During the holiday season every year, holiday movies have created a very unique way that shapes our emotions. This can go from the warm nostalgia of classic films or simply the warming feelings that more modern releases have brought to us which is why holiday movies have been playing a significant role in our emotional and even psychological well-being.
“Home Alone” (1990), is an original holiday comedy that is all about family, of course, that search for independence, and the warmth feeling of the holidays at the end showing us that one of the reasons why we keep watching such movies every year is for the sense of nostalgia and comfort that it brings us. Many people, including myself, have related holiday classics with childhood memories which can help us recreate moments from our past, boosting happiness and comfort which can help us forget about current stress. On the other hand, holiday films have extremely positive content such as hopeless romance, numerous uplifting moments, forgiveness and many more positive storylines; this can easily uplift our mood. With this, it is important to highlight that myself, and many of us, watch holiday classics as a way to feel comfort, feel cozy, happy, mostly during stressful times such as finals season!
Moreover, another holiday classic is “The Polar Express” (2004). This is an animated film that brings that sense of nostalgia just by looking at its cover; it covers the themes of grief, wonder and kindness, making a very emotional piece.
Spending quality time with our loved ones can help us to have stronger bonds with our loved ones by seeing the values shown in these films, which creates a sense of belonging by having the classic “Holiday spirit” shown in
movies, bring us together. Also, for many people, the holiday season holds a lot of personal and cultural values such as generosity, love and family, which are often highlighted in holiday films, reminding us the importance of our relationships and sometimes, even the relationships with ourselves. Holiday movies can be considered a tradition, and of course entertainment, but they can mean so much more to us as humans. By seeing how this can help us feel better, recreate memories and feelings lost in our memories we can find belonging and familiarity in them, which is why we love to re watch holiday films every year.