Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
woman in pajamas hugging a pillow with christmas tree in background
woman in pajamas hugging a pillow with christmas tree in background
Photo by Max Titov from Unsplash
Culture > Entertainment

Five Holiday Movies to get you in the Holiday Spirit

Morgan Kilger
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

Whenever I’m home for the holidays, my favorite thing to do is snuggle up with my dog on the couch and watch holiday movies all day. It’s my favorite way to unwind after a hectic semester and enjoy the Christmas season. 

Grab your hot chocolate, favorite blanket, and cozy pajamas. Here’s my top five holiday movies.

1.) How the Grinch stole christmas (1966)

This is a classic in my household, stemming from my dad. He’s a Grinch fanatic and so am I. 

This movie follows The Grinch, voiced by Boris Karloff, who is the biggest hater of Christmas. Hence forth, he decides to steal Christmas away from the Whoville — the town by his cave. 

There are three different versions of this movie, a full-length movie starring Jim Carrey and an animated movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, but the original is always my favorite. 

2.) Elf (2003)

I will fully admit, I watch this one year-round. It’s just comically perfect. I can’t help but watch it in July. I also quote “Bye Buddy, I hope you find your dad” on a daily basis. 

Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, is a human that grew up in the North Pole. When Buddy becomes an adult, he goes on a quest to find his birth father, who lives in New York City. Buddy gets into all sorts of mischief and has adventures during his time in the human world while spreading Christmas cheer. 

3.) A christmas story (1983)

Yes, this is the movie that plays all 24 hours on Christmas Day. This movie is a one-of-a-kind movie showing the reality of Christmas through the lens of a child. 

Ralphie Parker, played by Peter Billingsly, is telling his story of Christmas from when he was a child. Scenes include seeing Santa Claus, wanting a toy that is out of reach for him, his father’s prized lamp, and so much more. 

4.) National Lampoon’s christmas vacation (1989)

“Why is the carpet wet, Todd?”. “I don’t know, Margo”. 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is an installment of the National Lampoon movies starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. This movie follows Clark Griswold trying to make the perfect Christmas happen. If you’ve seen any National Lampoon movie, you already know this isn’t going to be smooth sailing. Everything from unexpected guests to the Christmas tree burning down happens in this movie, and the laughs never stop. 

5.) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Respectfully, I own a “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree”. Do you? 

In this movie, Charlie Brown tries to find the meaning of Christmas that isn’t commercialism. However, the other children of the Peanuts gang aren’t understanding why Charlie Brown is thinking like this. Charlie Brown is set to find the true meaning of Christmas in his own Charlie Brown way. 

Morgan Kilger is a junior at St. Bonaventure University. She is from Buffalo, NY and is super excited to start her first year at Her Campus! She plans on writing about pop culture, current events and lifestyle. Morgan is most excited to join the sisterhood that Her Campus proudly portrays and write about things that she is passionate about on a safe platform. Morgan is a double major in history and women’s studies with a political science minor. She plans on pursuing a career in museum work. She dreams of one day working in either Washington D.C. or Salem, Massachusetts. You can also find Morgan working on campus as a student ambassador, the Features Editor for The Bona Venture — St. Bonaventure’s student-run newspaper — and in participating clubs like the SBU Dance Team and College Democrats. Morgan also enjoys volunteering at places like the local SPCA and the Olean Warming House in her free time. Outside of her Bonaventure life, Morgan enjoys several hobbies. She likes to play with her dogs Oliver and Lylah, read her favorite books for the millionth time and to watch Gilmore Girls — she’s team Logan. You can also find Morgan hanging out with her roommates for family dinners or having movie nights.