Favorite Christmas Movies

One of the best things to do during the holidays (or even before to get you in the mood) is to cozy up to your couch (with a glass of wine, tea or cocoa---and of course a huge bowl of popcorn), light up a candle and watch Christmas movies. I usually do it in my bedroom but these days I love to be in the living room next to the Christmas tree!!!

There are hundreds of holiday related movies and throughout the years i’ve watched a few. Some good some bad. But I have come to the realization that the following are my all time favorites. My list is kinda weird (I think) and maybe not your conventional Christmas movies but I still love them… So here we go.

7. Home Alone

A classic to the list (almost everyone has it in his own). The story of a little boy who gets forgotten at home when his whole family gets ready to leave for a holiday trip. You get to see him enjoy being alone and doing fun stuff that he couldn’t do at a crowded house. He has the time of his life until all the fun gets interrupted by two thieves who see the house as the perfect target. Kevin manages with his clever tricks to outsmart the goofy duo and everything ends well when his mom finally realises what happened and comes home. Macaulay Culkin is just amazing and the whole movie is known because of that little blonde boy. Three more movies followed this one, none of them as successful. ---------To be honest it’s not really a favorite anymore but it deserves a place on the list. It reminds me of when I was little and watching it on tv meant that the holidays are here. 

6. Love Actually

Another very popular one. At least for the girls. Somehow I hadn’t seen it till last year, but I really did like it. It’s one of those movies with the huuuge cast…you know…with all the big names and their little stories that somehow are connected? This one was before Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve and I think it’s better plot wise. The whole cast is British, the stories set in London and since I can’t really describe the plot, I’m just gonna mention some names. Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley and a lot more. And maybe that doesn’t say much ( big names don’t always make a movie) but the movie is funny and bittersweet (I would say) with a hopeful ending and amost a classic.

5. Bridget Jones’s Diary

This one isn’t really a Christmas movie but in my head it is. We’re in London again and it’s the story of a woman who is pretty much a mess and tries to find the love of her life. I know..cliche… but it’s a great movie. Hugh Grant and Colin Firth(again) are the two white knights and they’re both wayyy too charming. The story starts during the holidays in a snowy London and each time I watch it I immediately get in the mood. There’s just something very Christmassy about this movie without being too obvious or over the top. I love her little apartment, her singing in the beginning , all the holiday parties…and the kiss in the end is just to die for…as is the iconic “just as you are” line from Mr.Darcy. What woman wouldn’t bare the cold and the snow just to be kissed by Colin Firth while “Someone like you” is playing? That’s right…We all would!!! :)

4. Just Friends

The first time I watched this movie I was at a friend’s house and I still remember us laughing sooo hard. If you want just one reason to watch this…I have the perfect one. Ryan Reynolds. He’s sooo handsome and funny and amazing in this one. Plus he’s the one and this is the movie where the “FRIENDZONE” was addressed and explained. Chris (Ryan) is a guy who after being rejected by his love interest/best friend and made fun of for being fat decides to leave home, turn his life around and become a big L.A success. Years later and after a series of events he ends up stuck at his hometown during the holidays, where he has to face people from the past and the surprises that come with. Set in New Jersey and in a very Christmassy atmosphere, it’s a romantic story you’re gonna love for sure.

3. Arthur Christmas

And ……in the third place is an animated movie. I can’t think of another one that I like as much for the holidays and I’m so happy it exists. I feel like the first time I watched it wasn’t even Christmas but I loved it anyway. The movie is about Arthur, Santa’s son and his craaaazy trip to deliver a gift to one little girl. Sounds a little bit boring but I assure you it’s not. Super sweet story, characters you’ll love and really great animation. If you thought the Minions (Despicable me) where adorable, wait until you see these elves. Too-freaking-cuteeee!... It might be the most recent movie on the list but it’s one of my most favorites. If you love animation you’re gonna love it…Ohhhh and James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Bill Nighy are some of the actors who give their voices to the film..so you know it’s going to be good :)

2. The Holiday

 What can I say??I love love looove this movie. It’s Christmas…and two women who are feeling pretty desperate in their love lives, find each other through a home swap website and decide to (you guessed it) swap houses for two weeks during the holidays. From snowy London to sunny Los Angeles and back, we get to see how they spend their Christmas vacations, meeting new people, experiencing new things and unexpectedly changing their lives. Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black all give great performances. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry but most definitely you’re gonna fall in love with this very Christmassy movie. Plus if you’re one of those people who really like great movie quotes you’re in luck. Kate Winslet’s beginning monologue about love is just brilliant and happens to be one of the most accurate things I’ve ever heard. If you’ve never seen it I suggest you do so immediately!!!

And finally to number…

1. Look who’s talking now

The list started with a movie I’ve first seen as a kid and it ends with one too. It was probably one of my favorite movies back then and it still is. The movie is the third and final installment in the film series that began with Look Who's Talking in 1989(awww the year I was born). To be honest I wasn’t that crazy about the first one and the second I can hardly remember at all. But this one I love. It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s Christmassy…it’s everything you need for the holidays( at least it is for me). In a very 90’s atmosphere, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley meet once again and together with their adorable now kids, get involved in crazy situations until Christmas comes. They also throw in the mix two dogs (voiced by Danny De Vito and Diane Keaton)just to make things even crazier. I’ve seen this movie so many times but I still get super excited every time it’s on tv ( now in two days J ) and I still get very emotional during the last scene-part of it is because of the song “Have a little faith in me” which I love. This movie wasn’t a big hit (not that this makes any difference to me) and it might not be crazy popular or everyone’s cup of tea, but it remains an absolute favorite of mine. I don’t know if it’s because it makes me feel like a kid again or if I genuinely just like it, but I think there’s just some magic about it…. Just go watch it..and if nothing else ...the kid inside you is going to be very happy…

So…like I said in the beginning there are sooooo many movies that are holiday related… And I’m pretty sure there are a few that I’ve missed and I’ll probably like if I watch..but this was my list. These are my favorites and the ones that mean something to me and make me genuinely happy. I hope you enjoyed them….and…. Merry Christmas to all… :)