When you start to feel the brisk cold morning breeze across your face, you know the winter season is near. The snow will soon fall and people will yearn for warmth. The freezing temperatures will drive people inside their homes where many snuggle under their blankets to enjoy a nice movie. Whether you are watching a classic like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or a new holiday favorite like “Spirited” there is always something fun to watch that gets you into the holiday spirit.

There are several holidays celebrated during the winter season including: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the ringing in of the New Year. Although these holidays are celebrated in their own unique ways, they all bring people and families together.

Christmas is the most celebrated holiday worldwide with over two billion people celebrating it. When you think about Christmas movies to watch, so many come to mind. I asked an RHS student, Sara Milaj, about her favorite Christmas movies; she said, “Elf is my favorite Christmas movie. It is very entertaining and fun to watch. I also love to watch the ‘Santa Claus’ series on Disney Plus, ‘Jingle All the Way’, ‘The Grinch’, and ‘Home Alone’ movies.” The movie “Elf” is a classic starring Will Ferril as Buddy the Elf. It goes into his story of being abandoned as a kid and being taken in by Santa and his elves,  growing up in the North Pole. He eventually finds out that he is human and must then go to find his father who lives in New York City. The “Santa Claus” movies have been around for a long time starring Tim Allen as Santa Claus. The new show follows his adventures from the previous movies where he now has a family, and is trying to step away and retire from being Santa Claus. The show is about his experience and the troubles that come with trying to find a successor. “Jingle All the Way” stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Howard Langston who is just trying to make his son happy for Christmas. The movie is about him going all over town to find and buy his son Jamie a Turbo Man action figure. The first two “Home Alone” movies star Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister. In these movies, he tries to escape the robbers, Harry and Marv, at his home and also in New York City. All of these Christmas movies are very entertaining to watch and recommend if you haven’t seen any of them yet give them a watch over the holiday break.

My personal favorite Christmas movie to watch every year is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” starring the great Jim Carrey. This movie is about the story of Mr. Grinch who is an outcast. It explores his wanting revenge on the Whos of Whoville, by stealing Christmas from them. Trying to make them sad as they made him feel all those years ago. It has a special place in my heart as it reminds people that at Christmas we all should be together, despite our differences. 

There are many Hanukkah movies to watch this season, one of the more popular being “Eight Crazy Nights.” This movie is PG-13 and stars Adam Sandler who plays the character Davey Stone. It is about a man who must complete community service after breaking the law by not paying for his Chinese food. To redeem his character he must be a referee for a junior basketball league as his service. It embraces the holiday spirit showing that the season can make us change for the better, and redeem our character. For Davey, it was through the time of Hanukkah that he was able to grow and become a better human being. I asked RHS student, Ella Galens, what her favorite movies to watch during Hanukkah are, and she said, “My family doesn’t watch that many Hanukkah movies, as there are not many out there to watch, but I have heard about A Rugrats Chanukah.” If you are a fan of cartoons, the episode, “A Rugrats Chanukah,” which aired originally on Nickelodeon but can still watch it today on Paramount Plus might be one you want to watch this holiday season. This episode is about Grandpa Boris and his rivalry with a man named Shlomo whom he’s had since his youth. He is mad that Shlomo who is playing the Greek King in a Chanukah play he’s in where he is apprising the role of Judah. It is about the Rugrats trying to help their grandpa and their discovery of the holiday of Hanukkah throughout the night.

Many celebrate the holiday of Kwanzaa. Since 1966, this celebration has occurred from December 26 to January 1 to celebrate their culture, history, and family. One movie that people love to watch is “Holiday Heritage.” The movie aired last Christmas season on the Hallmark channel. This movie is about Ella and her ex-boyfriend, Griffin, trying to embrace their cultural holiday of Kwanzaa and heal their wounds during this holiday season. There is also another special from the Rugrats called “A Rugrats Kwanzaa” that explores the story of Great-Aunt T. telling Susie Carmichael about the holiday of Kwanzaa and the meaning of the holiday to their family and people around the world when she comes to town to celebrate.

There are even some new movies that came out this year that you may have yet to watch. “Candy Cane Lane” is on Prime Video. This movie stars Eddie Murphy as Chris Carver who is trying to win his neighborhood’s Christmas decoration contest. However, in his pursuit of the annual title he makes a deal with an elf that turns the twelve days of Christmas to life. The movie “The Holdovers”, starring Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, is about a teacher at a prep school who must watch several students over the break who were not able to go home for the holidays. The movie is about the experiences they had and shared over the two-week break that they had together. “Dashing Through The Snow” stars Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as Eddie Garrick who is a separated social worker at the Atlanta police department. When spending time with his daughter, Charlotte, on Christmas he is called in to work and ends up discovering the true meaning of Christmas that he had been oblivious to since he was a little kid. “The Naughty Nine” is about a group of kids who were put on the naughty list and did not receive any presents from Santa on Christmas. They want to get revenge on Santa for not receiving any presents, so they plan to rob the North Pole to acquire the presents they did not receive but feel like they deserve. If you haven’t seen any of these new movies yet I highly recommend that you grab your favorite snack and watch one of these movies.

There are even many movies to roll in the new year. “When Harry Met Sally” is a film that dives into the story of Sally Albright and Harry Burns starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal respectively. “New Year’s Eve” is a movie that explores the lives of many people and couples on New Year’s Eve Night. You can also venture into the past and watch classics like “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” where Rudolph must go on a quest to save the new baby of the New Year, Happy. So whatever you do on New Year’s Eve or Day there is always a movie to watch while you celebrate.

So next time it’s a snowy day out and you need something to pass the time, while you keep warm during the holiday break. Sit by the fireside, by the Yule log, and enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of the season by watching a movie.