HAPPY DECEMBER EVERYONE! It's OFFICIALLY the silly season, and it's not truly the holidays until you start watching holiday films! There are SO many Christmas films out there that it can be difficult to choose what to watch - do you rewatch a favourite or dive into something new? Over the past two years I've shared film recommendations, and this year I'm back once again to share TWENTY FOUR films you should watch this month - that's one for every night leading up to the big day! So grab to popcorn and get watching! I just have to start with one of my absolute favourites, Arthur Christmas (2012)! This is such a fun family film voiced by some amazing (and iconic) actors from the UK - James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen to be precise! When a child is missed on Christmas Eve, Santa's youngest, overly enthusiastic and clumsy son, Arthur, is determined to get the present delivered before the sun rises. Of course, it isn't smooth sailing, but Arthur's actions remind his father and older brother of the true meaning of Christmas. For something short & sweet, there's The Happy Elf (2005), based on Harry Connick Jr's song The Happy Elf. Crazily happy and enthusiastic elf Eubie is moved into checking the naughty and nice list, discovering that there's a whole town of kids who are bad - Bluesville. He's determined to help turn things around before the final check on Christmas Eve, so secretly heads to Bluesville to see how he can help this sad little town find some Christmas magic. Featuring songs by Harry Connick Jr, it's a fun little film that is sure to help brighten your Christmas. Another short that definitely has to be on your list is Frosty The Snowman (1969). This classic is, of course, based off the song of the same name about the creation of the magical snowman Frosty. It's a great little film that also has a 1992 sequel, aptly titled Frost Returns. It's probably one you've seen a dozen times, but if it's been a few years, give it another watch this holiday season! There's nothing like a journey to the Hundred Acre Wood, and our favourite stuffed toys are bringing lots of Christmas cheer and laughs in Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002). Everyone gathers at Pooh's house on Christmas Eve where they tell Roo about a previous Christmas Eve when their letter to Santa nearly didn't get delivered (Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too). Then we see our favourite Hundred Acre friends getting ready to celebrate the new year, making resolutions so that Rabbit won't move away. It's a fun and nostalgic watch. Being an Aussie, I wasn't raised on many iconic Christmas classics that air every single year in the US, but I have since rectified the situation. If you're like me and have been living under the rock, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), The Little Drummer Boy (1968), Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (1970), and The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974) need to be added to you watch list! These classic stop motion films tell the stories of the Christmas carol's their named for, and they make such fun Christmas origin stories. Mid-2000s films are SO good, and I honestly forgot how good Deck The Halls (2006) was until I rewatched it for this post! Danny DeVito can seriously do no wrong and Kristen Chenoweth is such a joy to watch (and, spoiler alert, this is just the first of her films on this list). Buddy Hall and his family move to a new town, across the street from self-proclaimed Mr Christmas himself, Steve Finch. Steve is set in his ways and Christmas traditions, despite his family wanting to branch out and do new things, and he's soon struggling to deal with Buddy and his over-the-top dream to decorate his house so it can be seen from space. Both families are put to the test and their determination to celebrate the holidays a certain way could ruin Christmas for all of them. This is a great family comedy that is a must-watch if you've never seen it or if it's been a few years since you last watched it. The moment I saw the title of this film, I knew it was one that I'd LOVE. A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019) is totally at home on this list! The film takes aim at the cheesy Hallmark Christmas films that we all know and love, poking fun at everything we love about the films. Eve is a massive Christmas movie fan but her sister Lacy is not. Eve makes a wish that she could live her life like a Christmas film, and suddenly the pair find themselves waking up in a Christmas movie, ready to spend a week living their best cheesy holiday romance life. This is a MUST watch for anyone who loves Christmas romances. If you like your Christmas a little bit hectic, then A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2014) may be the film for you. Boyd Mitchler and his family spend Christmas with his estranged family of misfits, all while trying to convince their son that Santa really does exist, and that even staying and their grandparents house Santa will still find him. The problem is that Boyd left his son's presents back home, so he heads off on the eight hour round trip to make it back before sunrise, accompanied