Christmas is just around the corner and some of the most enjoyable activities of the season is the Christmas movie marathons that have become a long standing tradition for many over the years.
The options are endless when it comes to queuing up the movies for a Christmas marathon, but much like superstitious wedding beliefs, something old and something new adds value to the experience, which is why this listicle will fuse classic films with new ones for the ideal marathon.
Home Alone
Home Alone is an all-time classic, and no Christmas movie marathon is complete without it. The trilogy features an eight-year-old boy, Kevin McCallister being accidently left behind when his family travels to France. Kevin initially enjoys his space until an encounter with thieves intent on breaking into his home complicates things. With its humor and satire, Home Alone is ideal to watch in group settings, and turning it up is particularly nostalgic this time around because Macaulay Culkin, the actor who played Kevin was very recently featured on the Hollywood walk of fame, which typically means there’s a star with his name on it on that infamous floor.
Candy Cane Land
Candy Cane Lane is a new release featuring Eddy Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross. Released on December 1, the plot tells the story of a man who inadvertently made a deal with an elf that wreaked havoc to his family during the 12 days of Christmas.
The Noel Diary
A year ago, when the Noel Diary first came out, its selling points included casting heartthrob Justin Hartley as the lead character, and it being a Christmas movie. After watching it at least twice I can confidently say there’s more to it than that, which is why it is the ideal rom com for a Christmas movie marathon. The plot centers around Jake a successful writer who returns to his hometown to settle his mother’s estate after her passing. During his endeavors Jake meets Rachel and comes across a diary that shelters the answers to some of her questions about life. The Noel Diary has your typical Christmas miracle storyline like most movies do, but what sets it apart is that the nuances that add up to the Christmas miracle make sense, and like the typical rom com, this move transcends the feels, the laughter and the tears.
The princess Switch (Trilogy)
Lazy afternoons this festive season? A three-part movie in one sitting might be a great way to pass the time. The princess Switch is a story of two women Stacy and Margret who are identical to one another (both characters played by Vanessa Hudgens) who switch lives and fall in love with another’s partner. The movie’s barely explicit nature sets it appropriate to watch with younger siblings and parents, and the appeal of living another person’s life for some time makes the concept interesting.
The Knight Before Christmas
The Knight before Christmas is most likely as delusional as they come, and it is not even the unrealistic Christmas miracle that earns it these stripes. The movie’s plot sheds light on a leading male character whose mindset is set tailored to the realities of the regency era as he simultaneously exists in the present day. Sir Cole, the delusional man in question a mediaeval knight who has been transported to the present where he meets and falls for a high school teacher (played yet again by Vanessa Hudgens) and attempts to navigate the nuances of a modern age.
Best. Christmas. Ever!
With Brandy Norwood and Matt Cedeno playing lead characters, this 2023 film is about Jackie who sends a newsletter to her friend Charlotte every Christmas, and a jealous Charlotte visiting Jackie one Christmas to prove that her friend’s life is not as perfect as it seems, even though she’s living her dreams with the perfect husband.
Yoh Christmas
At the beginning of December, Thando lies to her family about having a boyfriend despite being single, alone and 30 years old. After her family demands to meet her boyfriend on Christmas Eve, a hopeful, desperate Thando goes on multiple dates to find the perfect man to bring home to her family.