The holiday season is a truly miraculous time of year. Traditionally full of awe and wonder, the final weeks of the year are often a time for both celebration and reflection. And for this writer, this dichotomy is ao often what makes for truly affecting holiday season-centric films.
While there are undoubtedly tons of fun Christmas and wintertime mainstays such as Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Elf, Scrooged, Die Hard, etc., this is a list of films that capture the essence of this time of year, for this writer, in one way or another. These films truly feel like the holiday season, for better or worse.
5. The Shop Around the Corner
Ernst Lubitsch’s timeless 1940 romantic dramedy has served as a wellspring of inspiration for numerous stories and storytellers across generations, and its enduring appeal is evident. Set in a general store, the film narrates the story of two employees (portrayed by the incomparable Jimmy Stewart and the effervescent Margaret Sullavan) who outwardly appear to despise each other but are, unbeknownst to them, secret passionate pen pals.
Against the backdrop of the Christmas holiday season, which significantly heightens the stakes for the store and its staff, “Shop Around the Corner” masterfully encapsulates the quintessential Christmas-time struggle between commercialism and heartfelt sincerity. Its exploration of these themes remains as relevant and prescient as ever, contemplating the worth of a life when one becomes a mere cog in the machinery of a capitalistic society.
“The Shop Around the Corner” stands out as a remarkable film, delving into the core of Christmas-time joys and sorrows with poignant potency.
4. Eyes Wide Shut
Despite the festive cheer that envelops the holiday season, there exists an undeniable air of melancholy and reflection as the year draws to a close. In this context, Stanley Kubrick’s final film, “Eyes Wide Shut,” stands as a quintessential representation of a distinct and vivid Christmas sentiment.
Marked by meticulousness, calculation, and existential contemplation, “Eyes Wide Shut” is a Christmas-themed film that revolves entirely around themes of isolation and loneliness. As Tom Cruise’s character discovers his wife’s (captivatingly portrayed by Nicole Kidman) fantasies beyond the confines of their marriage, he embarks on a spiritual and sexual odyssey through the depths of both society and his own soul. The experience is horrifying, unsettling, and often profoundly moving.
Ultimately, Kubrick’s film unfolds as a narrative of reconnecting with one’s fellow human beings and seeking forgiveness, albeit after enduring a gauntlet of pain, suffering, and paranoia. In essence, what could be more evocative of the Christmas spirit than such a journey?
3. The Apartment
The selection of truly masterful New Year’s films may be limited, but without a doubt, Billy Wilder’s pristine 1960 classic, “The Apartment,” stands at the pinnacle.
Unfolding against the backdrop of the holiday season, Wilder’s meticulously crafted film serves as a sharp embodiment of the unease and blurred days between Christmas and New Year’s. Boasting an exceptional cast delivering some of the finest performances of their careers (with Jack Lemmon’s standout portrayal), and Wilder showcasing his filmmaking prowess at its zenith, the film is a masterpiece on every level.
As it concludes with one of the most delightful and iconic gags in cinema history, “The Apartment” firmly establishes itself as an undisputed classic.
2. It’s A Wonderful Life
The first time I ever saw Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, I was taken aback by its structure. Through cultural osmosis, I had long known of its narrative hook (a man sees what life would have been like had he never been born) but I was blissfully unaware of the fact that the first two-thirds of said film were spent so deeply and so profoundly investing the audience in the trials and tribulations of Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey.
By the time it reaches the iconic and well-known third act, the film has so deeply entrenched audiences in the life of its central character that it is monumentally affecting.This has only grown more true each year since, for this writer. There’s something so pure about Capra’s work on the film, so symphonic and pointed in its emotive storytelling and craft that it carves deeper into the viewer on each successive viewing. George Bailey’s struggles become our own, his failures ours, and his eventual redemption and salvation outright awe-inspiring.
It’s A Wonderful Life is an immaculate work of filmmaking, that perfectly captures what the holiday season is and should be.
1. Muppets Christmas Carol
Brian Henson’s “Muppet Christmas Carol” is an immortal classic that impeccably captures the spirit of the holiday season. As the greatest adaptation of Dickens’ timeless tale, it stands as a masterpiece capable of reigniting the festive warmth in one’s heart each Christmas.
The film is a visual delight, featuring Paul Williams’ songs, some of the greatest in cinematic history. Michael Caine delivers a performance of a lifetime, complementing the miraculous Muppet performers.
This adaptation is an honest, open, sincere, and delightful representation of Jim Henson and the Muppets’ core values. “Muppet Christmas Carol” is a timeless masterpiece in every sense of the word.
