The end of Thanksgiving means one thing: it’s now the most wonderful time of year.
Wait, aren’t you Jewish, Travis? Yes, I am and was raised Jewish, but that does not mean that I do not have a huge appreciation for Christmas-themed movies.
My love for Christmas movies began as a small child being introduced to classics such as the Home Alone series, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Santa Clause series.
In the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, each year, I do my best to watch all of my favorite Christmas movies. Besides the one’s mentioned above, my list includes The Polar Express, Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Fred Claus, Deck The Halls, Eight Crazy Nights, A Christmas Story, A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street and so on.
The reason I love Christmas movies: they always have a great, warm ending. Unlike horror films or mind-benders, Christmas movies always have a positive ending where everyone is happy. They make you feel really good and excited for the holiday season and usually are pretty comedic.
When I was a kid, each evening I would tune in to the ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas movie marathon special. Whether I was watching the special or just had it in the background while doing homework or having dinner, the house always had a cozy feel.
The same will happen for this holiday season. As finals week is approaching and crunch time is already upon us for the semester, I will do my best to play a Christmas movie or Christmas-themed episode each night for the next few weeks.
Another reason Christmas movies are so great is the familiarity that comes with them. I’m sure most college students know the agony of scrolling that comes with choosing what to watch on Netflix with more people than while watching by yourself. It is impossible for us to agree on something to put on the television. But who will argue with the choice of Elf or The Santa Clause with only a few weeks until the holiday?
Nobody watches Christmas movies between the months of January and November but consistently in the month of December, which means most people are at least familiar with the popular seasonal films.
I personally love Christmas movies because I don’t celebrate Christmas. It gives me a connection to something that almost everybody around me graciously gets to enjoy each year while I do not. There are very few Hanukkah related films.
Growing up, the only special I really ever watched was A Rugrats Hanukkah special, which Tommy celebrated because Didi’s parents were Jewish Russian immigrants.
Eight Crazy Nights is a hilarious Adam Sandler Hanukkah/Christmas animation film but the list does not stretch far after that.
Christmas movies mean that school is almost done for the year and the holidays are upon us.