Holiday films

Since it's the holiday season, this list was inevitable (plus we didn't make one last year). Obviously, most of these are films we grew up watching every Christmas so a lot of them have sentimental and nostalgic value. Some have more to do with the holiday spirit than others. With this list we'd also like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

1. It's a Wonderful Life. Was there ever any doubt? It's our other favourite movie. The message is universal, the worth of a human being. We absolutely love this film, you will laugh and cry simultaneously. This movie should definitely make you feel the holiday spirit.

2. The Apartment. Although this film's subject matter isn't particularly Christmas-y, we had to put it as #2, because it's one of our favourite movies ever. The themes can be applied all year round as well, but it happens during the holiday season. Essentially the film is about how to be a decent person. 

3. Nightmare Before Christmas. Of course! The songs are amazing, the animation breathtaking, the characters kooky and lovable and the story is endearing. Yeah, we get it, the storyline is similar to Grinch... but this was our childhood movie! The joy of the main character is really contagious too.

4. Edward Scissorhands. Tim Burton is really into Christmas, right? For obvious reasons. This is one of the most beautiful films ever made. This is one of the few movies where the outer qualities left a greater impression on us than the story and characters, though we love those as well. This film possesses the power to make one quite emotional simply because of the combination of cinematography and music.

5. Die Hard. DUH!! How could anyone in the world make a holiday movie list without this film?!?! It was one of our favourite films growing up and it's still a tradition to watch it at least during Christmas in our household. As one meme very accurately put it "It ain't Christmas until I've seen Hans Gruber fall off Nakatomi Plaza".

6. Lady and the Tramp. This was the very first Disney movie we saw, and since it was on Christmas Day we naturally associated this film with Christmas. It starts and ends with holiday celebrations so we think it qualifies. In addition, that still is like straight out of a post card.

7. Tokyo Godfathers. This film was very heartwarming and also, delightfully quirky. This is a great movie to watch during the holidays. This film should make you empathize in particular with people who are marginalized in society. That should be the essence of Christmas, right? Caring for people who are worse off than you.

8. The Shop Around the Corner. Who doesn't like James Stewart? This film is made for ordinary people about ordinary people, which is pretty rare, especially considering the genre. It's a small movie but very heartfelt. The Yuletide setting also gives it some extra mirth.

9. Batman Returns. We know, we know, it's our third Burton but he has a ton of holiday films! This movie divides people since it's a pretty glorious mess of a film. Despite its problems, we do love this movie. The Christmas decorations don't hurt either.

10. Meet John Doe. This is a pretty unknown gem from Capra. It's exactly what one would expect from his films: an idealistic message of hope and humanity. If you like older movies, you should check this out, simply because the lead actors are truly great. The ending has the most to do with Christmas.

11. The Muppet Christmas Carol. We needed to include at least one version of this classic tale in this list. This version is funny and heartwarming, so why not include it? Also, the music is quite memorable and the casting is brilliant. 

And as a bonus, we always like watching the Christmas special of The Office. It is definitely the best conclusion to pretty much any series. Extras was very good as well, but if we had to pick, we'd certainly go with this one. You cannot be in a bad mood after seeing it.