ITS TIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMEEE!
Christmas is less than two weeks past and it is time to review the holiday. Besides sledding in the snow or baking cookies with your family, watching Christmas movies is also an important part of the holidays. Below, I will be ranking what I consider the best Christmas of all time.
While tastes vary, a few Christmas films have earned their status as classics by capturing the jolly magic of the season.
- It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the most quintessential holiday films. In the movie, George Bailey constantly has to sacrifice his dreams of adventure for family duties. Even though he is frustrated, he tries to keep a smile on his face. However, when Clarence the angel shows George the nightmare world of Pottersville, a horrible world where he was absent, George realizes the importance he had on his community. Throughout this film, there is a constant theme of kindnesses and loyalty. The film perfectly represents the holiday spirit as George delivers love to all no matter who they are.
- For a more funny and whimsical movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the 1966 animated special) is unparalleled. The Grinch at the beginning seems like a grumpy outsider whose heart is “two sizes too small” because of a lifetime of lonely distance from the Whos’ joy. However, he realizes that Christmas isn’t about presents and material things, but about love, family, and community. His heart grows three times in size and he becomes a benevolent person. With the brilliant animation and the iconic narration, it blends mischievous and the holiday spirit together.
- Home Alone is one of the original Christmas movies that everyone has to watch in the lifetime at least once. 8-year-old Kevin McCallister was accidentally left behind when his large, chaotic family rushes to catch a flight for a Paris Christmas vacation. However, Kevin must protect his suburban Chicago home from two determined burglars, Harry and Marv. Soon, the film unleashes a masterclass of cartoonish traps set by Kevin to keep the two men out of his home. In the end, Home Alone is a Christmas classic because it perfectly packages a childhood fantasy with a heartfelt message about the unconditional love of family.
- Die Hard has earned its controversial place on many lists as many think it is not even a Christmas movie. However, the film mixes action and thriller around a central theme of reconciliation with family on Christmas Eve. NYPD detective John McClane is visiting Los Angeles to reconcile with his wife Holly at her company’s Christmas Eve party in the Nakatomi Plaza. When the skyscraper is seized by sophisticated terrorists led by Hans Gruber, McClane must save the day. In the end, McClane saves his wife and the other hostages from Gruber by shooting him off the building. The film’s core themes include sacrifice and the reaffirmation of love against all odds, building onto the holiday spirit.
Do you have any additions to the list? Any objections or comments? Let us know on the Courier Schoology webpage.
