I pushed the Christmas movies hard this year in an effort to get into the Christmas spirit.
It did work. I was feeling pretty merry by December 24th.
Here’s what I watched during the Christmas season in 2024.
Happiest Season
My sister made me watch this one last year and I liked it enough to watch it again this year. It might become a personal tradition. It’s just cute enough and just funny enough and just romantic enough, and it just makes me happy.
Elf
I am not a huge fan of this movie. My favorite scene is in the first five minutes of the film (when the Keebler elf tree burns down) so I don’t really have anything to look forward to after that. We watched this one on my laptop this year while baking cookies and that worked well.
Bob’s Burgers: The Bleakening, Parts 1 & 2 (S8: E6 & E7)
This is my kids’ favorite Bob’s Burgers Christmas episode, and I am a sucker for the silly Twinkly Lights song.
Bob’s Burgers: Last Gingerbread House on the Left (S7:E7)
My second favorite Bob’s Burgers Christmas episode, with my favorite Bob’s Burger’s Christmas song.
Bob’s Burgers: Christmas in the Car (S4:E8)
Possibly my favorite Bob’s Burger’s Christmas episode. “All batteries die, but this one truly lived!”
Die Hard
Yes, we let the kids watch this one with us. I am really not a fan of this movie and hope this doesn’t become a family tradition.
Spirited
Now this is a worthwhile film! Have you even heard of this one? It’s a little Christmas gem hidden away on Apple TV packed with Broadway energy, clever jokes, and a nice message. Highly recommend!
Robin Robin
A 30-minute Christmas short that went well with my coffee one December morning.
Muppet Christmas Carol
I love this movie and try to make sure we watch it every year. I especially love how much material it lifts directly from the book. I listen to this soundtrack every Christmas season because it’s so good.
Polar Express
I had not seen this before and did not particularly care for it, but my kids liked it.
Klaus
My favorite Christmas movie. I will watch this every Christmas season until I die. I cry every time, and not just a single tear sort of cry. It’s the multiple big tears running down my face kind of cry. Put it on your list for next year if you haven’t seen it yet.
In reviewing this list, I am seeing a clear trend in my Christmas movie preferences.
I do not care for the movies that stress the importance of believing in Santa Claus. Why? Why does our culture emphasize the importance of believing in a lie from our childhood? I get that movies with that message are trying to make us feel good and nostalgic and young again but… we aren’t young anymore, are we? Why are we making Christmas magic an ideal that is only for children?
My favorite Christmas movies are the ones that stress the importance of kindness and giving. The movie Klaus, which I adore, creates a version of the Santa Claus origin story, yes, but not once does it state that one must believe in Santa Claus in order to receive gifts or to be happy. No, the theme of Klaus is that a selfless deed always sparks another selfless deed. That’s the message we all need right now.