As the wind starts to blow and snow falls, Christmas trees and holly wreaths are strung on doors, as people from young to old prepare to embrace the festive traditions. Everyone anticipates the holiday season with that warm and nostalgic feeling of togetherness, from baking Christmas cookies, to hanging ornaments on their trees.
Christmas films are another cherished part of this season, bringing friends and family together behind a screen, intertwined through heartwarmingly classic stories. From the first Christmas I remember, tucked between my grandmother’s floral wallpaper and the flickering string lights on our banister, there were the eloquent and nostalgic songs from the “Sound of Music”, cascading through the air. Films and the world of cinema throughout its history have developed this specifically sentimental classification of holiday movies, manifesting in iconic and timeless stories such as “Elf” and “Home Alone”, numerous Rom-coms such as “Love Actually” and “The Holiday,” and even action movies such as “Die Hard.” Amongst these films, as with any others, there is a distinct line between what defines them as classically authentic rather than underwhelming subpar, single-season movies. Highlighting three categories of comedy, romance, and family-friendly films, the following review and recommend my favorites.
The most notable film that falls into this category of holiday movies crests between its intensely comedic saturation of the season, a tale of an adult elf, thrust into the real world in an attempt to find his real father. This of course, is “Elf”, starring Will Ferrell, one of the 21st century’s most popular movie-comedians. As most of the humour is adult innuendos masked by the juvenile nature of the main character, Buddy the Elf, it falls a bit bland. But beyond the humor, what makes “Elf” so remarkably ‘Christmas-y’ isn’t the comedy, but the story. It’s a classic adaptation: taking something ingrained into the culture, such as the idea of the North Pole, Santa Claus, and Elfs, and twisting it to the perfect point of obscurity, introducing a child-like adult orphaned to Santa’s Workshop, to craft that perfectly out of the box, yet palatable plot. It’s also just fun, easy to follow, and heart-warming, the exact criteria for a holiday film.
Arguably, the greatest storied animated character, Charlie Brown has had a plethora of films made under his name, notably those that fall under the holiday category. “It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas,” depicts the ‘gang’ of Linus, Lucy, Charlie, Peppermint Patty, and even Snoopy preparing for the festive season. Although it’s less a story with a beginning and end, more a compilation of anecdotes from their adventures, the short and sweet nature of each one, along with morals to each story, makes it the perfect film to watch as a family. A favorite sort of ‘skit’ from this film is when Charlie Brown falls into dismay when he is unable to find a christmas tree only days before the holiday, and manages to find a skimpy, skinny, bare tree. It’s sad, sulky, the epitome of whatever Christmas isn’t, yet with the camaraderie of his friendships, they decorate the tree with lights, ornaments, and a star on top. While the whole story is a bit cliche and a lot cheesy, it’s moral elevates the film beyond just entertaining. The soundtrack is also incredibly well-known, the high pitched echoey voices singing “Christmas Time is Here” inciting convivial nostalgia across generations.
Indresh Chandel 