Holiday Movies to Warm the Heart

Top 10 Holiday Movies

During the holiday season, one of my favorite things to do is watch holiday movies with my family and friends. There is nothing better than sharing laughter, tears and excitement with the people closest to your heart. If you’re looking for perfect holiday movie to enjoy with family or friends this holiday season, look no further.

Home Alone

Nothing makes you appreciate family more than this movie. McCauley Culkin stars as eight-year-old Kevin McCallister who wakes up to find that this family has left for Christmas vacation without him. He’s thrilled to be home alone, until two burglars attempt to break in. By the end of the movie you are reminded exactly what family is all about and the true meaning of the winter holidays.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Trouble ensures when Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, invites his entire extended family over for Christmas. One thing after another goes wrong for the Griswold’s, but they stick together as a family through it all. This movie will have you laughing out loud from start to finish and leave you feeling just a bit better about your own eccentric family.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The animated version of this movie is my favorite, because growing up I remember watching this classic on television every year with my entire family. The grinch is disgusted with the happiness that Christmas brings to the Whos in Whoville, so he plots a way to ruin Christmas. The tables eventually turn and he ends up becoming just as jubilant as the Whos. This movie reminds me that a little bit of kindness can be the world to someone.

Love Actually

I fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it. The premise of the movie is that “love actually is everywhere.” The movie is set around Christmas time and filled with characters searching for, or in some casing, stumbling upon love. The stories represent different kinds of love, bolstered with various obstacles for each character. If you’re a victim of a broken heart, this movie will give you hope and make you believe in love again.

The Santa Clause

This movie is one of the best because you get a peak inside the lives of Santa and everyone else living at the North Pole. When Santa Clause fall off the roof of Scott Calvin’s (Tim Allen) house on Christmas Eve his son convinces him to put on the red suit. After doing so he begins delivering gifts to the children of the world and wakes up to find himself at the North Pole. Over the next year Scott transforms into Santa, creating questions among friends, coworkers and family. This movie gives me hope that anything is possible if you just believe.

Miracle on 34th Street

When the real Santa Clause begins working at Macy’s, miracles follow closely behind. However, when he begins telling people that he is actually Santa Clause rather than just a store Santa, he is thought to be crazy. However, thanks to believers around the world faith is restored in him as well as his the friends he makes along the way. There are two versions of this movie, both are alike and just about equal in quality… but history proves originals to be better.

A Christmas Carol

There are so many versions of this movie that I can’t pick one as being the best. However, the premise of the movie is magical. We join Ebenezer Scrooge on his journey to Christmas past, present, and future and learn that Christmas is all about the company you keep. I love this movie because it transforms Scrooge’s pessimism into hope and kindheartedness.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

This is one of Tim Burton’s most popular animated movies about how Christmastown is taken over by the pumpkin king from Halloweentown trouble ensures. This movie is lighthearted and hilarious - I recommend this one not only for the winter holidays, but anytime of the year.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

When Charlie Brown has the holiday blues he seeks out some professional help from none other than his friend Lucy. Lucy suggests he become the director of the Christmas play. In doing so Charlie Brown finds out that Christmas is more than just the commercial holiday that he thought it was, it is also a time to spend celebrating with friends.

It’s a Wonderful Life

When George Bailey (James Stewart) falls on hard times and believes the only way to solve his problems is suicide he decides to jump from a bridge into freezing water - however his guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers) saves him. Throughout the movie Clarence gives George a look at how his life affected so many others. This is my favorite Christmas movie of all time because it makes me appreciate what my life means in perspective to others.

Each of these movies brings to life the holiday spirit and reminds each and everyone one of us that the important things in life aren’t gifts, but rather sharing memories together with friends and family and believing the impossible. If you need more movie ideas to keep you busy, try watching A Christmas Story, Eight Crazy Nights or Elf.