Blogmas Day Twelve – My top 10 favourite Christmas films

Heyyy everyone!! One topic that I certainly couldn’t miss out on when it comes to Blogmas is Christmas movies. Whether you are enjoying a snowy, white Christmas or one with closer temperatures to the tropics, I doubt anyone would say no to curling up on the couch to watch a holiday film. It is the perfect kind of thing to do solo with a pot of tea or hot chocolate and a sizeable mound of Christmas survival rations, a really romantic date idea or even just a fun way to spend a little extra R and R time with your family.

In case it wasn’t clear already, I absolutely adore anything Christmas and movies are no exception. So … I’d like to invite you all to join a little challenge with me: to try and watch every single one of the movies on this list before Christmas. You can do it alone, with your partner or with your family but the goal of this challenge is to get you into the holiday spirit but also to force you to take some time for yourself and just relax with your snuggly blanket. So, without further ado, here is my list of favourite holiday films and my challenge for you to get that Christmas cheer going. Good luck!

P.S. If you don’t want to do the challenge that is totally okay. Why not see how many movies you’ve already watched? Or, you could simply use this list for inspiration if you are looking for a festive film. Whatever suits you and your holiday needs and time best.

Love Actually 

Once again, this movie is at the top of my list because it is a classic. I just haven’t found one that puts a smile on my face, or warms me up like a gigantic mug of hot chocolate (with whipped cream and mini marshmallows) as much as this movie does. Not only is it one of my dad’s favourite films (he is notoriously critical about movies and rarely rewatches them), but it’s a movie that my family likes to watch together almost every year so it has a lot of sentimental value for me. Just in case my personal anecdotes weren’t enough to convince you, this is a fantastic romcom to enjoy during Christmas – you get to follow multiple characters experience the weeks leading up to Christmas and how their love lives are affected. It’s the perfect blend of adorably cheesy and stitches of laughter, so if you haven’t watched this film, go watch it right now! 

How the Grinch stole Christmas

Another classic, and another favourite is the Grinch. And I’m not talking about the new animated one (even though they did depict Whoville in an absolutely beautiful and whimsical way, it’s not the original), I’m talking about the old one featuring Jim Carrey. This time-honoured Christmas story, thanks to the ingenious mind of Dr Seuss, has been a family favourite for generations. Following the story of a soured Grinch who decides he has had enough of Christmas and will now steal it from the overly festive Whos, this movie is just a marvel to behold. Jim Carrey couldn’t perform a better portrayal of the sarcastic, sour and cynical Grinch who embodies an all-consuming hatred for the holiday season. Whoville is what anyone should aspire to in terms of decorating for Christmas, we even did a Whoville inspired Christmas last year. This is a great movie to watch with the family, because it is kid-friendly but teaches some vital lessons about Christmas. However, don’t be deterred by that if you aren’t into overly cheesy, feel-good holiday movies. For those who are familiar with the blog, you’ll know that my boyfriend is far more critical and cynical when it comes to the movies he watches, and this is his favourite Christmas film of all time. We still call him the Grinch though – that nickname has stuck. 

The Polar Express

Again, I am taken aback by the fact that there are so few people who know about this movie. Seriously why do more people not know about this movie?? IT IS AMAZING!! For those who don’t know, the Polar Express is the story of a young boy who doesn’t really believe in Christmas but goes on an adventure with a bunch of other children on Christmas Eve – a train trip to the North Pole! There’s some action, some fun, plenty of laughs and a healthy dose of Christmas spirit and holiday cheer. However, if you’re not convinced yet, just watch it for the hot chocolate song. It is honestly such a brilliant scene (and another reason why my dad loves this film) with a choreographed dance routine all about hot chocolate! 

Elf

Confession time, my boyfriend was actually the person who introduced me to this film. I hadn’t seen it three years ago and I don’t know how I’d lived my life up until then without this film in my life. If you’re in the mood for an extremely light-hearted, cheery movie about Christmas, then this is definitely for you. Buddy the elf (a human living in the North Pole) is the embodiment of Christmas cheer. He is jolly, pure-hearted and just wants to eat sugar and have a merry time. Unfortunately, this personality doesn’t go so well with the rest of the world when he journeys to New York City to find his real father. It is overwhelmingly cheesy, and probably as Christmassy as a film can get but that’s what makes it so good I think. At the very least, you might be tempted to try maple syrup on something other than pancakes/waffles. I haven’t been brave enough yet to try it so if you are, let me know how it goes. 

Bad moms Christmas

Fair warning, this movie isn’t one I’d recommend watching with the family or with young kids. Now that that’s out of the way, this is a fantastic Christmas movie, probably because of how real it is. This movie carries on from the first Bad Moms movie (also brilliant, so I highly recommend you watch that too – you can watch them back to back) but with more family drama. The trio of moms are now dealing with all the problems that come with Christmas, and the biggest one being all of their mothers coming into town for Christmas. It is filled with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, tons of family drama for entertainment, and of course those beautiful feel-good moments with love all around. 

