The holiday season is quickly approaching, and it is time to get warm and watch some festive movies. Watching Christmas movies to prepare for the best time of the year is crucial, and there are many to choose from. Sometimes those choices can become overwhelming, and the best ones to watch can be difficult to find. There are many amazing movies to watch, but there are five movies that really represent the holidays and the Christmas spirit.
The Christmas Chronicles
After the first snowfall, I find myself wanting to get in the holiday spirit. I end up staying in and putting on a movie, and the first movie I choose to watch every year is always The Christmas Chronicles. This movie has my entire heart. The directors somehow shield the movie from basic Christmas and Hallmark themes, instead giving it a unique plotline that still heavily encorporates Christmas spirit into it. Not to mention, this movie has become a series of movies because of how much people loved it, so now everybody can enjoy more than one version of it. The Christmas Chronicles has to be one of the best holiday movies out there with its mix of humor, life lessons, tradition, and heartwarming moments.
Elf
There is one movie that I have never heard a person say they do not like, and that movie is Elf. I would call this movie a masterpiece with its ability to tie in a love story among all of the other themes involved. My family and I watch this movie every year multiple times as a tradition. It adds so much excitement to the holidays and really gets its audience ready for the holiday season.
“Grinch” Movies
One movie series that teaches important and valuable lessons while also heavily relying on the idea of Christmas celebration is that of the Grinch. This movie is so good that many versions have been made of it. Whether that is an animated version, live-action film, or an updated animated movie. There is the original, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966), and then there is the live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) made by Dr. Seuss, and finally there is the latest animated version made in 2018. All three of those movies are the perfect watch for a snow day in December.
Home Alone
The entire Home Alone franchise is good, but the first and original will always be the best. While I personally binge all of the series, the first one has always been my favorite. It is extremely humorous and helps show important ideas to children watching. It is a tradition with my siblings that we watch this movie every year together, and it never gets old. It is such a unique take on what someone would do to create a good Christmas movie, and it embodies holiday spirit very well while putting its audience into a holiday spirit as well.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
One of the first Christmas movies I ever watched was the stop-motion version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This movie had such an impact on me when I was a kid, and it carries into who I am now. Every year I look forward to turning this movie on; a lot of my enjoyment comes from the memories it brings back, but a lot of its appeal is the mood of the movie. It explores themes of bullying, but it ends up promoting acceptance and the value of differences, which is a great lesson for kids to learn from a movie. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a one-of-a-kind movie, making it one of the best and one of my personal favorites.
All of these Christmas movies teach valuable things and have an impact on their audience. Every one of these movies show up and out for their Christmas and holiday spirit, making them some of the greatest. While there are many other great options out there, these are the ones to choose first during the holiday season.
