For as long as we can remember, Christmas movies have been watched relentlessly around the holidays. Families across the country are constantly watching old and modern Christmas movies as a part of their festive traditions, solidifying the genre’s role in shaping the festive atmosphere.
The recent surge in holiday movies has been caused by platforms expanding their collection from animated movies to action movies.
Classic movies such as Elf, Home Alone, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation rely on comedy and humor to get the message of their movie across.
On the contrary, movies like Die Hard, Krampus, and Nightmare Before Christmas rely on horror and fear to get their message to the viewer.
No matter the tone, Christmas movies evoke nostalgia, often capturing the themes of belief, wonder, and childhood innocence.
“The most emotional scene in a Christmas movie for me is in Polar Express when the main kid gets to the North Pole and gets handed the bell,” Ethan Wallace, senior, said.
Wallace’s response highlights how powerful emotional moments in Christmas movies can be and his choice of this moment shows how significant it is when a character finally experiences something they have been hoping for.
Ethan’s response highlights how powerful emotional moments in Christmas movies can be, even more when they capture the themes of belief, wonder, and childhood innocence. His choice of the moment from the Polar Express shows how significant it is when a character finally experiences something they have been hoping for.
In many holiday movies, Christmas is under threat from non-belief or cynicism. In popular film Elf, Buddy helps save Christmas with his spirit and a song. In classic claymation animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph saves Christmas with his outer and inner light. In The Santa Clause, an immature-seeming Scott Calvin becomes Santa and Christmas is saved when elves break him out of jail.
For some the most heartfelt holiday movies are those in which a character learns to embrace the spirit of Christmas with charity and love.
“I love transformative characters. When I was little, I loved the animated ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.’ I love the concept of the Grinch’s heart growing three sizes because he sees the Whos celebrating Christmas without any of the trappings of the holiday. They didn’t need any gifts or decorations to come together and sing with joy. I like the idea that Christmas means more than consumerism,” Ms. Heather Keirn, English teacher, said.
Holiday movies with transformative characters like the Grinch often work because the transformation feels genuine and earned. Bitter, isolated, selfish, or grouchy characters learn how to empathize with everyone and the true meaning of compassion and community.