by his father, who he's never been close with. There LOTS of hilarious moments throughout this film, and while it's not for everybody, it does remind you that your family really isn't that bad. This is also one of the three films released after Robin Williams' death, so it definitely hits that bit differently. When you think Christmas and Muppets, I feel like most people will turn to A Muppet's Christmas Carol, which is a good film and well-worth watching, but the one that I don't see getting as much love is It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Move (2002). The Muppets are gearing up for their Christmas Eve show at the Muppet Theatre, but a massive black cloud hangs overhead - bank owner Miss Bitterman gives Kermit a deadline of 6:00pm Christmas Eve to pay off the Theatre's debt or she'll turn it into a nightclub. With things starting to go wrong for Kermit, he thinks everything would have been better if he never existed. Cue God (Whoopi freaking Goldberg) sending down an angel to show Kermit just how much his existence has meant to everyone. It's a fun family Christmas film featuring all our favourite Muppets. Hallmark may be known for it's cheesy Christmas romances, but their focus is on family in The Christmas House (2020). Bill and Phylis invite their sons Mike and Brandon back home for Christmas, bringing back their 'Christmas House' tradition where the entire house is decked out with decorations, inside and out, to bring some Christmas magic to the community. As the decorations go up, our three couples reminisce on moments that led them to where they are today. Yes, there's romance, but it's family that makes this film the cozy watch that it is. I can't believe I hadn't watched I'll Be Home For Christmas (1998) before now! Nothing like a cross-country road trip to get home in time for Christmas, all while dressed as Santa with zero money. This film oozes 90s and lowkey makes you yearn for the simpler times - imagine this film being set today, it totally wouldn't work like this! It's a fun family comedy that is so fun to watch. If you're after something that is a little more lowkey Christmas, try All Good Things (2019). City-slicker sisters Calista and Bailey are sent to their grandparent's house in the country for Christmas and it's the total opposite of their normal life - there's no service, no internet and no ride-sharing. But as they start to explore their grandparent's ranch where they do amazing work with horses, they start to connect with their family's roots and find peace that only country life can offer. But with the news that the ranch is facing foreclosure, they work to try and save all the hard work their grandparent's have dedicated to building the ranch to be what it is today. This was a really beautiful film about finding a home where you least expect it and feeling comfortable in your own skin and identity. Strap yourselves in for way too many cheesy romance films. The first is a MUST-WATCH, and that's Netflix's Operation Christmas Drop (2020). Based off the real-life US Air Force Operation Christmas Drop in Miconesia, which has been running since 1952, this is such beautiful and moving Christmas romance. Congressional assistant Erica is tasked with heading to the US Air Force base in Guam to assess it for closure. The base is gearing up for their annual Christmas Drop of much-needed supplies to the island communities around Guam, and with the help of Air Force captain Andrew, Erica comes to understand the importance of the operation and why they can't just close the base. Set on tropical islands, it makes such a nice change from the traditional snowy Christmas films that dominate the holiday genre. Netflix has done an amazing job at shining the light on an event that many people wouldn't know too much about. The first of many Lifetime and Hallmark films on the list is Lifetime's The Christmas Yule Blog (2020), a cute holiday romance that takes us to New Mexico for the holidays. Social media travel writer Caroline is tasked with covering the holiday happenings in a small New Mexico town, with her boss telling her to embrace the holiday and find some festive cheer. It's not the holiday location Caroline was hoping for, but with the help of locals, especially Oscar, she manages to unlock the love for the holidays she's been missing since moving to the big city. It's a total cheese-fest, but it's a cute film nonetheless with some nice little twists on Christmas traditions. Remember when I said more Kristin Chenoweth films were on the list? Well here's number two - A Christmas Love Story (2019). Every year, youth choir director Katherine puts on an amazing Christmas Eve performance with her students, the grand finale being an original Christmas song that will fund the program the following year. This year, she's left the write the song at the last minute, and in the process, with the help of Danny and his father Greg, finds more than one spark she didn't know she needed. It's a beautiful and fun holiday romance, and Kristin really brightens up any film she's in. Another new Hallmark film is Never Kiss A Man In A Christmas Sweater (2020), and it's filled with just the right amount of Christmas cheese