December means that the holiday season is in full swing. Two weeks from now, once finals are done and winter break starts, many of us will go home and spend time with our families. How else to pass time besides watching a heartwarming holiday movie?
Some of these ‘90s and 2000s movies are a nostalgic look into the past and would be fun to watch intergenerationally. Maybe you’ll start a new tradition with one of these movies and watch it every December.
‘90s: “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)
To start it off, this is a movie that can be watched on two different holidays: “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” The film follows Jack, the Pumpkin King and de facto leader of Halloweentown — the holiday town responsible for putting together Halloween.
After Jack gets bored with Halloween, he stumbles into a clearing and discovers the existence of other holidays. After he discovers Christmas, Jack hatches a complex plan to kidnap “Sandy Claws” and conduct his own version of Christmas in Halloweentown.
If you’re looking to add a spooky touch to your holiday celebrations, this is a great pick. It’s also a musical and the enchanting soundtrack by Danny Elfman with tracks like “What’s This?” will immerse you into the film.
‘90s: “Home Alone” (1990)
“Home Alone,” a classic holiday movie, is a quintessential childhood wish-fulfillment film. Eight-year-old protagonist Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is mistakenly left at home alone by his family when they’re traveling to Paris for Christmas.
Over the course of the few days he’s left alone, he learns to fend for himself, connects with his scary next-door neighbor and defends his house from a pair of thieves. Along the way, he learns the “true meaning” of the holiday season.
While such a concept would be downright impossible nowadays with the advent of technology and near-instant communication, by watching it with an older family member, you can connect with them about the differences between now and today.
‘90s: “The Santa Clause” (1990)
“The Santa Clause” considers the question of what it would be like if a regular person was Santa. Starring Tim Allen, it follows protagonist Scott Calvin, a divorced executive at a toy company, who accidentally kills the real Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. He’s then taken to the North Pole and told that he must become Santa.
The movie chronicles the year within that time frame as Scott transforms into Santa. Along the way, he helps the people around him rediscover their beliefs in Santa. With its interesting concept, its heartwarming ending makes it a worthwhile watch.
‘2000s: “Elf” (2003)
“Elf,” starring Will Ferrell, includes fantastical elements within the real world. It follows protagonist Buddy, who grew up in the North Pole believing he’s an elf, but discovers he’s actually a human as an adult.
The movie focuses on Buddy’s attempts to bring the “Christmas spirit” into the people he encounters, with his biological father, Walter (James Caan), as the curmudgeonly character at the center of it. It’s hilarious throughout, with a heartwarming ending to add to the holiday spirit found in this movie.
‘2000s: “The Polar Express” (2004)
“The Polar Express” shows the magic of the holiday season the way children see it. It follows a young boy who doesn’t believe in Santa, but then hops on a train to the North Pole, encountering interesting characters and discovering his belief in Santa along the way.
An adaptation of a children’s book from the ‘80s, it lives up to the original, and the animation, while unusual, sets it apart as unique.
This movie also has an interactive experience tied in for families to enjoy. At certain railway museums around the country, guests have the opportunity to try riding the Polar Express for themselves.
‘2000s: “Love Actually” (2003)
“Love Actually” is an anthology movie showcasing ten different love stories in the United Kingdom during Christmas. It features a lot of period-specific technology, like boomboxes and CDs, as it shows the different ways the characters are spending Christmas and the ways they form connections with each other.
As it is rated R, this is a great movie to enjoy with the older members of the family.
If you’re looking to add a new movie to your list, writer-director Richard Curtis’s “That Christmas,” based on his three children’s books, was released last week on Netflix.