Movies and television give us glimpses into the lives of others and provide us with a much needed release from the tensions of our own everyday lives. There are some movies and TV shows that have made such an impression on us that watching them has become a tradition. Many of us huddle around the TV to watch White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, Christmas Vacation or Home Alone, while others watch Die Hard (yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie). When I was a kid, I always looked forward to the holiday episodes of Rosanne and The Cosby Show. Now, with on-demand TV, we can watch the holiday episodes of our favorite shows – year-round!
Of course, most of the movies that come to mind are from many years past and though the themes are timeless, the settings and actors are dated. So, in honor of our coming holiday season, I present you with a contemporary list of movies & TV shows to help you de-stress during this holiday season.
I’m a chick, so I have to put the 4 new episodes
of the Gilmore Girls at the top of this list. I feel like all the dude
justifications of Die Hard being a Christmas movie works for the Gilmore Girls
revival. All four episodes were released on the day after Thanksgiving,
placing it firmly in the Holiday season. And, everyone knows that Lorelei’s
favorite season is winter – she feels like snow is her special present from the
universe.
Love Actually, is actually one of the best
Christmas movies ever made. Made in 2003, it is firmly contemporary. The “best”
title is the one that is constantly a source of contention. Love Actually is
exactly like cilantro – either you love it (and can’t understand how anyone
else tastes soap) or you hate it. I have tasted the soap that is cilantro and
eventually have grown to love it. The exact same thing happened to me with Love,
Actually. I didn’t like it much at first, but after a second viewing, I was in
love, just like all the other romantic movie saps. It also must be noted
that our favorite zombie killer from the Walking Dead has one of the best
“declaration of love” scenes in the history of movies.
True American! The absolute best no-rules/tons
of rules game ever invented – and only seen on New Girl. Every season of New
Girl has the at least one holiday episode that manages to portray all of the
pain and anguish that is holiday family gatherings, but they add in a snappy
dance number or a round of True American, and it’s all fun and games again. I
would try to name my favorite holiday episode of New Girl, but that wouldn’t be
fair to you. It would be better if you just watched all of the episodes, there
are 5 seasons available on Netflix, if you get started now, you can be done
before we ring 2017 in.
A movie about a skeleton who’s hell bent on
keeping Halloween the bestest holiday ever, until he happens upon
Christmastown. The Nightmare Before Christmas isn’t as contemporary as others
mentioned on this list. It was released in 1993, but honestly, I hadn’t heard
of this movie until a few years ago, and now I watch it every year. So, since
it’s new to me, I’m putting it on the list, hoping that some of you will find
it as charming as I do. I should warn you, it is a musical. The songs are
fantastic and I find myself humming (or downright singing) them all year long.
*Written by Lindsay S., proud writer, avid TV-watcher, and resident at Redwood.
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