From the glistening of Christmas lights to stockings hung beside the tree, I look forward to this time of year by far the most. With family gatherings, countless laughter, festive pajamas and sweet treats, it’s easy to make a December night one to remember. There is nothing better than having a family movie night each year and getting to pick the movie to watch. With a little help when it comes to settling on the entertainment for the night, here are my top five Christmas classics that never disappoint!

• The Polar Express 

As one of the most iconic Christmas films, it is definitely one of those movies that I will never get tired of watching. With catchy musical numbers like “Hot Chocolate,” all the songs make everyone want to sing and dance with the characters. There’s also something about it being set on Christmas Eve and watching the children ride a train to the North Pole that gives me a sense to believe in the magic. This film teaches people how important life is and to enjoy everything that is given to you because it won’t last forever. My favorite part within this 2004 film has to be when the conductor asks for all the children’s tickets, and by the end of the movie, the main little boy’s ticket spells out “believe.”

•   The Christmas Chronicles

Although there is another movie within this franchise, I find the 2018 version most memorable. This movie reminds me of the times my siblings and I would try to “catch Santa,” as this is the whole premise of the movie. In the film, two siblings had to stay home alone on Christmas night. As the younger sister had a trap for Santa that actually worked, the two siblings quickly go to catch Santa and magically end up on his sleigh. As Santa gets startled by the two children, he ends up crashing, causing a delay in Christmas. With the help of the children, Santa is able to save Christmas just in time. The Christmas Chronicles never fails to make anyone smile or laugh. My favorite part has to be when Santa adds the older brother to the “believers” list because it shows how family will always support you through anything. 

• Holidate

With this movie being a mix of a rom-com and a Christmas film, many fans have raved about it since its release on Netflix in 2020. Personally, I love how heartwarming this movie is. I feel as though the main actors, Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey, portray these characters in a very realistic way. This movie captures how two strangers agree to be each other’s plus-ones for each holiday season, but soon enough both of them begin to catch real feelings. Although this movie relates to all the holidays in the year, the couple meets and starts their journey during Christmas and also ends their plan during the following Christmas. 

• Home Alone  

Every time Christmas movies are mentioned, this is one of the first films that enters my mind. Even though some prefer the other movies within this 1990s franchise, to me there is nothing like the original movie during the winter season. With this movie winning a variety of awards, it shows me how the little things matter. This movie is about a big family who was supposed to be going away for the holidays, but they accidentally left one of the youngest boys, Kevin (a troublemaker), at home. Coincidentally there were burglars in the area on Christmas Eve night, so this young boy had to survive the night alone. Rewatching Home Alone always 

 puts me in the Christmas spirit, with its music and the famous house becoming very iconic at this time of year. My favorite moment from this movie was when Kevin is making all the traps around the house and is jamming out to his own music. Home Alone makes me realize how there will always be a positive outlook to any situation.

•  Frosty The Snowman 

Similar to all the other movies listed, this 1969 Christmas classic is a fit for any and all ages. It centers the journey a living snowman and a little girl go through to change the mind of a greedy magician who is after the snowman’s magic hat. Though Christmas isn’t heavily mentioned, the movie shows how magic was used to create Frosty the Snowman, and Santa appears to tell the little girl how this snowman will come back every Christmas time. I enjoy how this movie teaches the audience to believe in what they think is right. Most times I hear the song “Frosty the Snowman” I think of the movie and how my mom always put it on for us when I was younger, as seeing snowman themed items always made me excited for the rest of December.