December is the month known for its cold weather in New York. It is filled with diverse cultural and religious celebrations worldwide. Including, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. December is also known for no leaves on the trees, peppermint flavored items, hot drinks, and as well as holiday movies! In this article, I will talk about holiday movies that should be watched in order to kick off the holiday spirit!
1. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The movie is about a pumpkin king named Jack Skellington who is beloved in Halloweentown. He eventually gets bored with the same routine of frightening people and eventually stumbles Christmastown. As he sees the bright and comforting spirit that Christmastown brought, he planned on replacing the role of Santa Claus. This movie is a good start to the holiday season as it transitions from the month of October, Halloween, to the month of December, Christmas.
2. Home Alone
Home Alone is a classic holiday movie as it follows a young boy named Kevin McCallister. He acts out on the night before his family was suppose to leave for a family trip to Paris and gets sent to attic to sleep. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave without Kevin, he wakes up to a house empty, assuming that the wish he made from the night before came true. Yet as he lives the next couple of days in the house alone, he realizes that two con men will come to rob the McCallister’s household and decides to do anything in order to protect the house.
3. The Polar Express
The movie is based of a children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. As a young boy takes a train ride to the North Pole, he realizes that life never fades. He goes on a journey of self discovery and adventures. Personally, this movie brings back nostalgia, because I remember this movie being played to me when I was little.
4. Elf
An elf by the name of Buddy, was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a kid and raised to an adult from Santa’s elves. As he continued staying in the North Pole, he could not shake off the feeling that he did not fit in. In order to find his true self, he goes to New York in order to search for his real father. He soon finds his biological father, but things were not what Buddy hoped they would be.
5. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
The movie from 2000 is based off of a children’s book by Dr. Seuss. Where the green grinch decides to ruin Christmas for the town of Whoville. He would sneak into town and steal anything that was Christmas related- presents, lights, and anything that seemed festive to him. But, everything changed when he meets a little girl named Cindy Lou Who.
6. Holidate
The movie follows a women named Sloane, who is tired of her family fix ups and decides to plan a scheme with a guy name Jackson to be each other’s platonic plus one for any gathering. It is not just a movie about one holiday but it also involves, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, and Christmas. After a year of being each others plus ones, they both question their feelings for each other.
7. The Princess Switch
An American baker, and a princess to be, decides to swap places for the holidays after discovering they look identically alike. It is like the prince and the pauper setup, which two people who look exactly alike but come from a different classes switch places. This movie involves romance, but with mistaken identity, and it makes switching back more complicated
8. Mean Girls
Last but not least, Mean Girls. A teenager by the name of Cady Heron moves to Illinois after growing up in Africa all her life with her scientist parents. She gets to experience being in a public highschool and soon learns the truth on what popularity can do to people. She finds herself in an elite group called “the plastics” that the school finds cool. But, she soon realizes that they are not what they seem to be.