School is so close to being finished – all that’s left is a final here or there, and then we get some quality time to enjoy the holiday season! Now is also the perfect time of year to watch some of our absolute favorite holiday movies – from the animated classics to modern-day rom-coms, there are so many options to choose from! Here at Her Campus NYU, we’ve narrowed it down to our top picks. We’re including different genres and decades, so just like on Christmas, there’s bound to be something for everyone on this list!
Elf
This is my absolute favorite Christmas movie. Will Ferrell is a comedic genius in it, and it’s a completely original, hilarious, and heartwarming take on the classic holiday movie story. There are also so many quotable moments in it (the narwhal? Incredible), and no matter how many times I see this movie, I never get tired of it.
Year Without a Santa Claus
The Claymation movies kind of feel like a genre all their own; from Rudolph to Santa Claus is Coming to Town, they’re all classic favorites, but in my opinion, Year Without a Santa Claus cannot be beat almost entirely because of the Heat Miser and the Snow Miser. That sequence is so good and so underrated! This movie is a favorite for many other reasons (Mrs. Claus being the focal point of the story, the addition of Elvis’s “Blue Christmas,” and so much more), but the Heat Miser and Snow Miser are the real stars.
Miracle on 34th St
This is a consummate classic; when the Santa in a department store claims to be the actual Santa Claus, it sets a chain of events into motion that include a court case to determine if he is who he says he is. This movie is a classic for a reason; it’s perfect to watch with extended family, and it features the legendary Natalie Wood as the little girl who advocates for Santa.
The Holiday
My favorite holiday rom-com! I love it as much for the adorable storyline as I do for how unrealistic it is – two women happen to swap houses for a week around Christmas and find themselves falling in love with local men in their new respective towns. The cast is amazing – Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black – and I might even say controversially that I prefer it to the way more hyped Love, Actually.
Home Alone
So so good. If you haven’t seen Home Alone, make it a priority this holiday season – this movie is so widely loved for a reason! This is a movie that I can’t quite say line for line, but I can get pretty close. I’ve seen this so many times, and the scene in the church always still kind of makes me want to cry. Overall, this is one of the best Christmas movies out there.
We hope these movies help you unwind from final exams and put you in the holiday spirit! Grab some popcorn and holiday cookies and enjoy!