Published by Mason Oldridge, 29 December 2022
CONTAINS SPOILERS!
All aboard! While for some Christmas is about seeing family and exchanging presents, for me Christmas is about escapism. Escaping the cold and dark Winter days in the real world to delve into a fantasy land where the snow does fall and the magic is real.
Albert (2016)
In a world of anthropomorphic plants, this Nickelodeon Original Movie follows Albert, a small douglas fir tree, as he dreams of becoming the Empire City Christmas tree. Along with his friend Maisie and the weed in his plant pot, they set off on the journey to realise his dream. However, they have to fend off an angry cactus and a hoard of hungry rabbits just to get there! The comedy is funnier than what you’d expect from Nickelodeon and visually, the film delivers on a Christmas spectacular.
The Grinch (2018)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic Christmas tale, though it is the CGI adaptation from Illumination that visually tells the Dr Seuss story the best. The people of Whoville love Christmas though the grumpy green creature that lives in the mountain above does not and steals all the decorations and presents from the townsfolk, until a little girl shows him kindness and he realises he hates loneliness rather than Christmas itself. The visuals of the decorated town are incredible and there’s laughs aplenty as The Grinch devises his plan alongside his dog Max and, in this version, enlists the help of overweight reindeer Fred, who provides the best of the comedy.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Starring Chevy Chase and Beverley D’Angelo, Christmas Vacation is the classic 80s Christmas film. It follows Clark Griswold, an old-fashioned family man as he attempts to give his family the hap-hap-happiest Griswold family Christmas they’ve ever seen, inspired by his childhood Christmases. However, in true Lampoon style, the season is a disaster. As the household welcomes all the extended family including parents, grandparents and Cousin Eddie’s clan, there’s faulty house lights, overcooked turkey and fried pussycat. Clark manages to keep his cool until the final straw of not receiving his Christmas bonus he was relying on to put in a swimming pool, culminating in the comedy gold of Clark’s angry outburst. Further comedy is provided by the misfortunes of the arrogant neighbours, though the film also provides the look of a traditional family Christmas only seen in films nowadays.
Home Alone (1990)
A script by John Hughes and music by John Williams is the recipe for the perfect Christmas film. As soon as the first orchestral sounds play, nostalgia kicks in and the screen opens on that iconic Chicago home. The plot is simple but genius: Kevin McCallister is accidentally left home alone when his large family jets off for a trip to Paris. Believing he’s made his family disappear after wishing it the night before, Kevin enjoys his newfound freedom, sledding down the stairs and overindulging in junk food. The pinnacle of the film is the church scene where he learns his elderly neighbour Old Man Marley, a rumoured murderer, is actually a sweet old man who has sadly lost contact with his son. This heartwarming moment as Carol of the Bells plays is the ultimate Christmas scene and fits perfectly as a prelude to Kevin executing his battle plan for the burglars attempting to burgle his home. The traps sequence is quite simply the best piece of slapstick comedy of all time and the film also has a perfect ending as Kevin is reunited with his family he has grown to miss and waves to Marley, who is too reunited with his family.
Elf (2003)
Son of a nutcracker! Will Ferrell is perfect as Buddy, a human raised as an elf in the North Pole when he crawls into Santa’s sack as a baby. The film follows Buddy as he embarks on a journey to New York to meet his biological father, a grumpy businessman. Elf is arguably the funniest film on the list with most of the comedy arising from Buddy believing he is a Christmas elf, much to the confusion of the people he encounters in the Big Apple. Notable scenes include his disgust at the fake Santa at Gimbels for impersonating his hero, referring to an important client who has dwarfism as an elf and his skilful snowball fight. The comedy may be on top form but the Christmas element is too. As Buddy begins a relationship with a Gimbels employee and the family warms to him, he must then convince New York to believe in Santa, whose sleigh, which runs on Christmas spirit, has crashed in Central Park on Christmas Eve.
The Polar Express (2004)
Tom Hanks is stellar in his multiple roles in this magical motion-capture film. A young boy losing his faith in Santa Claus can’t believe his eyes when a giant locomotive stops outside his house on Christmas Eve destined for the North Pole. Welcomed aboard by the eccentric conductor who bears a striking resemblance to Hanks himself, the boy joins a carriage of children as they head on an incredible journey. The children enjoy hot chocolate set to a catchy song, the boy meets a homeless ghost on the roof, the train is met with challenges such as caribou on the tracks, frozen rails and missing tickets, but throughout the entire journey the visual landscape is absolutely stunning, with a breathtaking snow-covered backdrop proving the lifelike animation method was the right choice. Having arrived on time thanks to the conductor’s strict schedule, the boy is gifted with a bell that only rings for believers, aligning with the story’s overarching message about believing.
The Snowman (1982)
This cartoon adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ picture book has become a staple of Christmas in the UK and is a Christmas Eve classic. The silent special depicts a young boy who builds a snowman that magically comes to life. The snowman plays around in the house and rides a motorbike through a forest before the famous scene where he flies the boy to the North Pole, set to the choral Walking in the Air. There, they meet up with a bunch of snowmen with their child creators and meet Father Christmas and his reindeer, dancing merrily before the big man sets off. Upon returning, the boy wakes the next morning to find the snowman has melted. Despite the sad ending, the cartoon truly captures the magic of Christmas and is a must-watch on Christmas Eve.
The Snowman and the Snowdog (2012)
This sequel is set 30 years later as a boy moves into the same house from the first film with his mother and builds the snowman having found its original clothing under the floorboards, this time accompanied by a snowdog. The three fly to the North Pole like in the original, this time engaging in a skiing competition with a competitive penguin. The snowman again melts upon return though the snowdog turns into a real dog, the boy having suffered the loss of his pet dog months earlier. Drawn in the same style as the original, this sequel maintains the same nostalgic feel of its predecessor and they should be watched together in succession.
Father Christmas (1991)
Another cartoon adaptation from Raymond Briggs, this short film shows what Father Christmas gets up to outside of the festive period. He decides to go on holiday and visits multiple places to find the right destination. He first visits Paris though feels like a tourist, goes camping in Scotland though struggles with the freezing lake and poor toilet situation before settling on Las Vegas, enjoying the lavish lifestyle. However, every trip falls short as he is recognised as Father Christmas. Following his holiday, he returns home for Christmas Eve and does his rounds again for “another bloomin’ Christmas”. Despite this depiction being a foul-mouthed man voiced by Mel Smith living in 1990s Britain rather than the North Pole, it is nevertheless an enchanting account of a year in the life of our plump hero.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Borrowing heavily from the first while maintaining enough originality to stand strong on its own, Home Alone 2 is a welcome return to the McCallisters. Sleeping in again for their Christmas vacation, Kevin isn’t forgotten this time but is separated from his family at the airport and boards a plane to New York as the rest jet off to Florida. Running havoc at the Plaza Hotel, Kevin makes the most of his time in the city, befriending a charitable toy shop owner and a bird lady in Central Park. However, Kevin’s fun is short-lived as the Wet Bandits have broken out of jail and are on the boy’s trail. This time, Kevin uses his uncle’s dilapidated house to set even more nastily brutal and excruciatingly painful traps for the bumbling burglars before once again being reunited with his family. While it can be seen as a risk to attempt to follow up such a successful film, the attempt paid off as this sequel lives up to the magic of the original. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!