Holiday Movies

Thursday, December 16th, 2021

A&E Classic holiday movies

Sydney Trieu

Online Editor

Christmas movies are a classic hallmark of Christmas celebrations and one of the favorite ways to celebrate the upcoming holiday season.

Every winter break, my family and I curl up on the couch and settle in for a movie after our Christmas dinner.

It allows me to indulge my inner child and make it seem like anything is possible with a little Christmas spirit. Here are some of the movies my family and I watch every year:

The Polar Express is a classic Christmas movie full of childhood nostalgia.

My first memories of this story come from the picture book my mom would read to my siblings and I during winter break.

However, between the movie and book, the movie was my favorite. The movie’s animation style adds that extra dash of magic that makes it come alive.

I also like how it strays away from the typical plotlines and clichés.

You would think that a children’s movie would play right into the expected but, the deviation away from the predictable makes the movie more memorable, and has helped it remain a quintessential Christmas movie.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1963) is another personal favorite.

I love the animation style and the scenery of the movie, even though it’s one of the older Christmas movies out there.

I also enjoy the songs in the movie, which have remained staples for the Christmas season.

My favorite part is the nostalgic happy ending, where the Grinch had a change of heart and grows into the hero of the movie.

Die Hard and its continued discussion of whether or not it is actually a Christmas movie has sparked many debates between my younger brother and I.

I personally believe that it isn’t, and you can fight me on that.

It’s just an action and adventure blockbuster set during Christmas, which does not automatically make it a Christmas movie. Yet, many argue otherwise.

Some argue that the movie’s focus on family, which is one of the main themes, makes Die Hard a Christmas movie because family is an essential part of Christmas.

Even though I don’t think that it’s a Christmas movie, it somehow always ends up being watched every Christmas at my house.

Still, it adds some much appreciated variety in the Christmas movie line-up.

My list definitely does not cover everything. It’s just a small fraction of all the holiday movies out there.

The list of Christmas movies is endless and one can definitely be found to suit everyone’s tastes.

Sydney Trieu/PEPPERBOX Sydney Trieu starting the movie Die Hard with a bowl of candy on stand by