My little girl enjoyed her third Christmas this year, and I went just a little crazy for Christmas celebrations! We enjoyed Christmas cookies, Nativity and gingerbread crafts, the Nutcracker ballet, and more. We also enjoyed some of our favorite Christmas movies, because they make my family feel good inside.
Today, I’m sharing our favorites with you because I hope they can make you and your family feel good inside, too. ❤️
Category: Reason for the Season
The Nativity Story (PG) Live-action drama featuring two humble-but-solid, young characters who accurately present the true dilemma of following God above all. Will they make the dangerous journey to Bethlehem before her son is born? And will Herod find them and kill them when he is? 😭
Journey to Bethlehem (PG) Live-action musical version with catchy tunes that can be both funny when it needs to be and honoring when it needs to be. Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor and a love for flair?
Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night (unrated but probably equivalent to G) The one that started it all as a church screening. Four seasons later, it is the most crowd-sourced TV show of all time. Find out why for free on The Chosen App.
Category: Oldies But Goodies
White Christmas (unrated but probably equivalent to PG) Two male broadway producers fall in love with a broadway sister act, all while they try to help their former division commander overcome the troubles of a financially failing ski lodge. Will a misunderstanding prevent true love, or will these damsels finally discover their king this in shining armor?
Category: Cheesy Hallmark Movies
The Spirit of Christmas (unrated but probably equivalent to PG) A young female marketing guru is sent to get an estate’s house sold, but falls in love with the ghost that haunts it. Will they end up together, somehow? (Don’t worry, this is the tamest haunting you will ever see because it’s really a story about forgiving betrayal.)
Christmas Lodge (G) A lovely young professional woman secretly hates the city and only comes alive when she goes hiking in the mountains. One day while hiking in said mountains, she runs into an old acquaintance (and handsome widower) whom her family knows. He needs help restoring his mountain ski lodge and her family happens to be full of construction workers. Will they be able to save Christmas Lodge before all is lost?
Category: Santa Claus Mythology
Klaus (PG) I can’t remember the story because I only watched it once when we were using Netflix. All I remember was it was soooo good! Like a real character-shaping movie.
Arthur Christmas (PG) Arthur is Santa Claus’ younger son, the one who cares about making children happy and full of wonder during Christmas. Unfortunately, the family business is being run by his older brother, who is all about efficiency and performance. When a gifting error is made, will efficiency or wonder win out in the end?
Elf (PG) One of Will Ferrell’s most heartwarming movies (other than Stranger Than Fiction, also one of my favorites). A human boy is adopted by an elf and raised at the North Pole. When he realizes he has a human father in New York City who is on the Naughty List, he goes on a quest to find him. Will his father accept his elf-like son or will Buddy the Elf be an outcast forever?
Miracle on 34th Street (the updated one with Mara Wilson). A skeptic mother teaches her young daughter to only believe in what she can see with her own eyes. When the best mall Santa ever claims he’s the real Santa Claus and needs their help, the mother and daughter have to decide whether having faith—believing what they cannot see but feel drawn to believe—is worth the risk of disappointment. Will they let him rot in a sanitarium or come to his rescue?
Category: Hollywood Blockbusters
Last Holiday (PG-13) Queen Latifah is a responsible homebody who is still waiting for her life to start in her thirties, when she is told she only has three weeks to live. She leaves her job (and her distant crush, LL Cool J) to go to a luxury resort in the Czech Republic for the Holidays, something she always dreamed of doing. Her impending death gives her a new-found boldness that shakes up her former boss, two Congressmen, and the hotel staff. Is this really the end? Or only the beginning?
The Preacher’s Wife Denzel Washington is an angel sent to Earth by God to remind a preacher that his wife, Whitney Houston, is not to be taken for granted. How does he do this? By flirting with her in front of him. Dangerous? Scandalous? Or effective? You decide.
Category: Books Turned Film
A Christmas Carol (CGI version, PG) Jim Carrey voice-acts on this Pixar-like movie with great special effects. Three ghosts haunt a miser on Christmas Eve before his miserliness leads to the death of his employee’s son and his own heart forever. Will Scrooge change his ways before it’s too late?
Spirited (PG-13) This is like a live-action, musical sequel to “A Christmas Carol”. After Scrooge (Will Ferrell) repents and has a wonderful life for three weeks, he dies and eventually replaces one of the three ghosts sent to haunt other sinners like he was. One year, his haunt target is a marketing guru (Ryan Reynolds) who’d literally kill people to get a sale; in fact, he’s considered an irredeemable soul. Can Scrooge help him repent before it’s too late?
Your Turn
That’s it! Comment below with your suggestions on your favorite Christmas movies!