Classic Christmas Movies

Halle Goldsmith, Writer

It is finally the holiday season once more, and as December drones on the majority of us are getting excited for the upcoming holidays. Here is a list of ten must watch Christmas movies to get you in the Christmas spirit.

  1. Elf
    1. Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and was raised among the elves until he was an adult. As he grows older Buddy feels as though he doesn’t fit in, which leads him to go on an adventure to New York to find his real father. His father is a cynical businessman named Walter Hobbes, who doesn’t want to admit that Buddy is related to him. After a DNA test, Walter gives Buddy a chance and he reluctantly attempts a relationship with Buddy. Though as the childlike Buddy stays with them longer, he tends to cause lots of chaos in the Hobbes home…
  2. The Polar Express
    1. When a young boy begins to doubt the spirit of Christmas and Santa, he is taken on a magical train ride to the North Pole. He is taken on an extraordinary adventure that shows him the wonder of life never fades if you just believe.
  3. Disney’s a Christmas Carol
    1. Miserable Ebenezer Scrooge is opposed to Christmas, to him it is all humbug. He berates his faithful clerk and his cheery nephew for their Christmas spirit. Scrooge is taken on the journey of a lifetime when three spirits bring him through time to reform his bitter ways. These spirits are past, present, and future and they truly did change him for the better.
  4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
    1. A live action remake of Dr. Seuss’s children tale. The vengeful, Christmas hating Grinch decides he must ruin Christmas for everyone in Whoville. The Grinch works as a reverse Santa, he sneaks his way down into Whoville to steal holiday related from the Whos. although, when he encounters an endearing little girl, Cindy Lou Who, his plans become slightly derailed. When interviewed, Kelly Moussa states that her favorite Christmas movie is How the Grinch Stole Christmas and she goes on to say that, “this movie really gets me in the Christmas spirit.”
  5. Home Alone
    1. When the self-centered 8-year-old boy, Kevin McCallister, acts out the day before a family trip to Paris his mother makes him sleep in the attic. The family mistakenly leaves for the airport without Kevin, he wakes up to an empty house and assumes his wish to make his family disappear came true. His excitement begins to fade as he realizes that two con men are trying to rob the McCallister’s home and that he must protect their family home alone. Tarah Agati, a fan of the family favorite movie says, “Home alone is a fun, exciting movie that always puts me in the mood for Christmas.”
  6. A Charlie Brown Christmas
    1. Charlie Brown knows that he should be happy about the upcoming holidays, but he isn’t. The commercialism of the Christmas season has made him not enjoy the spirit of the holiday. Lucy then suggests he directs the school Christmas pageant to help find the true meaning of Christmas.
  7. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
    1. Rudolph is a reindeer with a bright red nose, he doesn’t fit in with the others and gets bullied for it. Although when a storm is brewing Christmas Eve, it is up to Rudolph to save the day.
  8. The Nightmare Before Christmas
    1. This movie is a mix of Halloween and Christmas and it is bound to put you in the mood for Christmas. Jack Skeleton is the pumpkin king of Halloweentown, but has grown bored of the same old annual fright festivities on Halloween. He stumbles upon Christmastown and plots to bring Christmas under his control. By kidnapping Santa and assuming the role himself, but Jack soon figures out that this job isn’t as easy as it seems, even his best laid plans don’t always work out. Aislinn Lavery thinks that, “It’s super funny and heartwarming. It blends my two favorite holidays together”
  9. Miracle on 34th Street
    1. An old man going by the name of Kris Kringle fills in for an intoxicated Santa in Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade. He proves to be such a hit that he begins appearing regularly at the Macy’s store in midtown Manhattan. When Kringle starts to tell customers and employees that he is the real Santa Claus, it leads to the court case of a lifetime.
  10. A Year Without a Santa Claus
    1. One year a grumpy Santa Clause starts to think that children are overly materialistic and too greedy. So he decides to take the year off from delivering presents. Does this mean Christmas is cancelled? When asked about the movie, Emily Reilly says, “It is both comedic and Christmasy, it is a classic and a must watch every holiday season”