Bundle up with warm blankets and a hot chocolate
Come Christmas time, holiday music can be heard everywhere, decorations are all around town and people just seem a lot more cheerful. Houses are lit up with light fixtures and it’s hard to not get caught up in the holiday season cheer along with everyone else. Watching Christmas or holiday movies can allow you to enjoy the Christmas spirit while not breaking your bank account. With an endless amount of Christmas-themed movies on practically any streaming device, here is a short list of the top movies to watch this holiday season as school is over for the quarter, homework it out of mind, and a hot chocolate is warm in your hand.
“Holiday Joy” (2016)
When it’s time for a cheesy holiday movie and there’s nothing on cable to watch for a couple of hours, turn to the movie “Holiday Joy.” When Joy, played by Bailee Madison, gets hit by a car, she wakes up and finds herself living in her neighbor’s home, with the loving family she was always envious of. As the plot follows Joy on her “Freaky Friday”-like adventure, she notices the impact that she made on everyone’s life. The movie has a predictable story with an ending that can be spotted from a mile away. Yet there’s always a special feeling that comes along with Christmas movies when the protagonist gains everything materialistic they want in life but ultimately realize they only needed their families, friends and people that love them for who they are.
“Dear Santa” (2011)
A rom-com that’s perfect for this Christmas season is the movie “Dear Santa.” Crystal Carruthers, played by Amy Acker, is a high-class woman that finds a letter addressed to Santa Claus written by a little girl who wishes to see her dad happy again. Crystal goes on to find the family of two in order to make the little girl’s only wish come true. She volunteers to be part of the dad’s soup kitchen and their love story takes off from there.
“Gremlins” (1984)
When the Christmas movies start getting too emotional and sappy, it’s time to switch it up. Directed by Joe Dante, the classic movie “Gremlins” follows a teenage boy whose father, played by Hoyt Axton, gives him a mogwai as a Christmas present. In the opening scene, Randall Peltzer is looking around Chinatown shopping for his son when he comes across a mogwai. The shop owner refuses to sell Randall the mogwai, but the shop owner’s son goes behind his father’s back and sells the little mogwai on the condition that the father follow three crucial rules: don’t expose him to bright light, don’t get him wet and don’t ever feed him after midnight. This 1984 film is not the classic “find the true meaning of Christmas” kind-of-movie. It features monsters wreaking havoc and a family trying to fix the mess they made. “Gremlins,” in all its chaotic glory, is a movie that changes the heartfelt, slow pace of Christmas.
“Christmas Chronicles” (2018)
In this newly-released Netflix movie, siblings Kate and Teddy Pierce, played by Darby Camp and Judah Lewis, are left alone during Christmas Eve while their mom goes to work. The siblings set up a trap to catch Santa Claus and prove that he is real. However, they end up losing Santa’s sleigh and having to save Christmas. With a pessimistic older brother, a light hearted child and a witty Santa Claus, this odd groups goes on to save the spirit of Christmas for families everywhere. This movie is family friendly, fun to watch and will keep little siblings at bay for a while. The plot is a little cliché but there are never enough movies about keeping up the holiday spirit and watching Santa escape the hands of a couple of policemen.
“Becoming Santa” (2011)
“Becoming Santa” is not your average Christmas movie. It’s a documentary-style film that follows Jack Sanderson as he physically tries to become Santa. Sanderson starts by bleaching his hair and then goes to Santa Claus school to nail the act down. The film provides audiences with a more in-depth look into the Santa Clauses that are often seen outside of stores and malls asking for money, in parades and visiting children’s hospitals in their spare time. Throughout Sanderson’s journey, he discovers the history and culture that comes along with taking on the role of the famous Santa Claus.
“Deck The Halls” (2006)
When it’s time for a laugh for the family, “Deck the Halls” is a go-to movie. The movie follows two neighbors: the Finches and the Halls. The father in the Finches family, played by Matthew Broderick, is practically Father Christmas. The family has the most decorated house on the block and the most Christmas cheer on his lead. The Finches are a respectable family and have traditions that they follow wholeheartedly every year, but when the Halls move into the neighborhood, the dynamic shifts. The Halls are the complete opposite of the Finches. Whereas Steve Finch is an optometrist, Buddy Hall, played by Danny DeVito, scams his way through life just hoping that the best works out for him. When the Halls’ Christmas lights can be seen from outer space, the feud between families immediately starts and the two try to outdo each other during the holiday season. This movie is one for the family, perfect for when there’s too much talk of love for you to handle during the holiday season.
“The Santa Clause” Series
Finally there are the classic movies that need to be watched every holiday season, or really any time there is a chance to watch them — the movies are just that good. The Santa Clause series starts off with a divorced man Scott, played by Tim Allen, struggling to keep his son entertained on Christmas Eve when Santa abruptly falls off the roof of their house. Scott puts on the Santa suit in confusion, which means he now has to take on the role of Santa Claus. The movie follows Scott year-round as he starts to physically turn into Santa Claus and learns to take on the role. There are three movies in the Santa Clause series and, of course, the first one is the best to watch but the more movies, the merrier.
Make your Christmas break even better with these movies. Take some time to watch them with friends or family members that aren’t normally around. Or even better, stock up on holiday snacks and spend the afternoon watching Christmas movies with the most loving family member of them all — your pet dog. Happy Holidays Aggies!
Written by: Itzelth Gamboa — arts@theaggie.org
