Must-See Christmas Movies

Hello all! In the spirit of the Holidays, this month, I’ll be writing about some of my very favourite Christmas films. While this genre admittedly features an abundance of mediocre Hallmark flicks, there are also a ton of genuinely sincere Christmas movies. With that said, here are a few of those films that I want to highlight.

The Holdovers

Released in 2023, The Holdovers takes the spot as my favourite Christmas movie ever. Set at a boarding school in the 1970s, this film is all about found family: Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a young man whose family left him alone for the Holidays, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), his grumpy history teacher who was left with the task of watching over Tully, and Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the school’s lunch-lady who had recently lost her son.

Over the course of the film, each of these deeply flawed individuals grow to understand that the loneliness they feel is not permanent, and that meaningful connections can always be made in spite of any temporary trauma that any individual may hold.

As is going to become very apparent with a different entry on this list, a Christmas movie does not have to be super thematically Christmas to hit for me; I much prefer a film that hits the notes of warmth and togetherness in a subtle fashion. This is exactly what The Holdovers does. And with the help of an emotional soundtrack, brilliant cinematography, and an unbelievably talented and grounded cast, the film hits these notes out of the park.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

I know that I’m not exactly saying anything groundbreaking when I say that the Home Alone franchise provides some of the greatest Holiday films ever created, but Lost in New York is just so good that I can’t help but mention it.

While the story of Home Alone’s sequel is somehow even less grounded in realism than the first one is, and while this is sort of contrary to what I just mentioned I enjoy in a festive film, the amount of charm in the “Christmas in New York” theme presented in this movie is simply impossible not to love.

From the Plaza, to the city covered in snow, and even the central theme of a toy store being robbed, Lost in New York simply overwhelms the viewer with Christmas spirit. And be it because of this setting, or because of Macaulay Culkin being an absolute joy, the film absolutely sticks the landing. A holiday classic that should be on a mandatory viewing list.

Die Hard

The status of Die Hard as a Christmas movie has long been debated. And it is for this reason that I have decided to include it on this list, because a truly elite Christmas movie is one that doesn’t need to throw Christmas in the face of its viewers. Sometimes, the fact that the main character is driven solely by his love for his family is enough.

Featuring Bruce Willis in the very prime of his career, Die Hard is on the shortlist both as one of the greatest Christmas movies ever, and just as one of the greatest action movies ever – the latter largely due to how creative its setting is. A hijacked building with scheming Germans would provide the blueprint for what other action movies would try to recreate for years after this film’s release.
Like it or not, Die Hard is a Holiday movie for the simple fact that every Christmas, millions of families around the world gather and watch it together. THAT is what Christmas is about.

Thanks for reading, and happy holidays! If you’d like to recommend a film for me to review, write to me at [email protected] and I’ll be sure to give it a watch