It’s once again time for Christmas celebrators all around the globe to answer the age-old query: what is your favorite Christmas movie? As the holidays roll around, so do the cinematic staples we’ve all grown to embrace — not just as good movies, but as celebrations of tradition. There are many reasons for a Christmas movie to fall on someone’s Mount Rushmore of favorites, but the common denominator often is the connection between a film and a fond holiday memory. Because of their seasonal nature, these movies serve as vessels of nostalgia. They prompt the watcher’s mind to reminisce on special moments only Christmas can bring around. Here are some of our Christmas favorites and our thoughts on what makes them sentimental.
McKenzie Harris: “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Whenever someone asks, “Tell me a fun fact about yourself,” I smile and say, “I’ve met ZuZu Bailey.” Not a bad fun fact, if I do say so.
At the ripe age of 15, I acted in a community theatre production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and played Uncle Billy’s lesser-known wife, Aunt Tilly. Through some marketing miracle, Karolyn Grimes herself — the “every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings” ZuZu Bailey — showed up at one of our performances. And yes, I have a selfie to prove it.
Prior to that, my Christmas movie horizons were limited to anything animated or centered around the jolly home-invasionist himself. But “It’s a Wonderful Life” swiftly claimed the title of my favorite Christmas movie — a place of great honor in a southern Christian girl’s heart.
Now, every Christmas season (which spans from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas day, for all you sinners out there), my family piles onto the living room couch armed with stovetop hot chocolate and sings along to “Buffalo Gals”.
At its core, “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a quiet picture of the gospel. When George Bailey realizes that his own good deeds are meaningless in the face of evil, his only response is to attempt to take his own life. We, too, are confronted with our sin and the depravity of the world. The film’s beauty lies in God’s gentle intervention — through Clarence, through the Bedford Falls community — leading George to see grace in the ordinary. While the traditional nativity scene is absent, the redemption, hope and joy of the Christmas story is tangibly engraved.
As a freshman, accepting the reality that December is half-gone by the time I return home for Christmas was gut-wrenching. I’ve missed hometown parades and tree lightings, but I’ve gained annual gingerbread contests, dorm decorating parties and “Little Women” (1994) movie nights. These small, fleeting moments remind me that traditions don’t have to vanish; they can grow with me. Like George, I’m learning that even in change, even in distance, it’s still a wonderful life.
Hannah Houser: “Elf”
‘Tis the season for Christmas movies, whether you’re overjoyed and already decorated or you wish people would give Thanksgiving the credit it deserves. For me, nothing beats “Elf.” It is a movie sure to make everyone laugh and raise everyone’s spirits.
Every December, my family would watch “Elf,” bake sugar cookies, make hot chocolate and pile onto the couch covered in blankets. We’d laugh at Buddy’s one-liners and the ridiculous things he would do. Those nights watching “Elf” were always cozy and full of laughter and joy and have quickly become some of my favorite memories with my family.
“Elf” is more than being funny and stupid — it captures the joy, innocence and kindness tied to Christmas. Buddy’s character reminds me that even when the world feels joyless, lifeless and cynical, there’s always room for joy and belief in something bigger. It reminds us to love others and spread joy, even when it is hard and inconvenient. Along with the themes of spreading joy and cheer, the movie captures everything I love about Christmas — the glowing lights, cheerful music, snow and even the North Pole.
Now that I’m in college, my Christmas traditions have changed. I usually return home after our tree is up. I miss the snowflake competition. However, I still make time to watch “Elf,” whether that’s with my family, my roommates or even by myself. Watching it every year helps me remember there’s always joy to be found — and to share that joy with everyone I encounter.
Jo Dillahunty: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964)
Not many households can say they have a DVD collection stored in the attic with their Christmas decorations. When all the lights and garland come down in my house, so does “The Complete Rankin/Bass Christmas Collection” DVD box set.
Most of the 18 disks are scratched or missing, but the most resilient one, hands down, has been the classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” stop-motion film.
If I wanted to give you a review of the movie itself, I’d tell you that its stop motion is rudimentary, its audio quality is lacking (come on, it’s the ‘60s) and some of the songs are way too earwormy — but that’s why I love it so much.
Sure, most kids growing up in the “big ‘25” might rather watch the “Henry Danger” Christmas special again, but to me, this rendition of a classic Christmas story will always sit in its own little fire-warmed spot in my heart, with a little mug of hot chocolate in its little clay hands.
My favorite Christmas tradition since birth has been the night my family decorates for Christmas. Usually, in the week directly following Thanksgiving, we turn on holiday movies, put some apple cider on the stove and legitimately put everything up in one evening. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is always on our rotation, and if someone tries to forget, I always step in to remind them.
For me, the memory of being small enough to lie underneath the lit Christmas tree and look up through the branches comes back to me when I think of Rudolph and those decorating parties.
“What’s a Christmas tree without tinsel and pretty silver and gold decorations?” says Sam the Snowman, the film’s narrator. “Can’t really call it a Christmas tree now, can you? And think of all the fun and joy that would be lost on Christmas morning, if all the young folks didn’t get to see that sparkling, happy tree.”
And you know what, he’s absolutely right.
Whether it’s George Bailey’s quiet redemption, Buddy the Elf’s boundless cheer or Rudolph’s glowing red nose, each story captures something essential about Christmas — hope that endures, joy that multiplies and light that breaks through darkness. These movies hold more than seasonal nostalgia; they carry the sounds, smells and laughter of past Christmas seasons while shaping new traditions for the years ahead. As students learning to balance change and memory, we find comfort in returning to these stories year after year — reminders that, no matter where the season finds us, the joy of the Savior’s birth remains steady and sure.
