When you start seeing twinkling lights as you drive down the streets of your neighborhood or when you hear someone singing “Jingle Bell Rock” with utmost enthusiasm, it can only mean one thing: It’s Christmas time!
There really is no season like it -- from the stirring of our holiday spirits when we set up the Christmas tree to the Noche Buena feast laid out before our very eyes. But if you want a full-fledged burst of Christmas spirit in you, complete your celebration with a movie marathon that will ensure you and your family a memorable Christmas day.
Home Alone (Ching)
This 90s classic is the perfect feel-good Christmas movie for two reasons. One, you share laughs with the family as you witness 8-year-old Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) outsmart two burglars (Joe Pesci and Danny Stern) in what can only be described as a hilarious but incredibly painful set of booby traps. Two, it shows that at the end of the day no matter how crazy your family is, you’ll always come back for each other. What better time than Christmas to remember that?
Die Hard (Deany)
A very vocal contingent of moviegoers considers Die Hard the greatest Christmas film ever made, and they have a pretty good case. The film, which introduces us to our profanity-using, gun-slinging reluctant hero John McClane, remains a stone cold classic, with Bruce Willis becoming America’s newest everyman hero and Alan Rickman turning in a deliciously sinister turn as the villainous Hans Gruber. It is very much worth all the re-watches it can get.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Deany)
While the film may officially be directed by Henry Selick, The Nightmare Before Christmas has producer Tim Burton’s fingerprints all over it. That means the film features many the usual Burton-isms moviegoers have grown familiar with: Intricate and darkly comedic plots, Gothic cinematography, and a wonderful Danny Elfman soundtrack. With an inventive storyline and strong performances all around, The Nightmare Before Christmas exists on a level all its own—a rich, timeless gem of animated cinema.
Elf (Ching)
Every now and then, we get so caught up in the stress and pressure from everyday life that we forget to be kind to others and even to ourselves. This is the situation Buddy (Will Ferrell) witnessed upon visiting New York from the North Pole. This might not be too far from what we experience now; we’re sometimes selfish like Buddy’s father, Walter (James Caan) or stuck doing something we hate like Buddy’s love interest, Jovie (Zooey Deschanel). So if you think you forgot to be kind this year, Buddy proves that Christmas is a good place to start getting your name on that nice list again.
Gremlins (Deany)
Sometimes, Christmas can provide its fair share of thrills too. Few, if any, movie monsters are more adorable than the titular Gremlins, and, as this cult-classic slice of 80’s camp horror shows, even fewer are as terrifying. Normally, the Gremlins are cute little lumps of fur with puppy-dog eyes, but if you feed them after midnight, they turn vicious. While the film very much hits the usual horror movie beats, an iconic villain and stellar set pieces keep it memorable.
Whether you’re in the mood for a comedy or horror, these films will help light up that Christmas spirit in you. You don’t even have to choose just one; if your family is up for it, try watching all five or add other films that you find perfect for the holidays. So get your DVDs and TV screens ready because this might just be the start of a beautiful Christmas tradition.