HO HO HO! Christmas is just ONE WEEK away! Which means this weekend is all about putting on your naffest Christmas jumper, sitting stirring a hot chocolate with a candy cane and watching your favourite Christmas movies back to back.
Home Alone
Kevin McCallister is eight years old, and like most eight year old boys, he’s a bit of a pain – and when his parents accidentally left him behind when they jetted off on an all-family holiday, he finds their house being targeted by a couple of bungling burglars. So wee Kev takes it upon himself to defend his home with a series of extreme booby traps – cue chaos! This movie is lols-aplenty, with slapstick humour and lots of classic lines you probably know by heart – and it’s got a really sweet message behind it too. No, not that it’s OK to blowtorch the head of thieves, but that family is pretty darn great. Awh.
Elf
SMILING IS MY FAVOURITE! We love Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, the human raised by elves in the North Pole who has the most extremely positive outlook on life, like an overgrown child. Buddy heads to New York to find his birth father, who turns out to be his polar opposite – Buddy’s all sugar and glitter and joy, while his dad is, well, a Grinch. This is a really sweet story of father and son coming together and the real magic of Christmas, with lots of big laughs and some of the most quotable lines of any Christmas film.
It’s a Wonderful Life
An oldie but a goody. It’s a Wonderful Life is a total Christmas classic. Made in 1946, lead character George Bailey hits a rough spot in life and wishes he’s never been born. With it being Christmas, an angel comes to earth to let George see what life would have been like if he wasn’t there – and he soon realises how much of an impact he’s had on the lives of others. Full of Christmas spirit, you’ll get to the end of this one wanting to hug everyone who’s close to you.
Love Actually
Richard Curtis’s Love Actually is a staple of any Christmas entertainment schedule. If Christmas is about anything, it’s presents – er, sorry, love. Love Actually has a huge ensemble cast, with lots of British greats like Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, with interlinking and intertwining stories, demonstrating the complexities of love – romantic, familial, friendship and beyond. Our favourite plot is probably around the little boy who learns the drums to impress a girl. Wha a lad.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
For the Scrooges out there who just aren’t into the season (boo to you), then check out The Grinch. The live action version starring Jim Carrey is based on the Dr Seuss tale, where a reclusive green guy called The Grinch decides to ruin Christmas for the citizens of Whoville. What a baddie. However, his nasty plans grind to a halt when he meets the super sweet Cindy Lou Who, played by a young, eyeliner-free Taylor Momsen. You might go into this one hating Christmas, but you’ll come out feeling all warm and fuzzy.
Die Hard
It’s set at Christmas, so that makes it a Christmas movie. Right? Cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his ex wife and daughters on Christmas Eve, when a group of terrorists invade a party he’s attending at the headquarters of a Japanese-owned business. They hold the attendees hostage – and it’s down to John to save them! And Christmas. You’ve got to save Christmas, right? Great if you’re fed up of the sickly sweet nature of typical festive flicks.
The Santa Clause
Tim Allen plays a man who has to step into Santa’s shoes after he accidentally knocks the big guy off his roof. He’s really not into it, but Christmas magic means he physically transforms into Santa – beard, belly and all, much to the amazement of his son and ex-wife. Before long, it’s Christmas again and he’s got to get on it for the children of the world. A total heartwarmer that’s just as magical when you’re a big kid.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Christmas doesn’t have to be about puppies popping out of boxes and smiling families, as this amazing stop-animation movie proves. One for the spooky kids, with Tim Burton on producer duties, Jack Skellington of Halloweentown accidentally stumbles across Christmastown and discovers that the season is in fact flipping magnificent – fairy lights and all – and heads back to convince his townspeople that they need a sparklier Christmas. He kidnaps Santa and tries to take over Christmas – and not with the best results.
White Christmas
Classic Hollywood, this is an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play two pals who fall for two sisters – and they spend the whole movie trying to woo them, and helping their old army commander save his resort. If you don’t feel festive by the end of this twinkly little treat, you’re officially dead inside. For real.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Charles Dickens classic becomes altogether more entertaining as Kermit, Miss Piggy and co take on the iconic roles. Kermy is Bob Cratchit, the clerk of super-stingy money lender Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine), who’s pretty much set on no one having a nice Christmas. The miser gets a visit from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, to show him how his actions affect others. The Muppets add a lot of colour and laughter to this festive affair – but can they help Scrooge see the error of his ways?
