By Zsófia Balassa

Is it just me, or does the Christmas season really change the mood and spirit of the people? The smell of freshly baked gingerbread cookies, the warmth of the fireplace, the streets all decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments, being with friends and family and my list can go on and on… yet there is one thing that I personally really enjoy about the holidays; Christmas movies! Here you can find my top 10 Christmas movies that I enjoy to watch, and don’t forget to read until the end, as I have some special honorary mentions that sadly couldn’t make the list! Enjoy!

 10.  A Christmas Story

A classic American movie about a little boy, whose only wish is to get a toy gun for Christmas! (Be careful, it will shoot your eye out!) Yet no one approves of that wish, not even Santa Clause. It is a heartwarming tale, with brilliant child acting and hilarious scenes, which are perfect for the family to get together and watch! It will warm your heart and bring a Christmas spirit to your grumpy soul! (That is only if you are a Grinch about the holidays! Foreshadowing much?)

 9. Four Christmases

From old to new – This movie came out a few years ago. It is about a couple (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) whose parents are divorced; therefore they are forced to visit all four households. It is a hilarious movie that shows four different types of Christmases, portraying real life problems that people can relate to, yet it seems that Christmas can not only be a pain in the bum, but also a solution during difficult times!

 8. Home Alone 2.

As a child growing up, I still remember my dad bringing this precious dvd home. All home alone movies are great, but the second one is one of my favorites. It is about a child who gets on the wrong plane at the airport and is left behind by his family by accident. With his dad’s credit card, he treats himself to a luxury hotel, toys, room service, oh and did I mention this is all in New York? He gets into trouble while trying to reunite with his family, but it is touching, funny and perfect for the family to watch during Christmas.

 7. Polar Express

Who would’ve thought Tom Hanks would look great as an animated character? Polar express is a great animation movie, following the story of a young boy who gets on a train. Destination? The North Pole! It shows the true meaning of Christmas and giving, while taking the audience on an adventurous ride to meet Santa Clause himself!

 6. The Santa Clause

Tim Allen stars in the funny Christmas movie, The Santa Clause. Santa is in a terrible accident, leaving Scott (Tim) to take over his job for the night… or for the rest of his life! It is a touching story of how Scott reconnects with his son and learns how to be the most important man on Christmas Eve; Santa. It is such a classic, which is followed by two sequels. If you haven’t seen it, I really do recommend it!

 5. Fred Clause

Yes, I’m including another Vince Vaughn movie.  This became a recent favorite of mine, as it is so funny, cheerful and comedic that it will surely bring joy to you and your loved ones! Santa’s brother is not a big fan of Christmas, but he needs to fill in for his brother, after Santa got hurt and is unable to move. During his journey, Fred, learns what Christmas is about and he becomes a better man.

 4. A Christmas Carol

There has been many adaptations of this classic story by Charles Dickens, and although I love all of them, the most recent one, starring Jim Carrey is one of my favorites. The actor is animated for the movie, yet you can see his signature facial expressions perfectly, as he learns that not everything is about money and getting, but giving to the poor and to your loved ones is what Christmas is really about, and that it brings so much more happiness than being greedy.

 3. Love Actually

We’re almost at the end of my list and at third place is the famous Love Actually. It is a British comedy, following the lives of several people, who are all connected in a way. It is Christmas and everyone is getting ready to celebrate. The movie tackles touching difficulties in life, such as losing a family member, your love, cheating and others. The best thing about it, is that they star many famous actors such as Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Andrew Lincoln (except here he is not fighting zombies), Alan Rickman (Snape, for all those Harry Potter fans!) Mr. Bean… I mean Rowan Atkinson (I’m sure I’m not the only one who always relates him to Mr. Bean) and many others!

 2. Elf

Honestly, this is the funniest Christmas movie out there. Will Ferrell plays as Buddy the elf, who is a human who was adopted by an actual elf at the North Pole. We follow him on his quest to find his biological father who lives a busy life in New York. A hilarious journey of an elf finding love and bringing back Christmas spirit, while trying to adjust to modern day life!

 1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

And we’ve reached my number 1 Christmas movie! This movie is about the Grinch, who despises Christmas and the spirit of the Who’s. His main objective is the ruin the Christmas for the village and he does so by dressing up as Santa and heading to the village on Christmas Eve with his trustworthy dog, dressed up as a reindeer, and steals all the decorations and presents from the Who’s. To his surprise, the Who’s still sing a song and are happy, and Grinch learns that Christmas in not about taking, but giving to others. The costumes, the props, the actors, all contribute to the atmosphere the movie sends out. Jim Carrey’s performance as the Grinch is excellent and hilarious and if you haven’t seen this movie yet, then I really do recommend it!

 Honorable mentions

Sadly not every movie made it to my list, but here are some honorable mentions for you to consider checking out:  The Nightmare before Christmas, The Holiday inn, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Deck the Halls, Rudolph the red-nose reindeer.  I Hope you have enjoyed my list and you found something new to watch this Christmas. Happy Holidays!

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