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Movies to Watch Get You into the Christmas Spirit

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wilfrid Laurier chapter.

We’re entering the holiday season and I personally can’t wait! I absolutely love Christmas and I can’t wait to spend time with my family, go Christmas shopping, blast Christmas music, make cookies and most importantly watch as many Christmas movies as I possibly can. I’ve already started watching many Christmas movies that have helped me get into the Christmas spirit! So, here are 12 Christmas movies that can help fill you with the Christmas spirit too!

Elf

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear… and watching Elf of course! Elf is the perfect movie to make you laugh and fill you with the Christmas spirit. I haven’t watched it yet this year, but it will definitely be getting ticked off my list soon!

The Polar Express

The Polar Express was one of my favourite Christmas movies growing up. I used to watch it all the time, not just during the holiday season! I love to watch it again every year and feel nostalgia and reminisce on the magic of Christmas that little me felt. My favourite thing to do is make myself a hot chocolate while they bring it out to the kids on the train!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Every Christmas Eve I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I normally watch the original cartoon version, but the Jim Carrey version is good too! There’s just something about watching the little whos down in Whoville come together on Christmas morning after all their gifts got stolen by the Grinch to sing around the Christmas tree. The scene reminds you of the true meaning of Christmas and if that doesn’t get you into the Christmas spirit, I don’t know what will!

Home Alone

Another movie, or well, movie series that reminds me of my childhood and gets me into the Christmas spirit is Home Alone. It’s always a good idea to rewatch the movies and be amazed at how many times the McCallisters can forget Kevin and all the crazy things he can get up to while they’re gone!

Any Hallmark Movie

This one’s a bit generic and I know that people have a lot of mixed feelings about Hallmark movies, but I personally love them! They’re cheesy and predictable and that’s what I love about them! There’s nothing like a cheesy little romance movie filled with all the classic Christmas elements that get me into the Christmas cheer! They’re mindless and easy to watch and anytime I can’t decide what to watch, I turn on the Hallmark Channel and there’s always a Christmas movie waiting for me! They’re great really! You can even make a bingo-drinking (or not drinking) game out of it to see how predictable they really are!

Barbie in The Nutcracker

Personally, I love the Barbie version and I’m not ashamed to admit it but really any version of it will do! There’s just something so magical about The Nutcracker that makes my Christmas spirit skyrocket. It’s not Christmas without watching The Nutcracker at least once!

Dash & Lily

Okay so technically Dash & Lily isn’t a movie, but I had to include it anyways. It’s an eight-episode mini-series on Netflix based on the book by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. It’s just such a fun series that’s filled with the Christmas spirit (and those who lack the Christmas spirit) that I absolutely love! I can’t wait to rewatch the series again this year and if you haven’t watched it yet, you definitely should!

The Nightmare Before Christmas

This one is for all the Halloween and Christmas lovers. The Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect movie to watch if you’re still upset that Halloween is over but you’re also looking forward to the Christmas season approaching. This movie is good to watch anytime!

The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music isn’t a Christmas movie, but it somehow became a Christmas movie staple and honestly, I’m not mad about it. For some reason, people around the world began to associate it with Christmas and now I do too! But nonetheless, I always get super excited to watch it every Christmas season and it manages to fill me with Christmas spirit despite the lack of Christmas spirit in it!

Love Actually

This is another classic Christmas and romance movie. If you love both of those things then Love Actually is perfect for you! The movie reminds you that love (and Christmas) is actually all around!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I couldn’t make this list and not include A Charlie Brown Christmas. This movie is so special and a classic! It would not be Christmas without Charlie, Snoopy and the iconic piano music!

Noelle

Noelle is one of my favourite more recent Christmas movies! Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader play the kids of Santa Claus in this funny and spirit-filled movie. When the movie first came out, I watched it a good few times and I can’t wait to watch it again this year!

Honestly, I feel like it’s hard to go wrong with any Christmas movie. But these 12 movies (and TV series) are my favourites and I love to watch them every single year! So, if you need some extra Christmas spirit, you should definitely give these a watch!

Kylie Squire

Wilfrid Laurier '24

Kylie is a 4th year student at WLU studying French with a minor in History. When she’s not busy studying, she loves to read, write, daydream about travelling the world and listen to One Direction on repeat.