The cozy weather greeted everyone with absolute glee and the numerous shouts of joy across the country can be heard upon the arrival of their 13th-month pay and dash of extra seasonal bonus. These are truly the signs that Christmas is officially here.
Everyone has probably booked their flights and vacation leaves to visit another country to spend the holidays with their closest loved ones or maybe planning on staying in their condo in Taguig for a relaxing staycation. The good old Christmas shopping for gifts and food has increased, as they eagerly await for the 25th day.
Once everyone has settled on their Christmas errands, it is time to kick back and relax after the hard work that you have this past year. You are already at home, as your place is fully decorated with the Christmas vibes that have already been set up since the start of the “-ber” months. Maybe it is the perfect time to check off one more traditional thing to do every Christmas – watching the perfect seasonal movie!
There are a lot of Christmas-themed films, movies set during Christmas, and flicks that provide the holiday jingle vibe even though it isn’t necessarily a traditional Christmas movie. In this article, we have chosen some of the best Christmas movies that are sure to make your holidays even more cozy. Some will entertain you, make you laugh, and tug at your heartstrings.
To Make You Feel the Christmas Spirit Further You May Add the Following Movies to Your Watchlist That You May Be Able to Find in Your Favorite Streaming Platform!
1. Home Alone
Photo taken from : https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/10/16/move-over-kevin-home-alone-has-company-and-the-world-has-a-new-1-comedy/?sh=5f98f5b04b76
This is one of the classics that a lot of people think of when thinking about Christmas movies. What else there is to say about this absolute holiday classic? Well, this is written by the great John Hughes, who is considered to be one of the pop-culture icons that dedicated the entire lifestyle in the 1980s. You probably watched and heard numerous references to his works, such as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Buller’s Day Off, and the first three National Lampoon films.
He made history again with Home Alone in the 1990s, as the movie was an immediate box-office hit. The story here is that Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin (which this movie propelled him to a child star success), is left behind after his family forgets him for their rush hour travel to their vacation in Paris. When Kevin realizes that he has the entire house to himself, he has fun and lives out every kid’s dream in doing whatever they want. But, there is a crux to his freedom. After learning that two burglars, played excellently by Daniel Stern and the legendary Joe Pesci, the latter of whom is trying his hardest to not drop a lot of curse words into a PG-13 film.
The movie is funny and heartwarming. Besides it being a great family-friendly movie about slapstick comedy and the harmful fun of using household items to defend your home, the core of it all is about family and the essence of it during the holiday season. No matter the differences and arguments you have with your loved ones, the connection and bond you have will remain. Plus, the Christmas season is just the topping all over that wholesome message and brings it that timeless feel.
2. Die Hard
Yes, it has been debated for many years now whether or not Die Hard is considered a Christmas movie. And we wholeheartedly agree that Die Hard is an undisputed masterpiece in action cinema and a timeless holiday classic.
Die Hard is also a quintessential 80’s film and it is set during the Christmas season, and the excellent writing makes jokes about the holiday season and weaves it cleverly into the movie’s many iconic lines. Bruce Willis stars as the titular hero, John McClane, and Alan Rickman, as the charisma-filled terrorist, Hans Gruber, and this movie mark their debut status into the mainstream.
Photo taken from : https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-strange-history-of-the-die-hard-movies/
What makes this movie special in its genre of action films is the revitalization of what an action protagonist could be. Instead of the fantasy of Mr. Olympia’s physiques and being invincible against gunfire and wounds (although those kinds of movies from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are equally amazing), John McClane is your everyday man. Over the course of the film, he gets more and more wounded and tired; making him vulnerable throughout his journey. Plus, it is more believable when he gets out of a sticky situation, due to his wits and skills as a cop.
Every scene shot is brilliant and tension-filled. Director John McTiernan, who brought the world the iconic Predator film and the excellent adaptation of Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October, brought his A-Game when it comes to the making of this movie. Everything holds out to this day and creates an action film that brings a sense of bravado and epicness to one small, contained location. As this movie laid the foundation for action films that copied its style across the 80s to 90s that focused on a limited-time plot device used by terrorists, only to be thwarted by one man. Plus, it is a Christmas movie that is fun for the family! Using the usual 80s tropes of drinking, Japanese businessmen, and the early aversion of touchscreen technology. This a movie you’ll surely enjoy while relaxing in your condo in Taguig!
