Christmas Movie Recommendations

Brynlea Hinzman, Staff Reporter

This Christmas season is a great time to bundle up in a cozy blanket and watch the perfect holiday movie. As the holiday season has taken full effect at LCHS, with the hallways filled with decorations and the students full of holiday cheer, here is a list of Christmas movie recommendations to keep students busy at home.

 

Love Hard (Netflix Original):
This romance comedy is a great movie to watch if you’re looking for a funny love story set during Christmas time. Natalie (Nina Dobrev) has had a hard time in the dating department, it’s what keeps her writing career steady as she uses her awful love experiences in a blog. Now, Natalie thinks she’s found the perfect guy, Tag (Darren Barnet), an adventurous and handsome guy that lives on the East Coast. Natalie decides to take a leap of faith, and fly to his house, which is 3,000 miles away, to surprise him for Christmas. But things take a turn when she finds out that she’s been catfished by Josh (Jimmy O. Yang), a candle-maker who still lives with his parents and hides in his brother’s shadow.

 

The Christmas Chronicles:
In The Christmas Chronicles, siblings Katy (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis) spark a plan to capture Santa (Kurt Russell) on Christmas Eve. When their plan goes wrong, they end up joining a somewhat jolly Santa as they try to save Christmas before it’s too late. If you enjoy this movie, there is a sequel (The Christmas Chronicles 2) that continues Katy’s story as she is becoming a teenager and gaining a step-family.

 

One Magic Christmas:
One Magic Christmas is a classic Christmas movie that my mom introduced me to a few years ago. It’s a great family story that shows how the holidays can bring us together in a magical way. Ginny (Mary Steenburgen) is a struggling grocery store worker who is having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit because of her husband, Jack (Gary Basaraba), who is currently unemployed. When her daughter, Abbie (Elizabeth Harnois), goes to deliver her list to Santa, she runs into Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton), an Angel intent on filling Ginny’s house with Christmas joy.

 

The Polar Express:
This is a classic animated Christmas movie that I’ve watched every year during the holiday season. I guess you could call it a self-made tradition. Anyway, this movie follows a young boy (Daryl Sabara) who is doubting his belief in the infamous Santa. When given the opportunity to ride a train to the North Pole, he is at first hesitant, but decides to embark on a journey that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. He is joined by a young girl (Nona Gaye) and the conductor (Tom Hanks).

 

Let It Snow:
This movie was adapted from Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. The movie follows three different storylines that are all connected in some way. It’s a story about friendship and romance that all occurs during the holidays. The movie’s cast includes Isabela Merced (Julie), Mitchell Hope (Tobin), Kiernan Shipka (Angie), Odeya Rush (Addie), Shameik Moore (Stuart Bale), Hallea Jones (Madison), Liv Hewson (Dorrie), and many more.

 

Love the Coopers:
For their annual Christmas Eve celebration, Sam Cooper (John Goodman) and his wife Charlotte (Diane Keaton) welcome four generations of extended family. As the guests reveal their problems, they rediscover the importance of family and the spirit of the holidays. This cast also includes Olivia Wilde (Eleanor Cooper), Alan Arkin (Bucky), Ed Helms (Hank Cooper), Amanda Seyfried (Ruby), Marisa Tomei (Emma), Timothee Chalamet (Charlie Cooper), etc.

 

The Santa Clause trilogy:
This trilogy is the perfect movie series to watch over the holiday season. In the movies, Tim Allen (Santa Clause), goes through a journey of discovering his abilities as Santa and raising his son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd). It’s a beautiful series to watch with your family and bond over the family dynamic in the movie series.

 

A Christmas Carol (Animated):
While the rest of London is joyfully awaiting the arrival of Christmas, cranky Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) thinks it’s all humbug and makes sure to show his distaste for the holiday to everyone he passes. Later that night, Scrooge encounters the ghost of his old business partner, who warns him that three spirits will visit him that night. Ebenezer embarks on a journey with these spirits to the past, present and future as they try to end his bitterness once and for all.

 

Noelle:
Kris Kringle’s daughter, Noelle (Anna Kendrick), is full of Christmas spirit and yearns to do something important like her brother Nick (Bill Hader), who will take over the role of Santa from his father. When Nick can’t handle the pressure of being Santa, Noelle suggests he takes a break and gets away…but when he doesn’t come home, Noelle has to find her brother home in time to save Christmas.

 

Last Christmas:
Ending this list of suggestions with another holiday rom-com is the perfect way to go. Last Christmas follows Kate (Emilia Clarke), a frustrated year-round elf at a Christmas shop in London, and things never seem to go right for her…that is until she meets Tom (Henry Golding), a handsome man who seems too good to be true. As their connection grows, it is suspected that the two of them will get the best gift of all- a Christmas romance.