With the semester drawing to an end and finals getting closer and closer, it is hard to feel the winter spirit. If you are looking to get yourself ready for all this season has to offer, try making room in your study schedule to watch one (or all) of my top holiday picks!
- Elf (2003)
Rotten Tomato Score: 85%
Elf (2003) Official Trailer #1 – Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel Christmas Movie HD
This movie is a holiday classic. Will Ferrell delivers an iconic performance as Buddy the Elf, a human who never fit in with his elf peers in the North Pole and goes on an adventure in New York City to bond with his birth father. With moments like a grown man dressed as an elf telling a toy store Santa Claus, “you sit on a throne of lies” and a narwhal wishing Buddy good luck, it’s no question that Elf is one of the funniest Christmas movies of all time. Elf is a staple of the season and guaranteed to get you excited for the holidays.
- Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
Rotten Tomato Score: 100%
Mickey s Christmas Carol (1983) Movie Trailer
Swapping out Charles Dickens’ iconic characters for childhood favorites Mickey Mouse and friends, Mickey’s Christmas Carol is a fun retelling of a classic holiday. This heartwarming movie, like most Disney features, is full of both laugh-worthy and cry-worthy moments that make it perfect for the holiday season. It is the perfect movie to put on during a cold winter night with family and a hot cup of coco.
- The Princess Switch (2018)
Rotten Tomato Score: 71%
The Princess Switch | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix
Vanessa Hudgens stars as both a baker from Chicago and a European dutchess in this Netflix original movie. Now let’s be clear, this movie is not good. However, it is hard to argue that the setting of this movie and its two sequels is stunning. The Princess Switch is fun to turn on with a group of friends and make a game out of its predictability and the work-in-progress accents, while admiring the beautiful castle and winter wonderland the story takes place in.
- Dash & Lily (2020)
Rotten Tomato Score: 100%
Dash & Lily | Do You Dare? Teaser | Netflix
I cannot say enough good things about this show. The story follows two teenage strangers as they exchange dares through a notebook at Christmastime. Starring Midori Francis as cheerful Lily and Austin Abrams as “finicky” Dash, Dash & Lily is cute, delightful, fast-paced, and most importantly it is full of holiday cheer. The main couple, though not sharing a scene together until the second half of the season, have amazing chemistry. Lily’s cheerful attitude is infectious, Dash offers enjoyable quips, and snowy New York City feels like a character of its own. Though Netflix canceled the series, the first season is self-contained and still worth the watch!