As we draw closer to Christmas Day, one essential holiday tradition ramps up accordingly: Christmas movie watching. Everybody has their favorites, films they come back to year after year. For some, these movies are tradition, and for others, they’re simply a comfort.
Like everyone else, The Heights’ Arts Editors have Christmas movies that they cherish above all others. For a familiar appreciation of the Christmas classics, and perhaps a few unexpected selections, check out our picks!
Maddie’s Picks
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
The first Home Alone film is nothing short of perfect nostalgia, but the sequel’s New York setting makes it all the better. The original film’s structure and conflict is maintained, but the simple additions to the second film are just fantastic.
With new enemies in the hotel workers, a pigeon lady in the park, and the trap–laden toy store, Home Alone 2 effortlessly improves on the first movie.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
This movie is one that gets better the older you get. While it’s dry and occasionally adult humor goes over the heads of most kids, I’ve found this movie increasingly hilarious as I’ve entered my 20s.
The Clark family is certifiably insane, and Christmas Vacation encapsulates the chaos of a Christmas spent with extended family. Its laugh-out-loud moments make it one of the most comical Christmas movies out there.
Bia’s Picks
The Holiday
Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black all with a Christmas backdrop. Does film get any better than that?
A recently cheated-on insomniac and successful movie trailer editor, Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz), and the easily led-on, people-pleasing society columnist, Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet), decide to trade homes in an impulsive attempt to escape their romantic frustrations during the holiday season. In fleeing their home countries—hoping to get as far away as possible from their failed relationships—they find love.
In a world where Christmas rom-coms are often cheesy and overly predictable, The Holiday cements itself as a perfect blend of charm and sass. It’s festive, but packs a solid plot.
The Family Stone
If you’re not into the relentlessly optimistic Hallmark movies but still enjoy a family drama with a hint of Christmas, The Family Stone might be just the right pick for you. When Everett Stone decides to bring his girlfriend, Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), home for the holidays, an incredible amount of chaos ensues in the Stone household.
With Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson as the perfect parent duo, Ben Wilson as the shaggy, ostensibly innocent brother, and Rachel McAdams as an unexpected, little sister troublemaker, you are guaranteed to fall in love with the Stone crowd. But beware: if you’re a Sex and the City fan, this movie might cause your grievances with Carrie Bradshaw to skyrocket.
Milo’s Picks
It’s A Wonderful Life
It’s A Wonderful Life is a film that transcends the Christmas movie genre—it has none of the trite and predictable thematics which make Hallmark Christmas films digestible for, at most, one month a year. Released in 1946, what It’s A Wonderful Life offers as a holiday movie is still yet to be replicated, or successfully reimagined. Though it came out eight decades ago, it remains remarkably unique.
Set in the harsh trappings of an increasingly capitalistic America, the film contains reflections on love, faith, community, and what it means to exist. Protagonist George Bailey (James Stewart) grapples with Hamlet’s question, “To be, or not to be,” and resoundingly decides upon the latter in one of cinema’s most powerful moments.
Trading Places
For prime Eddie Murphy and perfect Christmas humour, look no further than Trading Places. In a deplorable experiment—with admittedly hilarious consequences—a commodities broker and a street-level con artist are forced to switch lives. The film manages to sympathize with all walks of life, with the only villain being classism itself.
A crazed Santa Claus and a horny, impassioned gorilla are among the comical, unexpected characters who feature throughout. With heartwarming and meaningful social justice commentary, Trading Places encapsulates the entirety of the Christmas spirit—not just carols and gifts, but also the simple act of caring for one another.
Lillian’s Picks
The Holdovers
Despite being released at the tail end of 2023, The Holdovers already feels like a Christmas classic. It’s cozy, New England boarding school setting charmed me instantly, even before encountering the three lovable main characters who are navigating being alone during Christmas.
It’s a heartwarming coming-of-age tale that truly captures feelings of gratitude towards your loved ones—biological or otherwise. The Holdovers, in my eyes, encapsulates the true magic of a Christmas film. Its warm lighting, familial themes, and overwhelming sense of holiday whimsy immediately earned it a spot on my annual rewatch list.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
In my opinion, The Muppet Christmas Carol is the end-all-be-all of A Christmas Carol film adaptations. I’m aware this might seem ridiculous at first. How can one possibly blend bleak Dickensian London with the eccentric puppetry of Jim Henson without compromising the tone or integrity of the original novel?
Maybe it’s thanks to Michael Caine’s incredibly convincing Scrooge, the perfectly-placed satirization of Dickens, or the genuinely heartwarming original songs.
The human actors play it completely straight. They treat these quirky, three-foot puppets as if they were real people and force warchers to take the story seriously while still maintaining that classic Muppets charm.
Caroline’s Picks
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Only 47 minutes long, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is an oldie and a goodie. The film guarantees a heartwarming, happy ending to enjoy with family, while the stop motion animation style and fuzzy audio add a cozy ambiance to Rudolph’s fast-paced story of finding belonging.
While Rudolph’s name might be famous in song, not many people know of his terrifying battles with the Abominable Snowman, his friendships with Yukon Cornelius and Hermey, or his encounter with the Island of Misfit Toys. Providing context for how Rudolph became the most celebrated reindeer of all, viewers can take away valuable moral lessons while they are treated with warming nostalgia.
Elf
Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) being dropped in the Big Apple will never fail to amuse the whole family. Iconic scenes, like Buddy’s spaghetti dinner and, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” are crafted perfectly for audiences of all ages, combining silliness and situational irony. The resident whimsical Christmas movie, Elf is always worth a rewatch.