If you celebrate Christmas and enjoy decorating and being festive, this week is one of your favorites of the year that probably includes baking cookies, finishing shopping, and also re-watching some of your favorite holiday movies. There are plenty of movies to choose from though, and as I have realized as I get older, I do not have the time to re-watch every single one every year anymore, forcing me choose some of the best ones. Here is a list of the essentials that are worth taking some time out to watch this week.
1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
This movie is only appropriate once you are actually on vacation though, like after finals are finished or you have a vacation from work. But it perfectly sums up how the holidays can be fun, yet frustrating with family members and the added stress of shopping, getting a tree, and work. " I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery."
2. A Christmas Story (1983)
You can either watch it now, or wait until the 24 hour marathon that starts on Christmas Eve on TBS, but it is one that I like to watch every year. I don't know how they did it, but somehow the movie perfectly captures the magic of Christmas time as a child; how the whole month of December feels like a marathon with so many things to get through until Christmas day. Sure, the movie is supposed to take place in the 1940s, but it still resonates today and makes me nostalgic for when Christmas was my favorite holiday and I was excited for Christmas Day. It's also great if you are a Cleveland fanatic, you can relish in the exterior scenes shot in the city and be nostalgic for what Downtown used to look like.
3. Love Actually (2003)
You either love or hate this movie, and I love it in all of its cheesy rom-com glory. The message about love that is found in various types of relationships, not always romantic ones, is something that is truly touching and can be relevant throughout the year, not just at Christmas time. Plus there are tons of great actors and actresses in it, like Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and Liam Neeson to name a few.
4. Rankin Bass Christmas Specials
These short specials really make it feel like the holidays for me, and are easy to watch since they are so short. The Year Without a Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and Frosty the Snowman are just some of the few that are usually always on the 25 Days to Christmas Countdown that are fun and will take you down a nostalgiac trip back to your childhood, or help introduce a new tradition if you have never seen them.
5. The Polar Express (2004)
A movie that came out when I was growing up, it is fun to watch again every year for not only the beautiful animation but also the awesome score and music throughout the film. Who doesn't want to sip on some hot chocolate while listening to the song that says it over and over again?
So, if you are busy this holiday season and don't have the time or energy to re-watch all of the classics or the Christmas specials you want to, make sure you save enough time for at least a few of these that will help put you in the holiday spirit, if even only for a few days.
Bonus: If you have time, Home Alone 1 or 2 are also great to watch despite the the suspension of disbelief that is required about how this kid was left alone by his family twice and somehow survived all under the age of eleven, without the internet or a cell phone.
