When it comes to the months leading up to Christmas, the weather becomes chilly, windy, and snowy and it becomes harder to find the motivation to leave your house or apartment to do something. Instead, many people like cozying up in a blanket, a cup of hot cocoa in hand, and watching a movie. As the years have gone on, more Christmas movies have been made causing it to become harder to choose which movie to watch when sitting by the fireplace ready to watch a festive movie. Being a Christmas fanatic myself, below I have reviewed my top five Christmas movies.
#1 – Christmas with the Kranks
My absolute favorite Christmas movie… always makes me laugh from Nora running after the ham in the road, from the Christmas carolers going all around Luther and Nora’s house when they boycott Christmas, to Blair coming home and the power going out when the neighborhood is preparing for her arrival. There is so much action and unpredictability in the movie that I am always wondering what is going to happen next. The best part is that the whole neighborhood comes together to help Luther and Nora create a wonderful holiday party very quickly. This occurs when they find out their daughter is coming home, despite the two of them being grumpy and boycotting Christmas prior to the news. I would not consider this movie a classic, but it sure is one that is watched way too often when I am around. In fact, I watched it the other day as my first Christmas movie of the season.
#2 – Elf
A true classic itself, Elf, features Buddy who travels from the North Pole to New York City in search of his real family where he realizes he is an outcast in the city. Constantly eating as much sugar as possible whether that is candy corn, candy canes, maple syrup or candy, Buddy develops a crush on a lady who works at the toy store and attempts to talk and hang out with her. This movie is a light-hearted, funny movie appropriate for all ages and can be watched at any time of year, although it seems as though it must be watched multiple times each Christmas season to get everyone laughing at Buddy’s random adventures.
#3 – The Polar Express
This movie reminds me of my childhood as I always thought Christmas was so magical (and it still is) and believed that the story of the Polar Express was real and happened each year. The singing and dancing on the train in the movie is a lot of fun and I always try to imagine what it would be like if it occurred in real life. The excitement that occurs when the train arrives at the North Pole is immaculate and makes me wish that Christmas really were how it seems in the movie. At this point, Christmas seems to become too much about the presents and not enough about the experiences, so the movie helps to make it seem as though it is not. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants a fun watch for the holidays.
#4 – Home Alone
This action-packed movie keeps me on my feet as I await the next trouble Kevin gets into. He always seems to have something happen to him whether that be missing family vacation to messing up the entire house to attempting to get rid of the burglars. His family realizes he did not go with them and are concerned as to how he is doing by himself, home alone as an eight-year old. I could never imagine a Christmas as unnecessarily exciting and scary as Kevin’s was that Christmas. This is a definite watch for Christmas lovers and non-Christmas lovers alike.
#5 – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
This typical classic always makes me think of all the family classic movies such as Frosty the Snowman and The Little Drummer Boy. A short, but often classic tale of the reindeer himself named Rudolph. Rudolph is not like the rest of the reindeer with this shining, red nose, but he makes the most of it and tries to go with life although he is shunned for being different. This movie is great for kids due to the animations and short length of the movie.
Now, when it is cold one night in the coming months, sit back, relax, and watch one of these top five Christmas movies with a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and a Christmas cookie in the other. They will not disappoint and are promised to give you hours of festive entertainment.