3. Elf
Photo taken from : https://collider.com/elf-2-will-ferrell-not-starring-reason-why/
Elf is directed by Jon Favreau and was released 2003 as a comedy film starring Will Ferrell, as Buddy the Elf, in a story that embraces the whimsical nature of the North Pole and the spirit of Christmas into one of Will Ferrell’s best performances that will truly make you laugh.
Buddy the Elf isn’t an elf, but rather a human that was raised by elves after he crawled into Santa Claus’ gift sack when he was a baby in an orphanage. Now, after learning this truth and that his biological father is on the naughty list, Santa tasks Buddy to go to New York to meet with his father (played by James Caan), who has started another family and try to help redeem his father’s selfishness. Over the course of the movie, Will Ferrell gets into a lot of trouble in the real world after spending time at the North Pole, producing a lot of funny and oftentimes heartwarming sequences too.
Also, the score composed by John Debney is that perfect classic Christmas medley, but it brings an original tune to its main theme over the opening credits. It is a mixture of emotions – happy, sad and nostalgic, which at this point in adulthood is the lingering feeling that remains. In the movie, Elf, that is one of the main points in its simple story, retaining your Christmas Spirit.
4. The Polar Express
The Polar Express is the most Christmas movie that you might see this December. It’s your typical Christmas movie that immediately thrusts the audience on a train ride to the North Pole. As compared to the previously mentioned movie that takes place during Christmas and goes for a realistic, but fictional approach to the whole Christmas-themed plot, this one goes full-on fantasy and magic.
Photo taken from: https://thedailyfandom.org/the-hidden-messages-in-the-polar-express/
The film is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who is known for the Back to the Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Cast Away, and Beowulf. He is one of the masterclass directors in Hollywood for a long time and frequently collaborates with Steven Spielberg and is one of the main drivers of using special effects and CGI for the purposes of enhancing the story or when the story is appropriate in using full animation. Quality over quantity is his style and The Polar Express is another shining example in his works.
As soon as the movie opens, you are slowly greeted by a soft motif that will repeat throughout the film as it increases to a crescendo of musical epicness for every step that the protagonist takes to believe in the power of Christmas. Yeah, this is the common theme and flaw that every character in a Christmas movie must go through. The war against themselves in being a non-believer of Christmas due to something they went through in life or never believed in the first place until the plot kicks in and they are thrust into an adventure for a lifetime.
The story is beautifully told and adapted from the book of the same name and is another Christmas classic that is sure to give you a sense of wonder and coziness every holiday season.
5. It’s A Wonderful Life
If Home Alone is the modern classic of Christmas movies, then It’s A Wonderful Life is the one of the iconic ones in the 1940s, alongside A Christmas Story in 1983, as THE Christmas movie that everyone must watch during the holidays.
Photo taken from: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-odd-places-it-s-a-wonderful-life-has-turned-up/
Much like A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, It’s A Wonderful Life deals with the idea of cynicism as people grow older. When life gets you down, you start to lose faith whenever you have to sacrifice things for the ones you love. At its core, it is a simple message and reminder that you are not a failure, regardless of how much money is in your name, if you have friends and family beside you.
James Stewart acted so well in this movie, the same as Donna Reed and the others in this movie. You can really feel the passion and emotional feats they went through, most especially the natural chemistry between James and Donna. Their romance is considered to be an ideal one by many critics and audiences, as well as the picture of a traditional family dynamic in a household.
It’s A Wonderful Life has a beautiful message to tell and once you will watch this movie, it is guaranteed to tug strongly at your heartstrings and make you say, “life is good.” Plus, this movie is in the public domain, meaning that you can access this easily on the internet, and constantly broadcasted on TV without any licensing or royalty fees. Now, there is no excuse for you to check out this instant classic of love, Christmas, and the value of friendship and family, no matter what happens.
6. Jingle All The Way
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Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this classic movie about the real “horror” of Christmas – shopping. This is a slapstick comedy through and through and starring alongside him is Sinbad (real life name David Adkins), a standup comedian popular in the 90s.
