The winter season has come around again so start your fire, get your hot cocoa, and sit down to watch some of these winter classics! 

If you by some chance have not seen The Grinch what have you been doing all these years? This holiday classic directed by Ron Howard, starring Jim Carey as the green fluffy heartless monster that attempts to steal Christmas from the people of Whoville will surely get you in the holiday spirit. Whoville is a make-believe town that embodies the Christmas spirit to the fullest extent. Every house on the block is decorated with lights and figures that illuminate the streets of the snowy town. However, the town is home to a mountain that towers over the outskirts of Whoville and it is said that a creature lives up there, but few people will dare to explore the startling cliffs that the Grinch inhabits. A group of teenagers decide to take on this daring feat and instantly regret it, but return to Whoville with news that they have seen the Grinch. To those who they tell it startles them to the core, making them fearful that the Christmas-hating gremlin will come down. The people of Whoville and the Grinch have never gotten along, but could this change? That is for you to find out in this Christmas classic that is sure to impress.  

Home Alone may be the most well-known Christmas movie of all time, and for good reason. At this point, there are 5+ remakes of the classic film, Home Alone 2 being the most popular after the original. The original movie, Home Alone, consists of a plot where a child, Kevin McCallister,  is left behind while his family is on a Christmas vacation in France. Kevin, at first is ecstatic that he gets to spend the holidays away from the oddly hateful family that he so despises. But, after a few days the 8-year-old runs into a few problems. Namely, his continuous rendezvous with the main antagonist of the story the “Wet Bandits” a duo of at times senseless robbers who plot to raid the McCallister home. So, instead of spending Christmas with his family, Kevin spends it attempting to defend his family’s house. Will he succeed, or will the “Wet Bandits” pull off a golden heist?  

Elf tells the heartwarming tale of Buddy the Elf, played by well-known actor Will Ferrell. Buddy is a human who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts as a baby and is transported to the North Pole. Raised by elves, Buddy grows up with the belief that he is one of Santa’s little helpers. However, as he discovers his true identity, he embarks on a journey to reconnect with his biological father, played by James Caan, in New York City. The film has many standout and noteworthy moments in it such as the memorable quotes and scenes that have become ingrained in popular culture. Lines like “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?” and the iconic scene involving syrup and spaghetti have become synonymous with the holiday season, generating laughs and smiles year after year. With the movie mainly focused on a comedic approach to the holiday season it definitely accomplishes its goal. 

Christmas Vacation is when the Christmas movies begin to become more adult so to speak. The main character Clark Griswold, played by leading actor Chevy Chase, brings the comedy, heartbreak, alcohol, and anxiety of the Christmas season to your flat screen in a very relatable way. Clark, the overworked Chemical Engineer, and under-censored at-home comedian has his family over for Christmas along with his wife’s family. Although not everyone gets along, Clark is determined to have a great Christmas. Clark meticulously plans out fun holiday festivities, only to be met by chaos and mishaps in every direction.

Although the movie can be relatable to many adults, I’m sure many children can relate to the scene of Rusty having to help Clark implement his magical Christmas light display. The duo end up spending days covering the house in white lights that Clark feels are sure to impress. But, in classic Griswold fashion, something goes wrong when it comes time to turn the display on. With many more of these hilariously relatable scenes throughout the movie, it makes a lasting impression on festive movie lovers! 

The movie 4 Christmases continues with the theme of adult movies for the holidays. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon co-star in this holiday comedy that takes place in the Bay Area with the plot around a couple that go on trips for Christmas rather than spending the holidays with their families. However, this time their plan fails, the planes out of the Bay Area are all grounded and by a stroke of horrible luck the couple Brad and Kate end up on the news. Now that their families have seen the broadcast and know that they will be home for the holidays, Brad and Kate are forced to visit all four families. The first stop is Brad’s father’s house, accompanied by Brad’s brothers, sister-in-law, and nephews, things get out of hand very quickly. We soon learn that a greeting in their household is far from the typical hug as Brad gets wrestled to the ground and dominated by his brothers and nephews.

Brad digs his hole a little deeper when he goes just slightly over the 10-dollar spending cap for gifts by getting a brand-new Xbox for one of his nephews. After a little while longer at his dad’s house, they can escape to Kate’s mom’s house where the family situation does not get much better. The theme of awkward family interactions continues throughout the movie with Brad and Kate visiting Brad’s mom who is coincidentally dating his old best friend. The story combines holiday festivities with comedic excellence to create a very relatable portrayal of the feelings of stress and excitement that come with the holiday season. 

Throughout the holiday season make sure you spend some quality time with your family and watch one of these movies to get you in the holiday spirit!