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It's the most wonderful time of the year again; the weather is changing, Mariah Carey is back in action, and we're counting down the days until it's Christmas. Santa's arrival is quickly approaching, which means it's time for fuzzy socks, candy cane onesies, ugly sweaters and hot chocolate, amongst other things, to revel in the spirit of Christmas, all snuggled up with a good book or your favourite Christmas movies. To really get in the spirit, we've come up with a list of Christmas classics to bring the festive season to full swing, bringing the nostalgia from Christmas pasts.
Credit: Frank Capra
Whether you choose to watch it in black and white or colour, this Christmas staple is an excellent depiction of the proverb "the grass is always greener." This Frank Capra classic stars James Stewart as a man who gets a glimpse of what life would look like without him from his guardian angel as he contemplates suicide after shelving his personal ambitions to help his community. It is a take on Charles Dicken's, A Christmas Carol without being a direct adaptation.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Based on Dr Suess' iconic children's book about the ultimate holiday grump who rivals for first place with Ebenezer Scrooge. This green-hued grump planned to steal Christmas because he hated the holidays and was very lonely, but thanks to Cindy Lou Who, one of the cheery Who's from Whoville, this mountain-dwelling loner had his heart grow a few sizes. Whether you watch the original or the remake, you get this nostalgic feeling and fall in love with the characters of this classic story.
Credit: Walt Disney Studios
Heavenly emissaries are a thing with a lot of Christmas movies; it might as well be a trope. Denzel Washington plays an angel sent to earth to help a struggling Preacher. He falls for the Preacher's wife, played by Whitney Houston but eventually continues on his plan to help the preacher and his family. This is a remake of the 1947 movie The Bishop's Wife.
Credit: Nancy Meyers
This classic Christmas rom-com will have you swooning at every turn. Two ladies from different countries, both stuck in a rut, decide to switch homes for the holidays to escape their relationship issues. However, their lives change unexpectedly when they meet and fall in love with two local guys. This star-studded cast makes this movie a must for the holidays.
Credit: 20th Century Fox
Every year we get petitions from people insisting that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, and I am hard-pressed to agree with them; definitely a unique action staple. Bruce Willis plays John McClane, a cop trying to save his wife and other hostages at a holiday party taken over by German terrorists, this movie is a classic for many reasons, and no one can dispute that.
Credit: Warner Bros Pictures
The Polar Express is based on Chris Van Allsburg's picture book of the same name. This animated movie follows the adventures of a boy on his journey to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Tom Hanks plays the train conductor the young boy meets on his journey to meet Santa, one of the fantastic people he meets that makes his trip extraordinary.
Credit: Walt Disney Pictures
Taking it back to the original Christmas Carol with Reginald Owens as Scrooge, it doesn't get more classic than this movie. With many adaptations, it's good to go back to the original for a change of pace, and this does not disappoint. We experience all the scroog-ness in black and white as he's visited by ghosts.
Credit: Chris Columbus
Whether you love Macaulay Culkin or not, you can't think of Christmas without some Home Alone action; no matter which one you love the most, they are all masterpieces of our childhood. It's essential to binge every single one in existence because the shenanigans are on par with the mood of Christmas. Watching the original and the sequel is sure to leave you laughing, especially when you come in contact with the wet bandits.
This movie is filled with interconnected love stories that overlap during the Yuletide Season. The film follows ten separate stories of love and life that interlink as the story progresses; the story begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out with weekly countdowns until Christmas and an epilogue that takes place a month later. This story displays real-life struggles which makes it moving and relatable.
Credit: Richard Donner
Another Christmas Carol adaptation, this one starring Bill Murray as a disillusioned TV executive who is visited by a bunch of ghosts who try to help him regain his spirit and reform himself. The Ghost visits him on Christmas eve, helping him regain his Christmas spirit and change his ways. One of the Ghosts is played by Carol Kane.
This movie begins in the most unexpected way, with the death of Santa (gasp). Can you believe it? Tim Allen plays a divorced dad who accidentally causes the death of Santa and is tasked with taking up the mantle. Now he has to deal with his suspicious ex-wife and keeping his secret safe as Santa.
Credit: Warner Bros Pictures
Will Ferrell comes full of energy, starring as Buddy, a human raised by elves at the North Pole, he travels all the way to New York one Christmas to find his biological father. Although released in 2003, this movie feels like it's been around longer, a Christmas comedy staple for the family.
There's no Christmas till we have all the Holiday rom-coms on repeat. Queen Latifah stars in this Christmas rom-com that steals your heart as a by-the-book single lady who decides to make the most of her last Christmas on Earth after discovering she has three weeks to live. She quits her boring job and takes a lavish vacation, and, somewhere along the line, falls in love with LL Cool J, who plays her love interest in the movie. It'll have you laughing, crying and rooting for love all in one sitting.
Tim Burton Gives us another seasonal classic with this stop motion movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas; it blends two festive but different holidays together as it follows a resident of Halloweentown, Jack Skellington, on his adventure when he discovers Christmastown; it takes us through a changing of seasons of a sort. Christmastown instantly enchants Jack Skellington, and the situation becomes riveting when his obsession with Christmas causes him to abduct Santa Claus.
What is a Charlie Brown Christmas? Well, you'll have to watch it and find out. This animated Christmas special ensures the kids are included in this jolly binge-adventure. Charlie starts the movie down in the dumps despite the festive season, but with the help of his friends, he unearths the true meaning of Christmas and restores his joy.
We obviously couldn't leave out Rudolf, our favourite red-nosed Reindeer; this animated claymation classic is the best of the Videocraft Classics. It follows the story of a toymaker elf, an illuminated reindeer and all their misfit friends as they search for acceptance. Rudolf eventually saves the day, so be prepared to have Johnny Marks' classic song on repeat after you watch this movie.
With all these, you'd be ready for the Christmas season in no time! So cuddle up and begin the countdown to the holidays with these fantastic Christmas classics, sure to leave you in the Christmas spirit with something for every member of the family.
About the Author: Oluwatobi Omotoso is a writer, content creator, Social Media Manager, and marketing strategist. She's an avid treehugger and lover of all things sci-fi. She has been compared to the Joker in personality tests, and her friends lovingly call her a Megalomaniac.
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