5 top Christmas movies to watch this festive season

CHRISTMAS is around the corner and we thought we’d bring you a short, but succinct list of the Christmas movies that will make you want to curl up on your couch and enjoy hot chocolate (or a cold beer).

Below is a list of the five best (in our opinion) Christmas movies to watch this festive season. There are few much-loved flicks, an old classic and a movie that is always up for debate when defining what a Christmas movie is, or isn’t (yes, it is Die Hard, but more on that later).

1. Home Alone

We start our definitive list with an all-time classic, Home Alone. Just the name alone conjures the image of Macaulay Culkin trying on his dad’s cologne and then screaming with his hands on his cheeks. The film follows Culkin as he takes on a pair of inept criminals who are trying to break into his house during Christmas. A touch of festive nostalgia, MacGyver-like tactics and the slapstick comedy, make this the quintessential holiday movie.

2. Jingle All The Way

So, Jingle All The Way hardly ever makes it onto must-watch Christmas movie lists, but we think it should. Not only does it star Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Sinbad too. The story is also highly relatable as it follows a parent who is doing everything they can to get their child the perfect Christmas gift. Most parents will relate to this story. The premise is simple, a father vows to get his son a Turbo Man action figure and competes with everybody else in to get one.

3 Elf

Whomever cast Will Ferrell as Buddy in the movie, Elf, deserves mighty praise. He is the right actor for the right role. The movie follows the heartfelt story of Buddy, the movie’s protagonist, who navigates the human world in search of his dad after growing up in the North Pole. Fantasy, clownishness and a duet with Zooey Deschanel, Elf really warms your heart, even if you are the Grinch who stole Christmas. That is why it’s number three on our top five list.

4. Love Actually

Okay, so this isn’t a movie for people who have young children, but you cannot deny Richard Curtis’s 2003 holiday film, Love Actually. It is a Christmas classic and Alan Rickman (Severus Snape in Harry Potter) is in it! The core of the movie is love. Yes, it is in the title of the movie – so it is a dead giveaway, but the marrying of several love stories within one movie makes this a holiday classic. Include a star-studded ensemble, and this romantic comedy will have you laughing with joy.

5. Die Hard

There seems to be a theme developing here as Alan Rickman appears, again. Iconic in his role as terrorist, Hans Gruber, Rickman’s portrayal is matched equally by Bruce Willis’ John McClane in one of the best Christmas (yes, you heard right) movies. The movie has everything, a touch of festivity with nail-biting action and, at times, great comedy time. This is what makes Die Hard a Christmas classic. The topic is up for debate as to whether it is a Christmas movie or not, but the consensus in our newsroom is that it totally is. It also gives rise to the oft repeated phrase that we cannot repeat here (but it does contain the words ‘yippee-ki-yay’).