To 10 Favorite Christmas Movies
Staff Reporter Emily Sharrer

When the weather outside is frightful, there’s no better way to spend a wintry evening than curled up inside with some hot cocoa and a good holiday movie. Besides, counting the days until Christmas can get boring and you need something to bide the time and reduce the stress from final exams. So kick back, relax and watch one of my picks for the top 10 movies that are sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

A Christmas Story
I think the movie’s tagline described it best: this movie is a “tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred-Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All-American Christmas” and not to mention it’s hilarious. This movie usually makes its way onto holiday movie lists and for good reason too. Somehow Ralphie Parker’s holiday quest for a Red Ryder B.B. gun never gets old and neither does the famous line, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” And since this movie is shown non-stop on TV over the holidays there’s no excuse not to catch this Christmas classic.

Elf
I’ll admit, Elf is a little sappier than a Will Ferrell movie should be, but great nonetheless. Who knew such a goofy plot in which Ferrell plays Buddy, an elf that travels through the seven levels of the candy cane forest to find his dad in New York City could create such a heartwarming holiday tale. If you’re looking for laughs and the will to believe in Santa Claus again, Elf hits it on the nose.

Little Women
An all-star cast including a younger (yet still sexy) Christian Bale, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes and Susan Sarandon make this movie, based on the book by Louisa May Alcott, perfect for holiday viewing. The movie follows the lives of the March sisters as they grow up in the Civil-War era and details their quests to find husbands. This movie provides laughs, but also has a fair share of tearjerker moments and an ending that you probably didn’t see coming.

The Holiday
I know what you’re thinking; this is just going to be another predictable and cheesy holiday love-fest. But The Holiday manages to surpass the expectations placed on all recently released holiday love stories. The movie is about Amanda, played by Cameron Diaz, who trades houses for the Christmas holiday with Iris, played by Kate Winslet. The two end up falling in love in each other’s hometowns with characters played by Jude Law and Jack Black. Though I had my initial doubts about Black in a more serious role, even the primarily comedic actor didn’t disappoint.

Love Actually
A charming romantic comedy that follows eight couples as they fall in love, out of love, battle loneliness and everything in between. Even if you’re not a sucker for Hugh Grant or Keira Knightley, the soundtrack is enough incentive to want to see this movie. If you’re looking for that perfect holiday love story with a little bit of a twist, look no further.

It’s a Wonderful Life
Ah yes, what better way to ring in the holiday season than with Jimmy Stewart in this Frank Capra-directed Yuletide movie staple. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. Enough said.

The Nightmare Before Christmas
A truly uncharacteristic holiday movie that brings together two great holidays: Halloween and Christmas. The animated movie chronicles Jack Skellington, the “Pumpkin King,” who tries to bring Christmas to Halloweentown. Though the animations can be a bit creepy, the story provides relief from other conventional holiday love stories. If you get a chance, go check out the movie while it’s still in 3D in theaters.

Gremlins
Sometimes you just need a break from all the human-based holiday cheer and need to settle down for a little unconventional holiday entertainment featuring some great puppetry. Granted, this isn’t a “Christmas movie” in the truest sense, but the movie begins on Christmas Eve, which to me makes it a Christmas movie. “Gremlins” features a small-scaled love story, a battle of good versus evil, and both disgusting and adorable moments (such as Gizmo in a Santa hat), not to mention Corey Feldman makes an appearance. If none of this qualifies it as one of the best Christmas movies, I don’t know what would.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas
This 2000 film is based on the classic tale written by Dr. Seuss and stars Jim Carrey as the film’s evil title character. Awesome costumes, out-of-this-world hairdos and the set designs make the movie pleasing to watch even if you get sick of Carrey’s animated “Grinch voice” half way through the movie. Like most other movies on this list, The Grinch doesn’t disappoint in providing laughs as well as a heartwarming conclusion, but if you’ve read the book you already knew that. If you’ve only seen the animated version from 1966, I suggest you give this version a chance.

Edward Scissorhands
It’s just not Christmas without  a typical Johnny Depp and Tim Burton collaboration. Depp stars as Edward, a boy who lives alone in a deserted mansion and was given scissors for hands by an inventor who soon after died. Edward is taken into town to live with a family and wins over the whole town by proving to be a master hedge and hair cutter. The movie also starts Winona Ryder who falls in love with Depp despite his disfigurement. Dare I say, Depp does not look his best in this movie, but he still manages to tug at my heartstrings with his portrayal of this shy offbeat character who is just trying to fit in.

Honorable Mentions: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Home Alone