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Her Campus Holidays: Movies

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Becca Courtney
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Amanda Norell
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Purdue chapter.

Here at HerCampus Purdue, we love anything holiday. We have been gushing over the beautiful decorations around campus, the delicious seasonal Starbucks lattes in the Union, and the Christmas music that seems to be playing everywhere we go.  After our first snow though, I know we were all ready to be off campus, no matter how pretty it looks.  Take a break from reading those endless notes for your finals!  Grab some of your closest friends, heat up some hot cocoa, and check out some of Her Campus’ favorite holiday movies instead!
 

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
This black and white classic tells the story of George Bailey, a generous man who has lived in the small town of Bedford Falls his whole life.  Time-after-time George puts his dreams of traveling outside of his town aside to help others in need, but when his uncle looses the money that will crumble the family business, putting all of George’s traveling dreams to rest, George decides he wishes he were never born.  Thanks to the help of an uncoordinated angel named Clarence who flashes George back to a Bedford Falls without George Bailey, George realizes what a wonderful life it actually is. Because it’s public domain, and therefore free for any T.V. channel to broadcast it, It’s A Wonderful Life will be playing many times throughout the holiday season, giving you many chances NOT to miss it.
 
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
In this hilarious remake of a Dr. Seuss animation, Jim Carrey plays the fuzzy, green, potbellied creature that dwells in a cave outside of Whoville, a magical land that exists within a snowflake. The Who’s inside of Whoville live for Christmas.   Christmas lights competitions, a giant Christmas tree in the middle of the town, and Black Friday-like shopping everyday seems to make the Who’s forget the real meaning of Christmas.
While the Who’s are scrambling to make their Christmas the best it has ever been, the Grinch sits in his cave and plots against the Who’s who have rejected him, promising to hit them where it hurts the most by stealing Christmas. This is a story of compassion, love, forgiveness: all the true meanings of Christmas… and, of course, Jim Carry’s ridiculous humor.
 
Love Actually (2003)
This one might not be a true classic, but it will definitely get you in the Christmas spirit. In this romantic comedy, you follow a number of main characters on their search for love around the holidays. The laughs, tears, craziness and desperation that surround both love and the holidays are magnified through their journeys and make you realize the true meanings of each.
 
Elf (2003)
Will Ferrell in an elf suit; need I say more? This now holiday classic has shot to the top of Christmas movie list after its release in 2003.
Full of an unforgettable cast, innocent humor, and a completely Christmassy plot, there is no question why this film was, and still is, so successful.  Will Ferrell stars as Buddy the Elf, a clueless and lovable human who was adopted by elves from the North Pole.  Determined to meet his real father, Buddy travels through seven levels of candy cane forest, past the sea of swirly-swirly gumdrops to get to the busy, dirty New York City.  A fish out of water story, this one will have you laughing, crying and definitely feeling the Christmas spirit! 

*Photo Credits
1. http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNjY1NjQ3NDY5MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwODAyMTc3._V1._SY317_.jpg
2. http://content9.flixster.com/movie/29/04/290427_det.jpg
3. http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY4NjQ5NDc0Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNjk5NDM3._V1._SY317_.jpg

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Amanda Norell is a junior at Purdue University where she is working toward a communication degree, supplemented by an art and design minor. A true Midwesterner, Amanda was born in Chicago and raised in northern Indiana, just minutes from the Michigan border. In addition to being Purdue's Campus Correspondent, Amanda is also a junior board member on Liberal Arts Student Council, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, and has both edited and written for The Exponent, Purdue's independent daily student newspaper.  She has held internships in both event planning and career development, and has her sights set on becoming an event and wedding planner after graduation. She cannot get enough of campus in the fall, crepes from Greyhouse, Urban Outfitters, and simply lovin' life.