Almost Christmas 

Another fantastic family drama for the holiday season. This one however is about a dysfunctional family that all gets together for Christmas, sadly with a bittersweet tone in the air this year. All they have to do is last five days together, but with this family, it might not be possible. It’s one drama after another, with family fights, bickering, issues coming out left, right and centre all coated in buckets of humour (especially from Aunt Mae). Plus, it wouldn’t be a Christmas movie if there wasn’t a touch of romance, and some joyous Christmas spirit so just because there is lots of drama (in the funny way though, not in the makes you want to wrench your heart out and drown your sorrows in ice cream way), you’ll still definitely finish the movie with a smile on your face. Fingers crossed Christmas isn’t this dramatic with my family this year. 

Last Christmas

Okay this movie is just wow. That is the only way I can describe it. My boyfriend and I ended up watching it on a trip to the States last year (I was visiting colleges there and he came with me) and it took us both by surprise in the biggest and best way. Nothing seems to go right for Kate, who works as an elf all year round in a Christmas store while trying to make her big break as a singer. Things seem to change though when she meets Tom, who is always ‘looking up’ and seeing the bright side of things. It is definitely not your typical Christmas film, I will say that, but it is still beautiful (as you know, my boyfriend is not a fan of Christmas love-stories but he adored this one!). Be warned though, I highly recommend watching this movie with something sweet, something to cuddle and at least a box full of tissues. 

The Holiday

Okay I know this was on my list last year, but I couldn’t resist it. It truly is such an amazing love story. Maybe not as good as Love Actually, but I’d say it’s a pretty close second. Again, I am using all of my internal strength to limit myself to just these romance specials because I do have a small addiction to Christmas rom coms, and spend tons of time binge watching Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. However, this movie is more than a Hallmark Christmas movie. One of the great things about it is that it isn’t too heavy on the Christmas theme – it is more about the love stories and character arcs of the two protagonists and their love interests. This is a beautiful story about how love can be found in the most unlikely places, but the characters also learn and grow so much, which is what sets this movie above the rest. Essentially, this is a perfect movie to watch with a partner, a best friend or just with yourself and an armful of Christmas appropriate snacks.  

Daddy’s Home 2

Moving on from the first movie, Dusty and Brad are no longer enemies. In fact, they are practically best friends and set on giving the kids the best Christmas ever. However, a Christmas holiday in a picture-perfect mountain lodge, with their own dads joining the celebrations (so the more family friendly, dad version of bad moms Christmas). What I love about this movie is it almost turns into a new and evolved Christmas version of the first film, but with some new drama and characters to make things interesting. It is filled with some traditional Christmas fun, and that super satisfying happy ending where everything gets resolved neatly with it’s big red sparkly bow. SO if you’re looking for a heartwarming Christmas film with family drama and plenty of laughs (probably more appropriate than the other two) then this should definitely be on your list. 

Klaus 

I never planned to watch this movie. Until my older brother called me up and told me it is the best Christmas movie he has ever seen. You might think this is a normal thing for siblings to do, but my older brother doesn’t normally advertise movies unless they are groundbreakingly amazing! So of course, I had to watch it and I won’t say it’s the best Christmas movie ever but it is pretty darn amazing. A classic Christmas message, about the value of just a little bit of kindness making the biggest difference, but with a brand new way of telling it, this movie will definitely brighten up your holiday and bring a warm (like freshly baked gingerbread) smile to your face. 

And there you have it!! How many of these movies have you seen before? Or, are there any absolute Christmas classics that you think the holiday season is incomplete without that I may not have mentioned?? 

Once again, I am so so proud that I made this whole list without diving deep into my obsession for Hallmark Christmas romances. Not that there is anything wrong with those films. I spend entire days binge-watching those movies, but they are for a particularly small audience so only listing those would have probably made this post far less popular. Can I please get a round of applause for my restraint?  By the way, if anyone would like to know some good Hallmark Christmas romances, you can let me know in the comments section, and I’ll send you some of my favourites.

I really hope that you enjoyed this blog post and for those looking for a couple of films to get them into the holiday spirit, I hope you found a few options. I also hope that some of you take up the challenge I’ve set. Please let me know if you complete it and what your favourite film is from the list! I’d love to hear. Also, if you have a favourite holiday film that I’ve missed out, don’t hesitate to share it in the comments section because I am always looking for new Christmas movies to watch. As always, thank you all so much for reading. Please don’t forget to hit that little like button, share this list with your friends and challenge them to complete it and subscribe so that you don’t miss out on future blog posts. I’ll see you guys next time – happy holiday film watching!

Lots of Love

Blondey on a Mission xxx