The countdown to Christmas is always exciting. Decorating the tree and your house, making Christmas cookies, buying your friends and family gifts, getting to travel, drinking hot chocolate, spending time with your loved ones, and partaking in the traditions your family has during the Christmas season makes you super happy. However, Christmas themed movies are one of the many ways to get you into the spirit of Christmas. ABC Family, now Freeform, always has an all month movie special called the 25 Days of Christmas, where many Christmas themed movies are played all throughout the day. I have created a list of five of the best Christmas movies to watch in order to get you in the Holiday Spirit, but I would love to know which movies you would add to this list!
1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Whatever version you watch of this movie, either one is sure to get you into the Christmas mood, which is ironic given the Grinch's attitude toward Christmas as a whole. I personally like the Jim Carrey version, but the 1996 version of this movie is a classic. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is centered in the city of Whoville where in the outskirts a green, Christmas hating Grinch lives on top of a mountain. The movie follows his plans to try and ruin Christmas for all the citizens of Whoville. The ending is truly heartwarming and if you deny knowing all the words to the Welcome Christmas song, then you're lying.
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2. Elf
Elf, which features the ever-funny Will Ferrel, is almost on the same level as How The Grinch Stole Christmas in my book. In reality, though, they are probably more so tied for the first spot because they are both so good. In this movie, Buddy the Elf travels to New York City to find his father after living at the North Pole since essentially birth. There are so many memorable scenes in this movie, and it's more humorous. A humorous Christmas movie that gets me into the Christmas spirit? I'm all in! Plus, Buddy the Elf makes a great Halloween costume for those of you who are obsessed with Christmas and this movie as much as I am.
3. The Santa Clause (any of them!)
This 1994 film features Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) who mistakenly kills Santa Clause on Christmas Eve and then must take the previous Santa Clause's place. The original movie is a classic, but the second and third movies are good as well (The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause). Tim Allen does an amazing job as the main character, and it's always fun to watch each movie back to back. Grab your fuzziest socks, a blanket, some hot chocolate and all three of these movies and you'll be in the Christmas spirit.
4. Home Alone
If you've heard of the line, "Merry Christmas ya filthy animal!" then you've at heard of Home Alone, a 1990 film where an 8-year-old battles off a pair of burglars when he is left at home alone by his family during Christmas vacation. I remember watching this movie as a kid and thinking how scary it would've been to be in the main characters shoes, but the humor provided in the film calmed be down. To this day, it is still a Christmas must see and it's one that you'll add to your Christmas movie marathon collection (if you haven't already).
Christmas With the Kranks
Christmas With the Kranks is not your typcial "Christmas Movie Collection" movie. I absolutely adore this movie, and I've started to realize that maybe I just love movies where Tim Allen is the star (i.e. The Santa Clause movies). Regardless, this 2004 movie features the Kranks who are attempting to "run-away" to a tropical island while their daughter is away to avoid all the chaos that surrounds the holiday. However, when their daughter turns up back in town, the whole town helps out to create the Kranks' normal Christmas. This movie is different, funny and heart-warming all at the same time, and you should really check it out this year to get you in the Christmas spirit.
Agree, Disagree? I think we can all agree that Christmas movies do get you in the spirit of the holidays, but I would be interested to know which movies you would add or take away from this list?