What makes a Christmas movie a “Christmas movie?”
With reviews starting on October 1st this year, it seems a fitting time to talk about what makes a Christmas movie a “Christmas movie.” Sure, reviews are subjective by their very definition. And I’ve been told I can be a harsh critic of Hallmark’s Christmas movies, but that’s only because I have high standards - which they do meet (sometimes).
Because making a Christmas movie means capturing the spirit of the season, and to do that effectively, much like when you’re doing your holiday baking, all the ingredients need to come together just right.
Set the scene
With the majority of Christmas movies set in both the West and the Northern hemisphere, this typically translates to wintry scenes of:
Snow-covered towns
Trees adorned with glittering Christmas lights
Holiday markets
Sleigh rides and ice skating
A crackling fireplace
You get the picture.
Having the right setting immediately brings you into the world the storytellers are creating for you. When you watch a Christmas movie you want it to reflect what you see when you close your eyes and think of Christmas. For many people, that means the list above.
What did Clark Griswold want? The “best looking house in town,” thoroughly awash with Christmas lights on the outside, and an enormous tree inside.
Of course, there are exceptions to any rule. For example, where I grew up it was not uncommon for Christmas parties to feature Santa arriving astride a camel. Which, if you want to think about Christmas in its truest form is basically bang on - those Three Kings most definitely did not traverse the desert by reindeer-powered sleigh.
Pick a theme, then add some humour or whimsy
At Christmas I want to watch something about family (pick your definition), love, hope, forgiveness, generosity, emotional warmth, etc. The touchy-feely stuff. And that doesn’t mean it has to be sickeningly sweet or cringingly twee.
It’s more than making a movie that just happens to take place at Christmastime - this is unfortunately what happens with a lot of the low-budget holiday fare seen on TV. Also, Christmas movies are not the place for unmitigated vengeance or violence.
To that end, many of the best Christmas movies have:
Families overcoming past disagreements or challenges (Home Alone)
Scrooge-type characters discovering the meaning of Christmas (pick your retelling of A Christmas Carol or any other character influenced by it)
Finding love unexpectedly (The Holiday)
Then add in something to lighten the mood a bit.
Take The Family Stone - that could be a rather depressing take on the season, but for some moments of laughter or at least a soft chuckle. Be it the witty repartee of Love Actually, the slapstick Keystone Kops style robbers of Home Alone, or the quirky, innocent whimsy of Buddy in Elf, humour only adds to your enjoyment of the movies.
Add some magic
Santa Claus. Angels. Insightful dream sequences. That sort of thing.
Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a wondrous child is delightful, but even movies geared towards adults can have some of that Christmas magic.
Take Love Actually, which is 99.99% staid British humour has some - did you know that Rowan Atkinson’s character was originally written as an angel to help save Alan Rickman’s Harry from making a huge mistake? It didn’t work, of course, but when you rewatch it now you’ll see his endless giftwrapping sequence in a new light.
Sometimes it’s a magically-timed snowfall, and at others it’s the whole story (Spirited, The Polar Express) , but magic and supernatural influence is often at play in a Christmas movie.
Nostalgia, timelessness, and a heartfelt ending
Christmas is also when we see traditions come to the fore on a regular basis in our real lives, and Christmas movies play on this too - whether it’s the go-to recipe for the perfect cookie to leave out for Santa, annual activities that only happen at this time of year, holiday nostalgia and traditions on film help ground the storytelling and make it feel real to the viewer.
Classic soundtracks or, at the very least, those songs that instantly get you into the holiday spirit
Familiar traditions like baking cookies, wrapping gifts, visiting an old school tree lot
Getting caught under the mistletoe
Snowball fights
Nods to Christmases past
Even newer Christmas films work best when they feel timeless and use some of the most common nostalgic tropes.
Rewatchability
The best Christmas movies are the ones that you come back to year after year, thus perpetuating the nostalgia you feel when watching them, and they become their own family traditions.
Every year I look forward to trimming the tree while sipping a glass of champagne with White Christmas on the TV (and, if my dad is around, listening to him quote his favourite lines… “mutual I’m sure…” with the nasal inflection included), picking the perfect night to watch The Family Stone with a glass of red wine and the lights down, and watching Home Alone (my mom’s choice) on Christmas Eve.
There’s a reason the classics are just that - it’s because you want to watch them every year, and why there are so few that fall into that esteemed category.
So, what to watch?
In recent years I’ve taken on reviewing the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas movies with, let’s just say, mixed feelings. While there are some standouts, many fall into that category of “happen to take place at Christmastime,” but rarely do they hit on all of the necessities needed to make for a great Christmas movie.
That’s why, as soon as my Christmas trees are up, I start pulling from my list of classic holiday movies and don’t tend to stray off that list too much. If you’re looking for something to watch, consider this a menu of some of the best Christmas movies: She’s Making a List.