Now, this film received negative reviews back then, but a lot of kids that grew up with this movie view it as an underrated classic, and today, a lot of people share the same sentiment that the movie knows what it wants to present and produces a fun, quick flick to watch during the Holiday Season.
But, at its core, Jingle All The Way tackles the real-life purpose of the Christmas season, the mass commercialization of the holiday. It is no secret that business is booming during the holidays and the massive rush hours of buying gifts have been, for many decades, a chaotic tradition that invites some emotional highs for everyone involved. The film satires that aspect by showcasing some dark humor to the serious issue of shady productions of toys and other desirable products, catered to the marketing jackpot of Christmas, as presented in the hilarious sequence of the counterfeited product of Turbo-Man, the MacGuffin of the film, in which Schwarzenegger and Sinbad fight to buy for their respective sons.
Jingle All The Way is a fun movie to watch with the family that relies on classic slapsticks and the same old story of Christmas is family, with a taste of dark humor sprinkled in for the adults.
7. Klaus
This movie brings the world a unique take on the Santa Claus mythos and why certain Christmas traditions came to be for many generations. The animation style is a combination of the traditional hand-drawn frames and the modern 3D-CGI for realistic and detailed movement. When blended together, it produces this beautiful homage of bringing the art forms through and through and it is a unique style that oozes with style, soul, and flair, just like how League of Legends and Arcane elevate this kind of animation to new heights and brevity amongst its peers.
Photo taken from: https://www.vulture.com/2019/11/netflixs-klaus-a-delightfully-weird-animated-holiday-movie.html
Klaus does not use the historical story of the original Santa Claus inspiration, Saint Nicholas of Myra, and instead goes a fictional route, set in Northern Europe. The plot starts with Jesper Johnson, voiced by Jason Schwartzman (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Isle of Dogs), son of the Royal Postmaster General, a postal service company, whose punishment is to deliver 6,000 letters within a year to a fictional island in the North and if he does not deliver, he is cut for his family fortune’s will. From there, he will meet Klaus, voiced by the incredible J.K. Simmons (Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy, Gravity Falls, Whiplash, Invincible), a toymaker and woodsman. Their journey together will inadvertently change the entire island and lead to a heartwarming and family-fun story of how Christmas Eve came to be a day for presents and love.
The movie stands on its own to be a unique take on Christmas movies and will become a classic for the years to follow. A movie that can serve as your family’s go-to every Christmas in your condo in Taguig!
8. Scrooged
Photo taken from : https://www.intofilm.org/films/11457
Scrooged is a modern retelling of the classic story of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Story. It is highly regarded as a cult Christmas classic that did not get the love upon its initial release in 1988. But after becoming available on VHS, a lot of people rented this movie (back when Blockbuster and other movie rental services were popular) and through word of mouth, the movie is highly regarded as one of the best comedy movies and Christmas movies of all time.
The film stars Bill Murray, hot of heels of the mega-hits of the 80s, Ghostbusters, was incredibly perfect for this role as the cynical Frank Cross (a mirror of Ebenezer Scrooge), a television president who is in charge of a live production of A Christmas Carol, (yes, the movie gets all meta in this story). This is unique on its own, separate from the original classic, as it is even more relatable, due to it being set during modern times, as opposed to the period-piece setting of the 1800s. The film is described to be perfect for people who are down, sad, bitter, and angry during Christmas and paints a realistic tone for it being crude in its jokes. Because sometimes, Christmas can be stressful and maybe one aspect in your life made you look down on life. This movie mixes that theme in the original and presents it in a way that most people in their working years can relate to.
Sometimes a reminder of the happy times can reform a person into celebrating Christmas in the way that it is supposed to be. Not the commercialization aspect of it, but the spirit of love. The script is excellently written, with the occasional ad-libs here and there, given that most of the actors here are comedians. Plus, the direction is great, as it is helmed by the great Richard Donner (Christopher Reeves’ Superman, Lethal Weapons, The Goonies).
The movies shown in this list present the themes and value of Christmas in a bite-sized and entertaining viewing for all ages. Plus, the vibes upon watching these movies will make you fuzzy and comfortable, perfect for the cold and breezy weather of December. The holiday season is one of the things that makes the world beautiful and what more could you ask for by spending time with your loved ones in your condo in Taguig this Christmas season? And the movies are one of the icings on the cake that makes this time of year truly special.
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