If I could describe the months of November and December in one word it would be: magic. The festive spirit and love that fills these months is something that I look forward to every single year. This magic can be found wherever you look: in the Menorah lit for Hanukkah by the Sudbury Town Hall, in the cars that you pass with freshly-cut Christmas trees tied to their roofs, the cheers that echo throughout homes when school is cancelled due to snow, but the easiest, and one of the best ways, to access the enchantment of the holiday season is through film. I would like to call myself a holiday-movie connoisseur. After countless years of watching holiday movie after movie, I believe that title is well-deserved. And today, I am going to give you the greatest holiday present of all: wisdom. Not just any wisdom, but wisdom about what 5 holiday movies you need to watch as we enter this magical season.
- Elf directed by Jon Favreau
Elf is, in my opinion, the best Christmas movie out there. If you want a fan-favorite and family-friendly Christmas movie that has the spirit of the season alongside humor and a beautiful lesson to take away, this is the movie for you. Elf follows a human-turned-elf, Buddy, on his journey to New York City to meet his father, Walter Hobbes, who happens to hate Christmas and is on the naughty list. This movie is an incredible love story: to fathers, to family, to co-workers, and most of all to Christmas.
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe directed by Andrew Adamson
If you want a warm winter movie filled with nostalgia, love, and most of all fantastical storytelling, I highly recommend The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Set in Britain during World War II, the four Pevensie siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent` to live with a professor in the countryside who, as Lucy discovers during a game of hide-and-seek, is the owner of a wardrobe that doubles as a doorway to another world – Narnia. Faced with talking animals, an evil White Witch, and the mischievousness that seems to always find the Pevensie siblings, this film is one that draws you in, and is perfect for winter.
- Miracle on 34th Street directed by Led Mayfield
The biggest magic of this season is the magic of simply believing. Miracle on 34th Street is a movie in which a little girl, Susan, as well as the entirety of New York City are tested to see if they believe in a man named Kris Kringle when he is put on trial. With thrilling court scenes, familiar New York City landmarks, and heart-warming moments for all to enjoy, Miracle on 34th Street is a classic that you will not regret watching.
- Little Women directed by Greta Gerwig
Set just a town over in Concord, Little Women is an incredible movie that all should watch – whether it is the holiday season or not. Little Women tells the story of the March sisters, four spirited and creative girls, all different from one another but who bring out the best in each other. Each person who watches this movie can find some aspect of themselves in either Meg, Jo, Amy, or Beth. Little Women, inspired by the book by Louisa May Alcott, primarily follows Jo March, a fierce and independent young girl who longs to pave a path for herself as a female writer in the late 1800s. This movie, with its nostalgia and snowy-scenes, makes you want to curl up with a blanket and watch it on a cold winter’s day.
- Home Alone: Lost in New York directed by Chris Colombus
Home Alone, a Christmas classic to all who have seen it. But what is even more of a must-watch than the first Home Alone? The second! Now, let me explain. Home Alone: Lost in New York tops the charts of Christmas movies. It takes place in New York City when Kevin, for the second year in a row, loses his parents and ends up on his own in the Big Apple for Christmas, but that is not all, he also is being chased around the city by the two men that robbed his house last year and just broke out of prison. Not only does this movie contain the classic scenes that every kid has dreamed about like the massive ice cream sundae from the Plaza Hotel and the sequence of Kevin exploring New York City during Christmastime all on his own, but it contains such heartwarming lessons that we all could learn from. Home Alone: Lost in New York is an incredible movie that you should be watching this holiday season.
