The Christmas season is in full swing. But what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to cuddle up with your favorite people and watch Christmas movies.

Watching Christmas movies is an annual tradition for most people. They allow for people to have a couple hours to relax and spend time with family and friends.

Opinions on the best Christmas movies are subjective and vary from person to person. Many different aspects contribute to each person’s Christmas movie preference. Nostalgia is a very big contributor. People form their opinions from the films they grew up watching, how they view the season, and their current age. Given the dozens of different genres within the larger genre of Christmas films, it makes sense that people would find different types of movies more interesting or more entertaining than others.

Some people prefer the cute Hallmark rom-coms. They bring laughter and warmth for that comfy Christmas feeling. They also bring guaranteed happiness because most have a happy ending. The predictability of these movies brings a sense of comfort in knowing that even if something goes wrong, it all comes together in the end. Some known classics are The Holiday, Love Actually, and Last Christmas.

There’s also the childhood favorites that blend those classic holiday themes with wonder and humor, creating something that is enjoyable for people at any age. Movies like Home Alone, Elf, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, and A Christmas Story are some good classics to represent this specific genre.

Kirk Baron, sophomore, typed over text: “My favorite Christmas movie has to be Elf. It genuinely formed my childhood within the holidays. It’s so funny and there are so many iconic lines that I will forever associate with Christmas.”

There are also some movies that may not be generally about Christmas but are set within the Christmas season. People love these due to their non-traditional, action-oriented sort of view on Christmas. Those typical Christmas themes of redemption or reconciliation still sneak their way into these movies. Movies like Die Hard really grasp on to that debatable genre of Christmas movies.

Zia Fox, sophomore, said, “My absolute favorite sort of Christmas movie is probably like Die Hard. It’s great because it contains some really good action, but it still has the important usual themes that you know are like Christmasy. It’s also got a really good happy ending.”

The scarier or less generally light- hearted Christmas movies are fun to switch up that comfy feeling for something a little more tense and nerve wracking. These are also good to watch when you are still feeling the sort of Halloween vibe. Movies like Krampus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and A Christmas Carol, are good examples of some scarier or alternative Christmas related movies.

Gabriella Franco, sophomore, typed over text: “Christmas movies that mix weird stuff and Christmas are the best kinds of Christmas movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas is a great one for either Christmas or Halloween which to me makes two times better because it’s fun to watch on both holidays.”

Then there’s the comedic Christmas movies where absolutely everything throughout the movie goes wrong in creative and hilarious ways. These keep you on the edge of your seat and get your blood pumping. They are fun to watch because they act like a comedic way to release some of that stress and almost impossible expectations for Christmas. They provide some fun relatable aspects of holiday chaos to bring humor to things not going the way you expected them to. Big classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Christmas with The Kranks, are fun movies to watch to get yourself to laugh off some of that holiday stress.

Isabel Santana, sophomore, said, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation has been a fun movie that me and my family seem to watch at least once every holiday season. It’s funny to see everything go wrong but it helps to know that it always ends with a happy ending.”

No matter what your favorite genre is, Christmas movies will always be a fun, entertaining way to get into the Christmas spirit and be with the people you love.