Part of the fun of the festive season is staying in when it’s cold and dark outside, and curling up in front of a Christmas film.
These days we have hundreds of TV channels, online streaming services and dedicated satellite movie channels. Which sound perfect for finding great Christmas films for you and your loved ones to watch, or so you would think.
Christmas film picks from The Spark
For every classic like It’s a Wonderful Life there are many terrible, straight-to-DVD movie disasters that emerge from the archives around Christmas time. To help we’ve compiled a list of our own personal favourites and why they are special to us at this time of year.
The Holiday (2006)
In our house we always watch The Holiday around Christmas. As well as being warm and funny, it reminds me that traditions old and new are equally important. And that the concept of ‘family’ can mean different things to different people, at different times in their lives.
Soppy? Perhaps, but definitely true!
The Snowman (1982)
My daughter loves watching The Snowman and has done ever since she was a wee one.
“He’s flying through the air, he’s lost his underwear”, well that’s what she used to sing anyway! Personally I prefer the Irn-Bru version, particularly when the snowman drops the boy in the snow from a great height!
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
It’s not ‘a Christmas movie’ in the traditional sense. However in our house it is a Christmas favourite.
The Mighty Ducks is definitely a feel-good film and I love it because it reminds me that the simple things in life – friendship and putting others first – are the most important and rewarding.
That’s something I think we could all do with around Christmas time.
Frozen (2013)
We went to the cinema as a family on a rainy New Year’s day. We’d been staying at my mother-in-law’s for Christmas for the first time since the death of my father-in-law a couple of months before.
It had been a tough year and I went with no expectations. To my surprise it wasn’t the ‘girl saved by boy’ plot that I thought it might be, and I loved how affirming it was.
Let it Go was also like an anthem for the past year. Plus my husband won’t ever forget my 3 year old daughter coming out of the cinema and trying to magically zap ice from her hands…
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Simply for the life-affirming message and how the small things we do for each other add up to being the most important ‘glue’ that keeps life together sometimes.
The Polar Express (2004)
I love The Polar Express. It must be watched while drinking hot chocolate and eating mini rolls (dipped into the hot chocolate, of course!)
Elf (2003)
A modern Christmas classic and an absolute must-see every festive season. The concept is brilliant and it is one of the few Christmas films that are a genuine delight for both kids and adults alike.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
The original Home Alone is a Christmas classic but I think the sequel is even better.
You’ve got New York in December, filled with twinkling lights and giant Christmas trees. A kid having a blast running up an astronomical bill on his dad’s credit card and plenty of snowy scenes.
In hindsight the Donald Trump cameo was a huge mistake. Otherwise it is a perfect bit of Christmas film escapism. Plus it comes with a genuine message that among the presents, decorations and commercialism of Christmas, it is really all about family and friendship.
