Favorite Christmas Movies

Both Christmas Present and Past

We miss out on the Christmas atmosphere where we live. Last year, we spent some time in the US in October and November. One thing my children miss from that time is hearing Christmas music in all the stores. I agree, it’s kind of a bummer to miss out on “Christmas Spirit”. There are a few places where you can find “Christmas” in Israel, but it’s definitely not the same.

To try and create a little bit of Christmas fun in the house, we watch whatever Christmas movies are available to us. Here is a list of our favorites this year and a few that keep returning year after year:

Movies of Christmas Present:

Carry-On

Taron Egerton plays Ethan Kopek, a TSA agent trying to get a promotion on Christmas Eve after finding out his girlfriend is pregnant. When a mysterious passenger bribes him by holding his girlfriend’s life in his hands, Ethan is forced to follow his instructions.

Carry-On has been marketed as a Die Hard-like Christmas movie and it lives up to the hype. The storyline is strong, the hero has high stakes if he doesn’t comply, there are twists and turns, and it’s all wrapped up in a creative and highly-satisfying ending. Also, Jason Bateman makes a fantastic villain.

Available on Netflix.

Nutcrackers

When Mike (Ben Stiller) is on the verge of closing the deal of his career, he becomes caretaker to his four, recently orphaned nephews. As he waits for their social worker to find them a foster home, he connects with them in a way he never imagined. Will he choose family or return to his high demand career?

The question of family and connection versus career is the bigger theme of this movie. The comedy comes through situations Uncle Mike finds himself in when he lands on a farm with his homeschooled nephews. Overall, the movie is both funny and heartwarming.

Available on Hulu (Or Disney+ outside of the US)

Our Little Secret

I kind of love that Lindsey Lohan has become the queen of Netflix Christmas movies. In my opinion, her newest Christmas rom-com is the best so far. She plays Avery, who joins her boyfriend for his family Christmas, only to find out her ex-boyfriend Logan is dating her current boyfriend’s sister. They have a long history and try to hide their past relationship from the entire family, resulting in some funny and embarrassing situations. While all of the characters are well written and create an interesting dynamic, my two favorites are the narcissistic mother, played by Kristin Chenoweth, and the sneaky brother, played by Jake Brennan.

Available on Netflix.

Movies of Christmas Past:

Spirited

I’m always surprised that more people don’t know about this movie. A modern take on A Christmas Carole where the story is told from the perspective of the ghosts, Spirited is a Christmas movie we return to over and over, and not always during the Christmas season.

I mean, who can resist a Christmas movie with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell?

Available on Apple TV+.

While You Were Sleeping

The classic holiday movie I try to watch every year. It’s not available on streaming where I live this year, so I’ll have to pull out the DVD.