month of December. People are happier! The lights are brighter! The Christmas music makes me feel so relaxed! And then there is the Christmas movies!!! My mom and I share the love of watching Christmas movies. She tells me every morning what movies are on that evening. We both love the originals. Her favorite is Jim Carrey as the Grinch. I have so many favorites, I could never pick just one! We also love to watch the Hallmark Channel! Even though life has been different this year and I know difficult for so many, the feeling of Christmas hasn’t changed for me!
There’s a few movies on this list that I haven’t seen yet, so I can’t wait to check them out! My family makes a similar list; although, it is only of our favorite Hallmark movies. We tend to have that channel on every night during this entire month!
I’ve watched most of these movies, and there are some that I have to catch up and watch. My favorite movies here are A Christmas Story, The Christmas Chronicles, and Elf.
I love watching Christmas movies with my family! One of our favorite things to do is drink hot chocolate and bake Christmas cookies while having on some of our favorite Christmas movies like Home Alone and A Christmas Story. Although I mainly love the comedy ones I do love a good classic and I like how you added some classic movies in your list. I love all the good classic Christmas movies!
My favorite has always been The Polar Express and every time I hear the music in the movie it brings me back to when I was a kid.