It’s that time of year again when every kid in America goes to see a fat guy with a beard at the mall and best of all, everyone gets two weeks off of school.
That’s right, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas.
With the holiday season in full swing, what better way to celebrate than to watch Christmas movies? Here are some of our favorites.
“Die Hard”
You have classics like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ and of course the “Star Wars Christmas Special”. But none of these compare to this Christmas masterpiece: “Die Hard”.
The best way to start a Christmas movie binge is by watching a film that has the perfect amount of Christmas joy and action provided by an all-star cast of Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman.
The story follows New York police officer John McClane (Willis), who needs to save his wife and coworkers being held hostage by terrorists.
Some people disagree that this is a Christmas movie, but what more could you want from a masterpiece than a sinister terrorist played by Rickman?
“Die Hard” continues to be a modern classic no matter what the haters say and is a must-watch this holiday season.
“Home Alone”
It’s not everyday that your family mistakenly forgets you at home when they fly to Europe, leaving you stranded for the holidays while two burglars try to break into your home.
For Kevin McCallister, however, this was just another fun holiday memory.
“Home Alone” features a chaotic family struggling to sympathize with their deviant son, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), who wishes nothing more than to never see his uncompassionate relatives again.
While introducing themes of being careful what you wish for, “Home Alone” highlights the creativity of a young mind as Kevin manages to fend off two burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) who target his house for the holiday season.
Kevin’s journey setting up elaborate pranks to surprise the burglars utilizes dramatic and situational irony, which provides a light-hearted tone to an overall stressful situation.
Additionally, Kevin surprises himself by making an unlikely friend who teaches him the importance of forgiving.
This friend is a physical manifestation of who Kevin could turn out to be if he doesn’t try to mend fences with his family.
This sentimental movie is perfect for the holidays and leads well into the sequel.
“Home Alone 2”
“Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” mirrors the first movie in many ways, with the main conflict of an abandoned Kevin coming face-to-face with the burglars, who just escaped prison.
As the movie introduces the burglars’ plot to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve, Kevin takes it upon himself to stop their plan by utilizing his infamously creative pranks.
In “Home Alone 2”, Kevin increases the intensity of his already eccentric pranks.Of course, at the end of the movie we are reminded of Kevin’s childish tendencies when we learn that he managed to rack up almost $1,000 worth of room service charges on his father’s credit card while staying at the Plaza Hotel.
These two films are classic holiday movies because they emphasize the idea of being grateful for your family with comedic relief as seen in Kevin’s plans and eccentric actions to outsmart the burglars.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas”
One of the classic animated holiday specials to watch to get in the holiday spirit is “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, featuring none other than that chronically bummed out bald kid, Charlie Brown, and his faithful dog, Snoopy.
This classic holiday show addresses how even when you’ve been dealt life’s worst cards, as Charlie Brown always has, you can turn your hardship and misery into something positive.
With the help of Snoopy and his friend Linus, Charlie Brown learns the true meaning of Christmas and finds a way to make the holiday special.
Charlie Brown is one of those characters that viewers don’t fully understand when they’re little, but when they grow up they find themselves relating to him endlessly. That’s part of the reason why this show is one of the all- time Christmas classics.
To read more of our holiday film favorites, go to www.thecalifornianpaper.com.
