The holiday season is the perfect time to bring out the blankets and cocoa for a wholesome movie marathon, but with the seemingly unlimited selection of movies and streaming services nowadays, picking the perfect movie is more daunting than ever before. Fear not, for you’ve come to the right place; here are the quintessential holiday movies that are sure to keep you and your family in the zone for a pseudo-film festival that you’ll revisit every year.
Of course, the ideal movies are the hallowed holiday classics like Tim Allen’s Santa Claus, Elf, Home Alone, and the often overlooked but absolutely outstanding Die-Hard Franchise, and there’s usually no way to go wrong with any of these fantastic films. However, there are some people who are very strongly opposed to rewatching movies, and for them, there are plenty of movies and shows that will blow their minds this holiday season.
As far as different kinds of holiday movies, there are so many directions to go in since we’re in the age of streaming services, with everything from Romantic Comedies and Animated family movies to straight-up Horror films that are ready and waiting. For fans of the Rom-Com, there are plenty of “Hallmark-y” movies like Love Actually and Love Hard, but for a slightly different take, I’d highly recommend Noelle. For our horror fans, there are the relatively unknown short series Elves, which gets a bit spooky, but the production value and shock factor are immaculate. I will say, however, that a good rule of thumb is to avoid terrifying your family too much during the holidays.
There are plenty of movies from across a broad range of genres and preferences to check out (and here is a good list to start with), but the movie choice is only half the battle of setting the perfect holiday celebration into effect. The most often overlooked aspect is, of course, the ambiance. This may sound like it will be a tedious and ultimately unworthy task to take on but trust me when I tell you that the perfect warm and peaceful ambiance will pay off in every way.
The key to setting this kind of low-key, personal celebration is to understand your audience. Your family and friends have their preferences, so if you can show them that you made an effort, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, it will go an incredibly long way. A good baseline is to nail the drinks and snacks beforehand and make sure that everything is easy enough to eat and drink while staying immersed in the movie(s). This can mean any kind of finger foods or warm, toasty beverages you may like, but please stay away from soups and wings for the sake of your couches.
Once you’ve nailed the culinary side, all that’s left is some comforting, dim lighting, from say a lamp or a candle and a mountain of the coziest blankets you can find. After that, you’re ready to gather your loved ones and enjoy some quality time together to unwind, laugh, and reconnect after a long year. You may end up looking to the future or reflecting on the past, but whatever you do, remember to cherish everything you have this holiday season.