Christmas has been my favourite holiday for as long as I can remember. The excitement around the acts of giving presents, family gatherings, and the overall holiday spirit, always puts me in a happy mood. Still, the movies are what really kick-start the season for me. Here are my top six favourite live-action holiday movies.

1.Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

When I was six years old, my dad came back from a trip to Trinidad with two DVDs, Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Home Alone is considered a pretty big Christmas movie classic! For me, and I’m sure for many others, it takes us all back to the ‘90s, when there was no Netflix, no Hulu, no Amazon Prime. This Christmas classic will transport you to your childhood if you’re currently in your 20s, but will also entertain you with laughs, the joy of Christmas festivities, and most importantly, remind you of the importance of family. Personally, my favourite is Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. It doesn’t get better than Christmas in the city.


2.The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

The Santa Clause is a series of three movies. The third one, The Escape Clause, is one that rarely passes by my TV screen during the holidays. This movie is filled with Christmas magic and showcases Tim Allen, as Santa Claus, living in the North Pole, in a factory with his elves, his wife and many other popular characters. It’s a children’s story that adults can also enjoy. I absolutely love the character of Jack Frost in this movie, and of course, Santa Claus, himself.

3.The Holiday

The Holiday is not your average upbeat Christmas movie. At least, that’s not how it starts. This movie features the iconic actresses, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz taking part in a house switch during Christmas. As the two are going through their own personal struggles, spending the holidays in someone else’s home seems like the perfect fix! This holiday film is a great rom-com, and I will admit that I watch this throughout the year, not only at Christmas.

4.The Night Before

The Night Before is a hysterical Christmas comedy, at least in my opinion. This movie boasts the details of true friendship between its main characters, Isaac, Ethan and Chris, especially during challenging times. After the death of one of the friends’ parents, the three friends create a Christmas tradition of partying to a very high extreme on the night before Christmas. Seth Rogen, who plays Issac in this movie, is my absolute favourite! He’s a great actor in general, and he was perfect to play this role. It should be noted that this movie might not be the most appropriate for young children and I would advise watching the trailer first.

5.Tyler Perry: A Madea Christmas

As I love all of Tyler Perry’s movies, it’s pretty fit that A Madea Christmas, would be on my movie list. Personally, I really enjoy Madea’s humour and it always brings laughter to my household when she’s on the TV screen. This movie is about two different cultures learning to intertwine during the Christmas holidays, when some family members were unaware that they were going to have to do so. Actress Tika Sumpter, who plays the role of ‘Lacey,’ falls in love and excludes to tell her mother about the new person in her life. This certainly stirred the pot!

6.Elf

Almost everyone that I speak to about Christmas movies has Elf high on their list. While Elf is a great Christmas classic, for me, I’m more likely to choose the above five over Elf. This movie is about a boy named Buddy who grows up in the North Pole amongst Santa’s elves. Buddy finds himself in the real world where he has trouble adapting to a new lifestyle. For me, this is a great movie to have on in the background when I’m cooking or baking during the holiday season.

These six holiday movies are my staples during the month of December. If you haven’t watched any of them, I encourage you to watch them this year.