One of the great joys of the Holiday season is unleashing the torrent of Christmas films- watching all the familiar classics: “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, “Die Hard”- all are wonderful and have their place in the pantheon of December movies to watch.
But what if you are looking for something new? Obviously, there are many recent movies to choose from- but a quick scroll through streaming services “recently added Christmas movies” turns up woeful dreck like this:
Now, you can call me a hypocrite- because I haven’t seen a single one of these movies. Maybe these are all totally your jam- you like the familiarity of cookie-cutter Christmas movies, full of “stars” of yesteryear, shot in the blandly inoffensive style of a Hallmark movie of the week, with the ability to see every twist and turn telegraphed from a mile away- if so, this isn’t an article for you. Sorry (not sorry).
Instead, I want to offer some alternate Christmas movies that you may not have given a chance to yet- some lovely (mostly) family-friendly films to try this December.
The first film is arguably one of the best Christmas movies released in the last 20 years that isn’t “Elf”. “Arthur Christmas” is an Aardman movie (of “Wallace and Gromit” fame) so it is unsurprising that they know their way around a movie- in this one, an aging Santa’s younger son- played by the brilliantly diverse James Macavoy as a bumbling yet kindhearted soul, forced by circumstances to go on a globe-trotting journey with his “Greatest Generation” war-addled, retired “Grandpa Santa”- all to deliver one overlooked girl her promised Christmas bike.
This movie is a great Christmas movie, not only because of a hilariously confused and opinionated out-to-pasture Santa played by Bill Nighy- saying of a child who woke up during gift delivery in his time: “A sock full of sand and a dab of whiskey on the lips, and they won’t remember a thing in the morning”- but this movie is truly memorable because of just how small-stakes it is- it remembers that Christmas is the world for each child- 3 billion successful present deliveries or not, everyone matters. Give it a watch, you won’t be disappointed.
Next up, “Klaus”- from 2019, is another new Christmas movie that is much better than it should be. This one tells of a Scandinavian toymaker and woodworker called Klaus (Played by perfectly gruff-voiced JK Simmons) who, along with a bored postal worker (and Wes Anderson vunderkind) Jason Schwartzman, helps to unite a town led by two feuding clans locked in a multi-generational battle in 19th-century Norway. The animation is charming, the voice acting top-notch, the message and themes heartwarming and sweet. This one goes into the pantheon of great recent Christmas movies.
Now, maybe most years you find yourself watching the Rankin-Bass claymation classic “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”- after all, who wouldn’t? We all love Hermie the elf, Yukon Cornelius, and the “bumble” snowman- but you are well aware of that one already. Maybe this year, as a change of pace, you try “The Year Without Santa Claus”- which is probably the craziest and most trippy stop-motion Christmas classic around- if I need to jog your memory as to which one this is, it’s the one where Santa thinks about taking a year off, and it has these guys as elemental brothers of Mother Nature:
Mrs. Claus attempts to take on bringing about Christmas herself, with the help of a couple of goofy hippie elves- Jingle and Jangle Bells, are their aptly-chosen and not-at-all-concerning names. The movie abounds with weather-related puns- and again, is so aggressively weird - there must have been hallucinogens involved. Laugh along with your family at the charming goofiness of the 1970’s.
Okay, this last one- is not for kids- but it is for anyone who has a pulse and is over the age of like, 14 or 15- this movie is the crown jewel of more recent Christmas movies- I can`t overstate just how wonderful and perfect it is- it has holiday cheer, catchy songs, fantastic singing, great lessons, and brutal zombie kills. Yes, this is the truly best and least-known Christmas movie of the last 20 years- it is called “Anna and the Apocalypse” and it is effortlessly charming as a High School student navigates Christmas, big life changes, friendships, and the zombie apocalypse- most of which in song- and what a bunch of songs they are!
The catchiness of songs like “Break Away” “Hollywood Ending” and “Turning My Life Around” are all songs I find myself humming or singing all year long- and then that only intensifies during the holiday season. For four years running since my wife and I first watched it, this movie has been on repeat every December. The zombie gore is more akin to “Shaun of the Dead” and though the movie loses some steam in the third act, there is plenty to keep revisiting this one. Don’t snooze on this one, with its talented cast and a brilliant and artful mix of funny and serious holiday feelings. WARNING: This one will only continue to grow in its cult status- jump in now so you are “in the know” and thank me later.
There you go! a few choice holiday flicks for your edification and amusement- In the new year you can expect more travel content and photos- in the meantime, curl up with a mug of cocoa, put a jigger of rum in it, and watch a cozy Christmastime tale.
.