December 15, 2025 by Kayla Magnus (‘29)
Christmas time and the holidays in general are a time where everyone is a little bit more happy. Definitely spending too much money on Christmas presents and black Friday, but noticeably happier. People feel more compelled to give to others, are more friendly to strangers and peers, and most importantly, people are in the holiday spirit. One of the best ways to get into the holiday spirit and get excited for the season is watching the nostalgic movies which bring many laughs, much joy, and make Christmas time even more incomparable to any other time of year. In asking around the Toga student body, looking at numerous websites, and considering my own opinions, I’ve compiled a list of the top five best Christmas movies which really embody what Christmas spirit really is.
#1 – Home Alone
Home Alone, made in 1990, is a classic Christmas movie and was the number one answer from my peers when I asked them for their favorite Holiday movies. It was also very close to the top in a lot of the internet’s lists. I would hope everyone has watched Home Alone but if you haven’t, it’s essentially a story about how a witty and spunky kid, Kevin McCallister, was left home alone by accident while his extremely large family goes on vacation. While he’s home alone, he lives his best life until his house is invaded by two robbers. Kevin uses sneaky and hilarious techniques to prevent them from robbing his house. This movie will get you into the Christmas spirit along with making you laugh harder than most Christmas movies out there.
#2 – Elf
Elf is such an iconic Christmas movie and was probably the second most popular answer from students at this school along with up on the internet. It follows Will Ferrel’s character Buddy on his journey from the North Pole, where he lives as a very large human elf, to New York City. He travels all this way on his own to see and attempt to have a relationship with his biological father. Their relationship is rocky at the start, but he befriends many people while naturally spreading Christmas cheer; and although he definitely stands out, Buddy makes the most of his life in the city until his dad finally accepts him. Elf is a must watch for the Holiday season.
#3 – A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is not as popular as the others, at least for kids, but a bunch of my friends including myself love it and so I decided it must be included in the list. Plus, it was very high on most lists I found online. A Christmas Story is about a kid who longs for a BB gun but is told by everyone the famous line, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” He faces many challenges in this movie but eventually gets the BB gun he’s always wanted. To find out if he ends up shooting his eye out, you’re just going to have to watch the movie. The parts of this movie that stuck in my head the most were the hilarious jokes that they included. I will never forget some of the puns in this film.
#4 – The Grinch
The Grinch is just a classic. It’s one of the movies that at least one of everyone’s teachers has played the week before Holiday break, sipping hot cocoa and eating candy canes. The Grinch is a heartwarming story about a grumpy character who lives isolated from all the Whos in Whoville. He decides that he’s fed up with Christmas cheer and then proceeds to steal Christmas. A young girl named Cindy-Lou Who innocently decides to help him become more kind and invites him to a Whoville party which helps him grow his heart to its normal size because it was “three sizes too small”. This story is one that everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime. It’s a genuinely good movie but also conveys a very important lesson.
#5 – Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer
Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer is a story, song, and movie that embodies Christmas. Made in 1964 as a stop motion film, the movie is absolutely amazing and will get anyone into the Christmas spirit in a heartbeat. It follows Rudolf who was born with an abnormal red nose that glows instead of a black one like all the other reindeer. He was made fun of, bullied, and treated horribly all his childhood. Until one night, Christmas eve, Santa came to say, “Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight”. Rudolph saved Christmas, without him all the children wouldn’t have gotten their presents, and Christmas would have been ruined for everyone. After this he was praised and lived out his best life. Rudolph is a movie for everyone, children, teens, adults, the elderly; every single person can find joy in watching this movie.
photo source: hotstar.com