Marina

I’d be lying if I said that The Irony of Fate isn’t my top holiday movie but there’s a different one that rings the festive bell just as well – and it’s Jingle All the Way (1996) with young Arnold Schwarzenegger in his post-Terminator era. This is one of those holiday-themed movies you don’t need to read much into. It’s a light-hearted, at times cringey, family-friendly comedy about a father who forgot to buy his son a present for Christmas and has to spend the holiday’s eve in a race for the hottest toy in town. This movie does an excellent job capturing the vibe of the pre-holiday rush and will leave you giggling for sure. 

Catherine

Would it be blasphemous to say that I don’t really have a film that I would watch consistently during the holiday season? And yes, not even Harry Potter, because as a Potterhead, I can be tempted to start a movie marathon at any time of the year. I have, however, adopted a little tradition of watching the short series Dash & Lily (2020) over the last two years. Somehow, even though I already know all the plot twists by now, it never fails to hook me with a holiday fairy tale… or maybe it’s the magic of snow-coated New York. For me, it leaves an aftertaste of a miracle, even if it’s a little quirky and not sufficiently deep for some cinephiles. 

Subhrajit

I never had a special movie to watch during holidays. Most of the times, I used to consume anything that would show up on the tele, such as Home Alone (1990). One show that does come to my mind that I watched as a child is Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas (2004). I loved the decorations and the snow-clad landscapes.

However, I turned to some of our international students to explore what they watch during Christmas and here’s what they had to share:

Melany from Panama: I used to watch the all-time classics such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Rudolph the Rred- Nnosed Rreindeer (1964), and Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001) – but all in Spanish.

Collins from Nigeria: My favorite movie to watch during the holiday season is Lionheart (2018). It stars the best actors from Nollywood and I am proud of this amazing piece of art.

Anna

My favorite holiday movie used to be Love Actually (2003) up until I became that middle-aged mom who is tasked with making costumes for kids and maintaining the overall holiday cheer while her husband is shopping for a golden locket for a pretty co-worker. Now my go-to’s this season are How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and of course, on New Year’s Eve, we all will be watching Ivan Vasilievich Changes his Profession (1973), a hilarious Soviet counterpart to Back to the Future, where Tsar Ivan the Terrible switches places with a modern-day Ivan. It’s as iconic to the Russian holiday culture as a decorated fir tree and is a source of numerous famous phrases. 

Elizaveta

Although rewatching (and rereading) is not my cup of tea, there’s one movie I deliberately come back to during the festive season. The Holiday (2006) is a perfectly balanced rom-com: it’s funny enough, a bit predictable, and slightly unbelievable yet with a pinch of miracle the heart is yearning for on New Year’s Eve. Like in every decent holiday movie, of course, there are a couple of touching moments to shed a tear and some deep quotes to reflect on for at least five minutes. Anyways, who am I to miss Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet in their ‘00s era starring together?

Vadim

I’ve never been one to have a favorite holiday movie, but in the past few years I’ve grown oh-so-very fond of The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), thanks in no small part to the overwhelming praise it has received from even the snootiest and pickiest of film enthusiasts. As so many of them have pointed out, there is no reason for the venerable Michael Caine – practically the only “human” actor in the film – to pour so much of his heart into the role of grouchy Scrooge when acting alongside an ensemble of anthropomorphic animal puppets. And yet he does, to the point where you can’t help but shed a tear during some of the climactic scenes. There are, of course, plenty of laughs to be had, too, or else it wouldn’t be a Muppets movie. All in all, it’s an extremely enjoyable holiday watch – and with the new expanded 4K remaster hitting the virtual shelves this December, there’s never been a better time to give it a chance.