5 Films To Get You Into The Festive Spirit

By Lauren Heskin
05th Dec 2016

5 Films To Get You Into The Festive Spirit

For any of you?Christmasophiles?out there, you’ve likely already tucked into the odd festive film. Maybe you watched?Home Alone to shake off those?Hocus Pocus?vibes in early November, or pressed play on?Meet Me in Saint Louis one dreary Saturday afternoon because it’s not?technically a Christmas film, and then decided to download?Elf? as you left your mum baking the Christmas cake and jumped on a bus back to your cold, dark apartment. Don’t avert your eyes from me, I can see that your car radio dial?is already set to Christmas FM!

Well, now it’s officially December so you can let your Christmas flag fly – although, with the amount of baubles, tinsel and twinkle lights you put on it, it might not be that aerodynamic.

And for those of you who haven’t embraced a festive film yet, two things: what did you do during the month of November (because I know you’ve been avoiding the news cycle post-Trump); and you have a lot of catching up to do. Here’s our round-up of Christmas movies to watch this festive season.

White Christmas

So, this is the quintessential?Christmas film. I’m sorry, but?Home Alone?has got nothing on this bad boy. We’ll also accept?Holiday Inn as an alternative, considering it’s where the song “White Christmas”?originated. This movie has got everything, a dreamy Rosemary Clooney singing “Counting Your Blessings”, Crosby and crew saying the word ‘snow’ a million times over in the song aptly named”Snow” and a cracking Christmas finale. And, least we forget, the excellent “Sister” duet and dance which I may or may not have demanded my younger brother perform with me (I won’t name names for fear of retribution, they’re much taller now).

It’s A Wonderful Life

Please don’t do a Phoebe on this one and stop watching half way through. Hold strong and watch James Stewart go through?the Dickensian experience of seeing what his town would be like if he were never born. I DARE you not to get misty-eyed?as he runs through the streets to his worried family at the end. Also, his brother Harry shows up and is rather hunky, so if nothing else hold out for him.

Miracle On 34th Street

A personal favourite. As a purist, I would always opt for the 1947 version but the Matilda /Attenborough’version is just as good. With two slightly different endings, Maura O’Hara is magnificent in the original but we must confess the engagement ring of the later version is equally spectacular. However, we’re not sure about the “dream house”, it seems more roof than house. Nonetheless, this one is necessary Christmas viewing.

Love Actually

This divides opinion. Granted, nearly everyone finds Kiera Knightly irritating, but think of the bumbling Colin Firth, the little drummer boy (I just got that) who’s in love with the American, Hugh Grant as a Golden Oldie, and the incomparable Emma Thompson in her Joni Mitchell scene . Add the gorgeous soundtrack and Bil Nighy gyrating to “Christmas Is All Around” and you’ve got a winner. Just don’t forget that there are those porn scenes in it before sticking it on in front of the grandparents. It results in some extended periods of silence, trust me.

Polar Express

This is many people’s favourite film but for some reason is often forgotten when it comes to Christmas movie listicles. What’s not to love about the soothing tones of Tom Hanks as the conductor and the excitement of the children as they embark on an incredible journey. The adorable bit about the bells more than makes up for the somewhat austere Santa Claus.