The 9 Best Holiday Movies To Watch Before Christmas | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

The 9 Best Holiday Movies To Watch Before Christmas

You've only got two weeks, so you better start now.

106
The 9 Best Holiday Movies To Watch Before Christmas
Crew Northern Colorado

The holiday season is a time where everyone starts discussing which Christmas movies are the best Christmas movies. While "Elf" is a largely agreed upon movie on most people's lists, they do tend to differ slightly due to movies people grew up watching and just basic tastes. Holiday movies are great things to keep you busy, let you spend times with friends and family, and get you in the Christmas spirit.

So, in no particular order, here's my opinion on the best holiday movies that everyone needs to cram into the last two weeks before Christmas (but remember, if you continue to watch them after Christmas, no one is judging you. Watch them all year round and let your holiday spirit be free).

1. Elf (2003)

Of course, this is the movie that I mentioned above. This really is a great movie, good for kids and adults. Will Ferrell plays a fantastically eccentric Buddy the elf who comes to New York City in search of his birth father only to find that he is not the man he expected. This movie offers a cute romance and both family and personal growth. A+ choice for any day.

2. The Holiday (2006)

First of all, for those not up on British lingo, the word "holiday" in this case refers more to a vacation rather than Christmas itself, which isn't really celebrated on screen. Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) switch homes over Christmas as they are both looking to escape their lives after heartbreak. This is a cheesy, romantic, feel-good movie that will make anyone (yes, anyone) fall in love with Jude Law and Jack Black.

3. The Santa Clause (1994)

The Santa Clause is one that I have seen many times, about once a year for my entire life. Tim Allen plays an accidental Santa Clause who has to deal with this new responsibility while dealing with family troubles due to it. This movie is one that shows even adults can experience the magic of Christmas.

4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

Okay, so this isn't a Christmas movie, it's a Thanksgiving movie but it's still a great one to watch. Steve Martin and the late John Candy embark on a misadventure to get Steve Martin's character, Neal Page, home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. As stated in the title, they take a plane, a couple trains, and multiple automobiles to finally get these unlikely friends home for the holiday.

5. Home Alone (1990)

Kevin McCallister is a BA kid ready to defend his house from two less than average robbers when his family accidentally leaves him behind on their Christmas trip to Paris. Kevin fends for himself in this movie as he shops, cleans, and eats a whole lot of junk food before realizing that all he wants for Christmas is to see his family again... oh, and get the robbers Harry and Marv arrested.

6. Four Christmases (2008)

Who doesn't love when a very tall man and a very short woman are paired up for a comical movie? In this one, Vince Vaughn (Brad) and Reese Witherspoon (Kate) are a couple who was not looking to spend time with their crazy families on Christmas, however when their flight gets canceled and they end up on the news, their families call them out to spend the holiday with them. Both from divorced families, Brad and Kate go to four Christmases where they wrestle siblings, get attacked by children, preform in a nativity play (Vince Vaughn's best scene), and find out if they really are right for each other.

7. Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)


How could I not include an ABC Family (now Freeform) original movie. While any movie in this category (including this one) is going to be cheesy, the cheesiness is fantastic. What better way to spend Christmas than being kidnapped by your waitress and forced to reside in the same cabin as her family? Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez play a fake couple in this movie so Hart's family won't think she's single.

8. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Yes, the original, not the one with Matilda in it. This movie is a classic. A man claiming to be Santa (because he is Santa) is institutionalized because they think he's insane and a little girl gets her Christmas wish.

9. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Okay general warning that this one is definitely not a family movie due to scene full of a long string of curse words, however it is one of my family's favorites. This is one that we traditionally watch every Christmas eve. Clark Griswald just wants this Christmas to be the best one ever, but nothing is going right for him. Both sets of Grandparents are staying in the house and then their cousin Eddie shows up to cause more trouble. And yes, this is the third movie on my list that involves a felony. What's a Christmas movie without breaking the law?

Christmas movies are the best kinds of movies because they're happy (or at least the good ones are). And, yes, it is no coincidence that three of the nine movies were written by John Hughes. That man just knew how to make a classic movie. So, my task for the readers of this list is to watch all these movies and enjoy them fully because they really are great.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1355
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

914
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

176
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1561
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments