Every December, that familiar feeling rolls around. No, it’s not snow in College Station (we can hope), but it’s the urge to rewatch Elf for the hundredth time. Or, when Frosty the Snowman starts playing on Hulu streaming again. Especially when the Jim Carrey How The Grinch Stole Christmas is put on Netflix just in time for the holiday season. All of a sudden, everyone is ready to rewatch every festive film in the book, even though we all practically have them memorized. So, why do we really return to watch the same Christmas movies every year? Here’s the surprisingly wholesome, and slightly haywire, science behind our Christmas viewing habits.
1. Nostalgia is Christmas’s magic maker
When we rewatch a movie, such as Home Alone, we watch how it made us feel the very first time we saw it. Many of these Christmas films are tied to holiday memories that we hold very dear to us. The Santa Clause is tied with baking cookies and decorating the tree. Love Actually is tied with matching family pajamas and hot cocoa. Nostalgia gives our brains a cozy serotonin boost that is extremely necessary for the holiday season (and for surviving finals).
2. We don’t watch for plot – we watch for vibes
We all know exactly how every Hallmark Christmas movie will end. The happy couple will end up together, and the Christmas spirit will reign supreme. We all know Kevin defeats the Wet Bandits, and we know the Grinch will always save Christmas; however, we continue to rewatch them regardless. This is because these movies are basically like a holiday comfort meal. Predictability is relaxing and comforting, and after finals season, we have earned the right to know exactly how something ends.Â
3. Its a ritual
Just as we like to follow at A&M, these movies act as a tradition for the holiday season. We all know watching all of these movies is optional; however, they feel like they aren’t. Watching Elf while wrapping presents is a must. The Polar Express, while decorating sugar cookies, is literally required. These traditions we have developed for ourselves become annual rituals that we don’t have to overthink or plan. They just happen.
4. They make us feel like kids
Let’s be honest: we are all college kids here who don’t exactly like adult-ing. Finals? Grocery shopping? Bills? All are hard passes. These ritual holiday movies give us a temporary escape from responsibilities and allow us to feel like Santa-believing kids again. These films act as a soft reset to the harsh reality of life and fill the Christmas season with some extra child-like wonder and holiday magic.
5. Honestly, they just make us happy
At the end of the day, the holidays are about joy, love, and connection. They need that little spark of extra magic that makes them feel truly special every year. These Christmas movies deliver all of that, and they always do so reliably.
So, yes, we will be watching Elf again, knowing that Buddy saves the day and gets his dad to believe in the Christmas spirit. We will quote the Grinch’s melancholy speech about Whoville, and we will cry watching A Miracle on 34th Street even though every year we say we won’t – and we will do it again next year. Because, if we Aggies know anything, it’s that tradition matters. So rewatching our favorite holiday movies will remain a tradition that we are definitely keeping for many years to come.Â