With this year (finally) coming to an end, we are inching closer to the most WONDERFUL time of the year- Christmas! This season brings joy, sparkle, and excitement to all of us, and we know you’re excited as well. What better way to get into the holiday spirit than watching some Christmas movies? We have you covered with a comprehensive list of our favorite holiday movies.
- Elf
-
Elf, starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, is a modern classic. In the movie, we follow Buddy’s antics as he travels from the North Pole all the way to New York City to finally meet his birth father, Walter. Walter is an executive at a children’s publishing company with high stress and low patience, especially for some of the trouble Buddy causes. Buddy falls in love, learns about the real world, and becomes part of a family. This is truly a heartwarming tale with plenty of laughs along the way.
- How The Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon version)
-
How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a generation-spanning favorite. We are all familiar with the tale of the mean old Grinch, up in his cave on the mountain with his dog Max. He hates Christmastime, as it brings joy to all of the Whos living down in Whoville, who make so much terrible noise. On his quest to steal Christmas, he meets the adorable Cindy Lou-Who, who teaches him of the joys of Christmas and how he can embrace them himself. This film will definitely make your heart grow three sizes, just like the Grinch!
- Home Alone
-
Home Alone is a story about Kevin McAllister, an eight-year-old boy whose family is about to embark on a trip to Paris for Christmas. When he misbehaves the night before the trip, his mother punishes him by telling him to sleep in the attic, and he wishes that he did not have a family. Tragically, on the morning his family is set to leave for Paris, his wish comes true. He is left, as the title states, home alone while his family begins their journey. Chaos ensues, as to be expected when an eight-year-old boy is left alone in a big, beautiful home! From defeating robbers who break into his home to learning the pains of aftershave, Kevin gets into plenty of mischiefs on his own. This movie is an old favorite, full of laughs and important lessons.
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
-
We all grew up learning the tale of Rudolph, the reindeer with the red nose who was left out of so many fun times with his fellow reindeer. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is another movie that has been watched by generations across the world for years. This movie teaches us that while there are qualities that make us different, we are not so different in our hearts. We’ll give you a minute while the song is stuck in your head!
- Frosty the Snowman
-
Here’s another fun Christmas song to get stuck in your head! The story of Frosty with his corncob pipe, button nose, and two eyes made of coal is an essential part of the holiday season. His story begins when an old top hat is found, and a group of children places it on Frosty’s head. The story is not all candy canes and gumdrops, as the magician who lost his hat is trying to get it back. Frosty, along with his pal Karen and her rabbit, Hocus Pocus, scramble to make it to the North Pole before it becomes too hot outside and he melts, gone until the next winter. Santa, as he always does, comes in at the eleventh hour to save the day, promising that the magician will not receive Christmas gifts if he takes the hat from Frosty.
- A Christmas Story
-
A Christmas Story is one of those movies that everyone has seen in its entirety, but have any of us really sat down and watched the whole thing? Its syndication for 24 hours every year on TBS is a tradition we are all familiar with. The main character and narrator of the story is Ralphie, a six-year-old boy dreaming of one gift for Christmas- a Red Rider B.B. gun. He lives in a dysfunctional household, with a father that has a short fuse and a mother ready and willing to comfort and coddle Ralphie and his brother, Randy at any moment. In the story, Ralphie deals with bullies, learns how to swear, and even gets his prized wish. This movie truly is Christmas.
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
-
No Christmas movie list would be complete without a visit from the Peanuts gang. In this TV special, Charlie Brown and his pals learn about the true meaning of Christmas. Charlie Brown is sad at the beginning of the movie as the people surrounding him are nothing but happy. To try and lift his spirits, Lucy comes along with a brilliant suggestion- put on a Christmas pageant (play) to bring cheer to the other children. We learn why Charlie Brown is so sad- to him, Christmas is nothing but commercials, sales, and marketing techniques. Heck, even his own Christmas tree has failed on him. The world has sucked all of the fun out of the season! Linus, as always, saves the day by teaching Charlie Brown the “reason for the season.” He comes to the center of the stage, under a single spotlight, and reads the Annunciation to the Shepherds from the Gospel of Luke, which tells of the nativity scene in the Bible and how baby Jesus was put on the manger.
Even those who are not religious can see the purity in Linus’s intentions- all he wants is for his friend Charlie Brown to be as excited for Christmas as he is. After the pageant, Charlie Brown returns home to find that his once small tree has grown into a proper Christmas pine. All is restored, and Christmas has gotten its magic back.
- HONORABLE MENTIONS
-
The Nightmare Before Christmas
We hope that these films bring you as much joy and happiness as they bring to us. From all of us at Her Campus at the University of Maine, we wish you a happy, safe, and loving holiday season!