As the holiday season is coming up around the corner, so is a lot of free time. What better way to spend it than watching Christmas movies! Here are some of the best Christmas related movies to watch, selected by the media and Harvard-Westlake (HW) students.
“A Christmas Story” (1983):
Based on the hilarious writings of Jean Shepherd. Throughout the movie, he saves himself and his younger brother from their bullies and dreams of his ideal gift, the Red Ryder Air Rifle. “A Christmas Story” is available to watch on Hulu, YouTube and iTunes.
“Home Alone” (1990):
When eight-year-old Kevin McCallister misbehaves the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother makes him sleep in the attic. When he wakes up the next morning, he realizes that not only has his family left him behind, but two suspicious men are planning to rob his house and he must protect his family’s home.
Chloe Park ‘24 shares her views about the movie, saying, “It is a quintessential classic! I first watched it when I was around 5 and still watch it to this day during the holiday season. Whenever I hear a holiday song come up I can visualize the scene it is actually from, that’s how much I love it! One of my favorite moments is when Kevin says ‘I made my family disappear’ and he is home alone since I can sort of empathize with him after all these months quarantining at home.” “Home Alone” is available to watch on Disney+, YouTube, iTunes and Amazon Prime.
“Die Hard” (1988):
John McClane, a New York City policeman is visiting his family on Christmas Eve. Before heading home to his two children, he joins his wife at her holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. Soon after, the fun is destroyed when a group of terrorists takes everyone in the building hostage. John realizes that he is the only one that can save the hostages, and begins to create a plan. You can watch “Die Hard” on Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, iTunes and YouTube.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965):
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” was the first TV special based on the comic strip, Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. Charlie Brown and Linus leave to go join the other children ice skating, and whilst on the way, they discuss Charlie’s mixed feelings about Christmas. Once they get to the pond, Charlie gets thrown into a snowbank, and the story continues. “I remember watching it when I was younger at school. It is such a good comfort movie to watch when you’re baking cookies or doing any Christmas activity,” Anna Ames ‘24 said. You can watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on AppleTV+.
“The Grinch” (2018):
The Grinch and his dog, Max, live alone on Mount Crumpit after being excluded from the town below, Whoville. The people of Whoville like to celebrate the holidays with lots of spirit and joy. After the Who’s decided to make Christmas the biggest and brightest it’s ever been, Grinch decides there is only one way to gain peace and quiet, by stealing Christmas. With the loyal help of Max, Grinch begins to hatch a plan. “It is my all-time favorite Christmas movie,” Ella Yadegar ‘24 said. “I’ve watched it almost every year on Christmas and I love the Who’s holiday spirit.” Some places to watch “The Grinch” include Youtube, Amazon Prime and iTunes.
