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woman in pajamas hugging a pillow with christmas tree in background
woman in pajamas hugging a pillow with christmas tree in background
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SBU | Culture > Entertainment

Five Holiday Movies to get you in the Holiday Spirit

Morgan Kilger Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Whenever I’m home for the holidays, my favorite thing to do is snuggle up with my dog on the couch and watch holiday movies all day. It’s my favorite way to unwind after a hectic semester and enjoy the Christmas season. 

Grab your hot chocolate, favorite blanket, and cozy pajamas. Here’s my top five holiday movies.

1.) How the Grinch stole christmas (1966)

This is a classic in my household, stemming from my dad. He’s a Grinch fanatic and so am I. 

This movie follows The Grinch, voiced by Boris Karloff, who is the biggest hater of Christmas. Hence forth, he decides to steal Christmas away from the Whoville — the town by his cave. 

There are three different versions of this movie, a full-length movie starring Jim Carrey and an animated movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, but the original is always my favorite. 

2.) Elf (2003)

I will fully admit, I watch this one year-round. It’s just comically perfect. I can’t help but watch it in July. I also quote “Bye Buddy, I hope you find your dad” on a daily basis. 

Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, is a human that grew up in the North Pole. When Buddy becomes an adult, he goes on a quest to find his birth father, who lives in New York City. Buddy gets into all sorts of mischief and has adventures during his time in the human world while spreading Christmas cheer. 

3.) A christmas story (1983)

Yes, this is the movie that plays all 24 hours on Christmas Day. This movie is a one-of-a-kind movie showing the reality of Christmas through the lens of a child. 

Ralphie Parker, played by Peter Billingsly, is telling his story of Christmas from when he was a child. Scenes include seeing Santa Claus, wanting a toy that is out of reach for him, his father’s prized lamp, and so much more. 

4.) National Lampoon’s christmas vacation (1989)

“Why is the carpet wet, Todd?”. “I don’t know, Margo”. 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is an installment of the National Lampoon movies starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. This movie follows Clark Griswold trying to make the perfect Christmas happen. If you’ve seen any National Lampoon movie, you already know this isn’t going to be smooth sailing. Everything from unexpected guests to the Christmas tree burning down happens in this movie, and the laughs never stop. 

5.) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Respectfully, I own a “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree”. Do you? 

In this movie, Charlie Brown tries to find the meaning of Christmas that isn’t commercialism. However, the other children of the Peanuts gang aren’t understanding why Charlie Brown is thinking like this. Charlie Brown is set to find the true meaning of Christmas in his own Charlie Brown way. 

Morgan Kilger

SBU '26

Morgan is a second-year writer and co-social media chair for St. Bonaventure University’s chapter of Her Campus, and is very excited to continue writing about what she is passionate about. This includes: mental health, pop culture, academic tips, and life experiences. She is also excited to be part of the executive board this year and help bring HCSBU to life on social media.

Outside of Her Campus, you can find Morgan as Communications Officer for SBU College Democrats, a student ambassador, and dancing with the SBU Dance Team. As for her studies, she is a senior history and women’s studies double major with a political science minor. Morgan aspires to work in a museum or university archive.

In her free time, Morgan enjoys being herself with her loved ones. Whether it’s watching Riverdale with her roommates or taking post-dinner trips to Wendy’s, she loves to spend time with her friends. She’s also working through her “to be read” list before she graduates, which is pages upon pages long (every pun intended).