‘Tis the season! Top 5 Christmas movies to watch

Before I get started, I should probably mention that although I don’t celebrate Christmas, I like to watch the specials and movies on television. Something about the coziness of the season, with the weather being cold outside and staying indoors, baking goods, and relaxing with friends and family while watching a classic Christmas movie is a great way to cap off the year.

Now, without further ado, let’s get started!

5. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 

This animated musical is great to watch right before December. The Nightmare Before Christmas is about Jack Skellington, a being from “Halloween Town” who discovers “Christmas Town” and all the hijinks ensue.

I think of it as a send-off to Halloween, and a welcome start to the holiday season. The 3D animation, the characters – Jack Skellington, Sally, Zero, among others – make this movie stand out the most (even more than Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) because of its zany storyline. The songs are fun and really capture the wonder and joy of the holiday season, and they have a bit of everything! I would say that it’s a great pick to watch with your family to kick off the holiday season.

4. Christmas with the Kranks

Sick of hearing the same ten to fifteen songs covered by different artists on the radio? Exhausted by the consumerist nature of what Christmas has now become? Then this is the movie to watch.

Christmas with the Kranks is about a couple that decides to vacation in the Caribbean instead of celebrating Christmas, but when their daughter decides to come home for Christmas, they have to scramble to create a Christmas they won’t soon forget. Hilarious without being cheesy, with just enough holiday cheer, this movie is a perfect balance between heart-warming and cynical and is a great Christmas comedy.

3. Last Holiday    

The movie stars Queen Latifah as a terminal cancer patient, who finds out she has a few weeks left to live and proceeds to go on an adventure in order to live life to the fullest. Heartwarming, occasionally funny, and an all around feel-good movie which is perfect for the holidays, Last Holiday is a heartfelt movie with a twist that has become a quintessential movie for the season.

2. It’s a Wonderful Life

Looking for a movie the whole family will enjoy? This movie is one that some of the older members of your family have probably seen many times, but it’s a classic for a reason. George, a down on his luck guy, is shown how different life would have been if he had never existed. A classic film that has enchanted generations of people, It’s a Wonderful Life is a feel-good story about redemption, finding oneself, and appreciating family.

1. Elf

This movie has everything – comedy, holiday cynicism, and that warm, fuzzy feeling. Elf, starring Will Ferrell, is about a human who was raised among elves who goes on an adventure in New York City to search for his biological father. It’s heartwarming, hilarious, and is one of the most well-known classic holiday movies. It has Christmas spirit, is the subject of many memes online during the holiday season, and although kind of predictable, it’s sweet and the ultimate movie that represents the holidays.