The holidays are right around the corner, which means that you have been studying your tush off for exams. Give yourself a couple of hours off and do yourself a favor: put on your fuzzy slippers, pour a cup of hot cocoa, curl up in a cozy blanket, and slip out of the harsh reality of exam week for a while with one of these holiday classics! Whether it is nostalgic childhood giggles or those romantic tears you seek, we’ve got all the Christmas movie genres covered!
For the kid in you:
The Polar Express (2004)
This animated film is adapted from the book we all grew up with. This movie, starring Tom Hanks, takes you on a journey aboard the Polar Express where you’ll rekindle that unwavering faith in Santa you once had. All you have to do is believe!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Jim Carrey plays the perfect – I mean..nasty-cold-hearted – Grinch in this real-life remake of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch stole Christmas. The fun colors, the lights, the hair-do’s, the outfits, and the little who noses make it impossible not to feel like you’re a who too!
For a case of the giggles:
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Imagine a house full of all your relatives, an RV in your front yard, your great-aunt’s cat wrapped in a Christmas present, a squirrel in your Christmas tree, and your best friend kidnapping your boss. That is the least of the hilarious events that occur in the Griswald’s home over the holidays. If you want to laugh so hard you spill that hot cocoa, this may just be the flick for you.
Elf (2003)
Buddy the Elf warms my heart every time I hear him answer that phone, “Buddy the elf, what’s your favorite color?” This film will surely become a comedy classic as it boasts some of the best holiday cheer you can find these days! Just try not to crack a smile at Will Ferrell prancing through New York in an elf costume – I dare you!
For a little lovin’:
Love Actually (2003)
Cuddle up with your lover or grab a box of tissues with your roomie and get ready to screech “awww” at least five times. The characters in this movie are so entangled with one another that you won’t have time to feel sad or lonely – you know, that feeling the bookstacks give you around 3am when your cramming for a test.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
What would you do if you woke up one day and no one knew who you were? The world around you was a different place because you weren’t there to leave your mark. This is exactly what happens to George Bailey when he questions suicide and an angel comes to shake the life back into him. This love story is deeper than teenage kisses, it’s a love for life, family, friends, your community, yourself, and everything that embodies Christmas!
For a classic twist:
A Christmas Story (1983)
Christmas without uncomfortable yet sexy leg-lamps, Red Ryder BB guns, and getting your tongue frozen to the flag pole just doesn’t sound like Christmas at all. All little Ralphie wants to do is prove to the world that the BB gun is the perfect Christmas present for a boy his age, but everyone, including Santa, disagree.
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
This classic Christmas flick tells a story of true love, faith, and believing. When Santa is put on trial for being deemed insane, one kind of has to find enough holiday spirit to back him up! It’s not hard though when Kris Kringle gives you everything you wanted for Christmas.
For those on the naughty list
Rated-R
Bad Santa (2003)
Keep your panties on and wash your mouth out with soap after you watch this Christmas flick. Crude humor and profanity is all over this Christmas as Santa turns bad to the bone. When two conmen decide to pose as Santa and rob department stores on Christmas Eve, they run into a couple of problems…will an awkward and troubled 8 year old teach them the meaning of Christmas?
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)
They’re back! Harold & Kumar have gone their separate ways and even replaced one another with new friends. But when Christmas magic gets in the mix, the friends find themselves on another epic adventure, this time through New York, to replace what they inevitably screwed up!
For those stuck in the 90’s:
Home Alone (1990)
Kevin McAllister, an 8 year old boy, is accidentally left home alone while his family flies to France for the holiday season. And if that wasn’t enough, the kid has two crooks trying to rob his family’s house. Pull out the blue prints and get the fire-crackers ready, this is his house, he has to defend it!
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Jack Skellington is tired of the same routine Halloween holiday and wants to put on Christmas instead. This Christmas classic turns Jack into Sandy Claws, like the opposite of the Grinch on steroids.