and sweetness. Single mum Maggie is facing her first Christmas alone with her daughter spending the holiday with her father, but when she accidentally hits stranger Lucas with a Christmas tree, she's suddenly not so alone. With Lucas' skiing plans now out the window, Maggie offers up her guest house for the week while he recovers enough to return home. Maggie's life is dedicated to volunteering and giving back to the community, so she drags Lucas in on her ventures as well, soon coming to realise that, at some point, she needs to put herself first. It's just a bit cute with a really beautiful sub-plot revolving around children of those on active duty missing out on Christmas with their loved ones. Of COURSE I was going to include Holidate (2020) on the list! This is such a fun holiday romance that not only tackles Christmas, but also most of the major holidays throughout the year (so if you don't get to it for Christmas, save it for New Years, St Patricks Day or Cinco de Mayo!). Fed up with being single for the holidays, strangers Sloane and Jackson decide to be each other's holidates - dates specifically for the holidays so they don't have the pressure of finding someone, and so that Sloane's family in particular stop hassling her to find a man. Naturally, just popping in and out of each other's lives in enough for both of them to catch feelings, despite both agreeing that the entire arrangement means nothing. It's a hilarious romcom that you 100% need to check out at some point. Plus an Aussie lead? Yes please! And yes, this makes the third Kristin Chenoweth film in the list! And while we're on the subject of fake dating, why not check out Holiday Date (2019)! When Brooke's boyfriend breaks up with her right before the holidays, and after she's already told her family she's bringing him home for Christmas, she agrees to go home with an actor, Joel, who will pretend to be the boyfriend she's told them all about. The pair barely know each other, but somehow make it work to convince her family that they're in a loving relationship, but one wrong move could foil the whole plan. Faking it til you make it is on of my favourite romance tropes, and while this had a couple of secondhand embarrassment cringe moments, it was a cute cheesy romance that you're sure to enjoy. Plus, it also touches on Hanukkah, so there's even more holiday magic! Another cute Hallmark film, because of course there's more on the list, is another newbie in the form of Deliver By Christmas (2020). Molly and Josh casually bump into each other while shopping for Christmas trees, and there's definitely a little spark. Meanwhile, Molly begins chatting with a client about the biscuit order for the town's upcoming Christmas festival. The pair have only spoken over the phone and soon they're chatting about more than just business. What neither of them realise, however, is that they're the same people they keep bumping into while Christmas shopping around town. It's a modern spin on You've Got Mail that you're definitely going to enjoy. Welcome to the town of Christmas in the aptly titled Welcome To Christmas (2018)! The small Colorado town is hoping that a new ski resort will be built near the town, and when developer Madison pays the town a visit to please her boss, they're ready to go all out. Trying to impress Madison by bringing back festive traditions they haven't done in years, she's shown everything the town has to offer by town sheriff Gage. For someone who barely has time to celebrate Christmas, being in a town called Christmas during Christmas makes her realise how much she's missed by putting her career first. Yes, it's that cliched "city woman heads to a small town for the holidays and falls in love with a widowed father" but it's such a damn good cliche! Finally, rounding out the Hallmark films, and the list in general, is Good Morning Christmas! (2020). Ex-NFL player turned reality TV dating star Brian Bright and broadcaster Melissa Merry host morning show 'Today with Bright and Merry', and while they look like the perfect duo on camera, they spend most of the time squabbling. Brian announces that he's stepping down from the show, with their last episode broadcasting on Christmas Eve. For the week of Christmas, they're shooting on location from the town of Mistletoe, doing all things festive all week. Melissa loves Christmas while Brian just doesn't really get into the holiday, so in sharing a little Christmas with her co-host, the pair finally spend time together outside of the show, coming to realise that there's more to each other than they've come to know over the past year. It's your classic enemies-to-lovers trope which I'm a sucker for, so make sure this one is on your watch list! Phew, that's a LOT of films! Definitely a lot there to choose from if you're looking for something new to watch this month. Let me know if you choose to watch any of these, and also let me know what other films you're excited to watch or rewatch this month! Right, I'm off to watch more Hallmark and Lifetime holiday films, because I can't get enough of cute cheesy romances! Happy Watching! Victoria :) You May Also Be Interested In:
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