It’s the most wonderful time of the year and we’ve just personally handpicked some movies for the festive occasion. Some will leave you laughing until you burst at seams, some might make you cry, and some will bring out the little Santa-believing kid in you again.
Watch them alone, with your other half (cozy up!), with a couple of friends, or even your family. Besides, what’s Christmas without a little magic? So, we hope these movies leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside like it did for us.
Home Alone (1990)
As of 2009, this movie was the highest grossing comedy of all time; the story of an eight-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for their Christmas vacation. At first, the boy is doing somersaults and flips all around the house, relishing time by himself. But he is later greeted by two would-be burglars.
Oh, you remember this – when Macaulay Culkin made us all laugh and “aaww” at his mannerisms as his signature role as Kevin:
We love the young Macaulay Culkin in this movie. Endearingly cheeky! Especially that scene where Macaulay, as Kevin, introduced himself to Playboy magazines for the first time. Tsk.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Not many people know this but the initial idea for “The Nightmare Before Christmas” started with a poem that Tim Burton wrote when he was a Disney animator in the early 1980s. The project didn’t come to life until many years later, when Tim Burton and Disney made a development deal.
In 1991, production for the stop motion musical fantasy film started and in 1993, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” was released. Since then, it is still receiving numerous accolades, releases and re-releases. As a matter of fact, The American Film Institute nominated “The Nightmare Before Christmas” for its “Top 10 Animated Films” list:
Pretty impressive for a film that was produced on a budget less than any other Disney blockbuster. Halloween on Christmas, anyone?
Love Actually (2003)
This British romantic comedy film is still our “feel good movie of the year”, every year! “Love Actually” is set in a crazy, frantic month before Christmas in England and it follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through the separate stories, many of whom are shown to be interrelated.
And who can forget the most romantic, sweetest, and best ever “Love Actually” scene? The one where Mark (Andrew Lincoln) takes a moment to truly confess his love for Juliet (Keira Knightley).
“But for now let me say, without hope or agenda, just because it’s Christmas – (and at Christmas you tell the truth) – to me you are perfect. And my wasted heart will love you..”
Polar Express (2004)
The story starts with Christmas Eve, where a doubting boy is seen searching for confirmation of Santa Claus and the North Pole. With his high hopes for belief in the true spirit of Christmas, he then later boards a magical train that’s headed to the North Pole and of course, Santa Claus’ home:
This movie has, for many years, kept the spirit of Christmas alive for children and adults alike. Primarily because the film captures the hypnotic essence of St. Nick, right down to the docile sounds of its terrific score. It’s impossible to not believe in Santa Claus after one and a half hours of sitting through this amazing motion capture computer-animated film.
New Year’s Eve (2011)
Last but not least, slated to be this year’s “feel good circa the time between Christmas and New Year’s” movie is the one that just got released in the cinemas!
“New Year’s Eve” follows couples and singles alike, and how their lives intertwine and play out on December 31st, over the course of New Year’s Eve. Written by the same people who brought you Valentine’s Day, the romantic comedy film is packed with nothing but A-list celebrities:
The collage-like movie encapsulates the ideal New Year’s, with every clichéd, corny romantic plot into one movie, coupled with a whole lot of star power. Several stories run parallel to each other, characters cross paths; and as predicted, certain stories are intertwined with each other only to find a perfect ending.
