I don't know about your friends, but as soon as we all get back from Thanksgiving break, my friends and I are in full Christmas mode. My roommate wears Christmas socks every chance she gets and we have Christmas lights plugged into almost every outlet in our apartment. You can bet that when we need to unwind from studying for finals, these will be the movies we're watching.
1. "The Nightmare Before Christmas"
As soon as Halloween passes, this movie is perfect to watch. It bridges the gap between Christmas and Halloween and of course, it is a classic! Tons of people love this movie year round, so why not start off the season right?
2. "Love Actually"
Similarly, this movie is loved by many year round. It has been over 10 years since this classic holiday rom-com premiered and is still widely considered a festive movie.
3. "Mean Girls"
Sure, this isn't your typical Christmas movie but anyone who has seen "Mean Girls" (and even people who haven't) recognize the "Jingle Bell Rock" scene as being an iconic moment in comedy movies of our generation.
4. "Elf"
One of my roommates claims syrup on spaghetti is actually good. I don't know if I would ever try that dish featured in this movie, but regardless, this is a great holiday flick. This is easily my favorite Will Ferrell movie, hands down. It also features Zooey Deschanel long before she was known for being quirky on "New Girl."
5. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
If you're in the mood for a comedy, you can't go wrong with this one. Part of the "National Lampoon's Vacation" series, this movie has been popular with college students for over 20 years.
6. "Home Alone"
Anyone who has not seen this movie clearly has never turned on ABC Family (or any other cable channel for that matter) around the holidays. Not a year goes by that I don't catch this movie part way through at least once in the "25 Days of Christmas" that seems to last longer than 25 days. What a better way to enjoy the holidays with your friends than to relive a little bit of a lot of everyone's childhood.
7. "How The Grinch Stole Christmas"
 
I don't know, how did he? Chances are you have either read the original Dr. Seuss book or you have seen the animated feature film or the live action adaptation, so you know how the Grinch stole Christmas. My personal favorite of the two movies is the original animated one, but the live action movie features Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen of "Gossip Girl" as well as several past cast members of SNL.
8. "The Santa Clause"
This is another movie that I see on TV all the time and definitely reminds me of my elementary and middle school days. I love the unique way of looking at how Santa becomes Santa. Tim Allen makes a great Santa, doesn't he?
