13 Christmas movies that capture the spirit of the holiday
Even though Thanksgiving hasn’t come and gone yet, temperatures are dropping and it already feels like the right time to snuggle up and watch a Christmas movie with some peppermint hot chocolate.
There are a lot of Christmas movies out there, from “Elf” to “The Polar Express.” Some of these films try to capture the true Christmas spirit.
“‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more,’” Dr. Seuss wrote in a sentence about what it means to capture the true Christmas spirit.
There are several movies that encapsulate this spirit. Here are 13 of them.
‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
What it’s about: Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) tells his buddy Linus (Christopher Shea) that he loves Christmas, but he’s depressed. Charlie and his friends pick out Christmas trees to brighten the mood.
Rating: TV-G.
‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’
What it’s about: The Grinch (Jim Carrey) and his dog Max (Kelley) live on the outskirts of Whoville and the Grinch is socially shunned. He resents Christmas and tries to steal all the gifts and joy from the Whoville residents. But one resident, Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), shows the Grinch something he cannot ignore.
Rating: PG.
‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’
What it’s about: The Pevensie children are compelled to evacuate London to the countryside as Nazis attack England. Through a wardrobe in the mansion of professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent), Lucy (Georgie Henley) discovers the land of Narnia. An adventure ensues as she takes her siblings into the world they discovered and are guided by the lion Aslan (Liam Neeson).
Rating: PG.
‘The Polar Express’
What it’s about: All aboard the Polar Express! On Christmas Eve, a boy (Tom Hanks) who doesn’t know if Santa Claus exists is greeted by the Polar Express. He gets on board and goes on a journey to discover the truth about Christmas.
Rating: G.
‘The Preacher’s Wife’
What it’s about: The Rev. Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance) tries desperately to keep his church afloat as financial pressure mounts. An angel (Denzel Washington) comes to visit and while his wife Julia Biggs (Whitney Houston) embraces the angel, Henry is suspicious.
Rating: PG.
‘The Least of These’
What it’s about: Rose (Tayla Lynn), a homeless single mother, is trying to take care of her daughter Katie (Emma Faith), as she is a waitress at a diner. She meets a man who is dressed up as Santa (G. Michael Nicolosi) and gets a chance to turn her life around.
Rating: Not rated.
‘The Perfect Gift’
What it’s about: A wanderer named Jess (Jefferson Moore) has a special Christmas lesson of friendship and gratitude for a spoiled girl, Maxine Westray (Christina Fougnie), her mother Stacy Westray (Amy Hess) and a preacher named the Rev. Black (Tom Luce).
Rating: Not rated.
‘Believe’
What it’s about: Matthew Peyton (Ryan O’Quinn) is tasked with running the Christmas pageant. At the time, he’s struggling to keep his business up and running. His employees become frustrated with him, but he meets Clarence Joseph (Isaac Ryan Brown), who has something to teach him about the reality of miracles.
Rating: PG.
‘The Nativity Story’
What it’s about: “The Nativity Story” retells the biblical account of Joseph (Oscar Isaac) and Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) finding out Mary will give birth to a baby soon. The movie shows their journey to Bethlehem and difficulty with the law.
Rating: PG.
‘Little Women’
What it’s about: The March sisters, Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen), are close. While their father (Bob Odenkirk) is away at war, they have to learn the meaning of Christmas, decide what they want from life and cope with loss and change.
Rating: PG.
‘A Christmas Carol’
What it’s about: Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) is a miser whose life has been devoid of joy. He’s sometimes mean to his employees and doesn’t have close relationships. Ghosts confront Scrooge about how his life will end if he doesn’t turn it around.
Rating: PG.
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
What it’s about: George Bailey (James Stewart) falls into a deep depression and guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers) is assigned to look after him. Clarence shows George how things would have turned out if he had never been born.
Rating: PG.
‘Miracle on 34th Street’
What it’s about: Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is hired as Santa Claus at the Macy’s parade. When he claims to be Santa Claus, a trial ensues to find out the truth.
Rating: Not rated.
