Absolute Festive (All Christmas, Unfortunately!) Cinema
Marshall Alvarado | Dec. 9, 2025
Our winter break is approaching steadily as the fall semester comes to a close. Soon, a majority of us will be going home to our loved ones to celebrate the upcoming festivities and get the chance to curl up by a real or metaphorical fire, finally watching the shows and movies you’ve been meaning to watch. Now there is what some would call a ‘classic collection’ of mostly Christmas movies. I’m here to share them to help you get in the festive spirit.
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Starting with the iconic king of Christmas, who has no fear of calling out the capitalist values it holds, you know him, you love him: The Grinch from the classic film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000). The film is an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s tale of the reclusive, grouchy Grinch (Jim Carrey), who decides to ruin Christmas for the citizens of Whoville, accompanied by his dog, Max. The Grinch plans to steal any holiday-themed items from the Whos, only to have his plans interrupted by the kind Cindy Lou (Taylor Momsen), who shows him compassion and the true meaning of Christmas.
Moving on to an equally chaotic film, “Elf” (2003), which I will, hesitantly, say has a message about family amidst it all. The film follows Buddy (Will Ferrell), who was accidentally brought to the North Pole as a baby and raised by Santa’s elves. After he is all grown up, he starts feeling out of place and tries to find his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), in New York. Buddy learns that his father is a cynical businessman who refuses to believe that Buddy is his son. Still, after a quick DNA test proves his paternity, Hobbs reluctantly tries to form a relationship with his son. But mayhem ensues as Buddy isn’t quite used to acting like a regular adult.
Now, if for some odd reason you crave violence during the holidays, allow me to pull up the semi-controversial pick of “Die Hard” (1988). Whether it is a Christmas movie or not… that's not up to me. “Die Hard” follows the story of New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis), who is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve and decides to join her at a holiday party at her workplace. The party is cut off after a group of attackers takes over the event and takes the attendees hostage. After realizing that no one was coming to save them, McClane decides to save everyone.
Continuing the train of violence, allow me to suggest “Home Alone” (1990), where child-like creativity introduces a new form of home security systems. After the McCallister family accidentally forgets 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) at home when rushing to the airport for their family vacation to Paris, Kevin is left alone to assume his wish of making his family disappear came true overnight. After celebrating the joys of not being in a house full of so many people, his delight is cut short as two con men known as the Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) plan to rob his home, which he decides to protect in any way he can.
Straying away from action-filled jolliness, let us move on to what I would call a fever dream of a movie, “The Polar Express” (2004). When a young boy starts to believe that Santa Claus might not be real, he is woken up by a train stopping outside his home on Christmas Eve on a round trip to the North Pole. Accepting the invitation aboard, he begins his ride to the snowy, festive land, making friends and having some fabulous-looking hot chocolate as he learns an important lesson on the true meaning of Christmas.
I will end the list with a personal favorite, thanks to my recent Snoopy obsession, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965). If you’re looking for a quick film to enjoy before bed or just to play in the background while you relax over the break, then this is the one! The film follows Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins), who, after complaining about the materialism that he witnesses around the Christmas season, ends up becoming the director of his school's Christmas show.
Brown finds that it is a frustrating job as his friends disagree with what he wants to direct, and are more interested in dancing. In an attempt to find the Christmas spirit, we get the iconic small Christmas tree. Brown feels disappointed about his attempt to liven up the festive spirit and gets help from Linus (Christopher Shea) to learn the true meaning of Christmas.
So there you go, a good handful of holiday movies for you to add to your watchlist. Whether it's to watch by yourself or with a group of loved ones, enjoy them with a warm cup of tea or hot chocolate to get into the true cozy mood. Feel free to suggest any more films or shows that get you into the festive mood, as this was just a short list of the ‘classics’.