Favorite Christmas Movies
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Whenever the Christmas holiday season approaches, I always tend to space the activities out so everyone isn’t too overwhelmed. Last weekend, we built gingerbread houses, decorated the house a little, looked at some Christmas lights, and started our advent calendars. This weekend, we will probably go walk The Holiday Window Stroll and visit the Grand Gingerbread House at The Grand America Hotel, bake some cookies, and finish our Christmas cards. Next weekend, we will pick out our new Christmas ornaments for the year decorate the tree.
One constant throughout the activities, which I quite enjoy, is watching all the Christmas movies!
While there are a ton of Christmas movies to choose from, there are always a few movies I must watch every single year. Some may argue a few of the listed movies aren’t quite “Christmas”. To me, if the movie is involved with the holiday, then it’s a Christmas movie!
Here are a few of my/our favorite movies to watch during the Christmas holiday season.
Side note: I did not realize I was such a huge Tim Burton fan, until the list was completed…
Family & Kid Friendly
Nightmare Before Christmas - While some say this movie is technically a Halloween movie, I say it’s a movie for both Halloween AND Christmas! The movie includes Santa, snow, and gifts, and the spirit of Christmas is definitely present in the movie. I think it’s a cute movie for both holidays!
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer - An embellishment of the song, this movie lets everyone know there is nothing to be ashamed of, and it is okay to be different from others. This is such a good lesson in a children’s movie, which just so happens to be centered around Christmas.
Frosty the Snowman - While there is no lesson to be learned, this is a cute expansion of the song. If you live in an area with four seasons, you can totally go outside and build a snowman after watching this short film!
Home Alone & Home Alone 2: Lost in New York - Both of these classic movies follow a mischievous boy who spends Christmas alone, but not quite alone, as he has to fend off two burglars with his crazy, dangerous, and comedic pranks. It’s a classic, full of mishaps and cheesy one liners!
Gremlins & Gremlins 2: The New Batch - Gizmo, a mogwai aka 魔怪, is a Christmas present gone bad. This series might be a little scary for the younger ones, but both movies end happily.
Adults Only
Die Hard & Die Hard 2 - Yes, both of these movies are totally Christmas movies! They just so happen to be action films as well. Yippee ki yay!
Love Actually - I remember watching this one in theaters and watching it almost every year afterwards. This movie is one of my favorites with an amazing cast with intertwining story lines. It can also be watched as a romantic comedy, but I love that it also brings in the holiday spirit.
Batman Returns - Batman is my absolute favorite, and I love Tim Burton’s take on this character and universe. The quirkiness of Burton with the dark and gritty of Batman takes this Christmas movie to a whole new level.
Edward Scissorhands - Another Burton movie, this movie shows how important it is to accept people who are different and explains why it snows every Christmas in sunny California.
Serendipity - This movie starts before Christmas and follows two people who have an obvious connection as they allow fate, or serendipity, to lead them on an adventure. This isn’t quite a Christmas movie as much as it is a romantic comedy, but I like the idea of it all.
Do you consider the listed movies Christmas movies, or do you feel like some are more horror/Halloween than Christmas? Let me know what you think and what your favorite Christmas movies are in the comments below. I’ve love to add some to my current list!