It’s that time of the year! Grab a blanket, some yummy snacks, and watch family favorite holiday movies. Elf, Christmas Vacation, The Grinch, Home Alone, Polar Express; whichever one someone chooses, they can watch them every year to get in the holiday spirit.

Having a special time of the year provides a comfortable sense of structure, control and stability. The thought of holiday traditions brings smiles to many people’s faces and creates feelings of anticipation and joy. They are excited to join together again with their families. When getting together, people tend to have a favorite holiday movie because it reminds them of their families, and they often gather with loved ones to watch these classics.

Junior Josh Harris explains how Elf is his favorite Christmas movie: “It’s funny and has great character development.”

The movie starts with the main character, Buddy, leaving the north pole to find his dad. After finding his dad, he realizes many people don’t have Christmas spirit. He ends up singing Christmas carols in front of the people in New York City to bring back the Christmas spirit and save Christmas.

Senior Charles Day shares that Polar Express is his favorite Christmas movie. He first watched it when he was six years old.

“Me and my family have been watching it every year since,” he explained. He goes on to add that it’s a tradition in the Day household to watch the movie as a family.

During the holidays, families and friends get together to celebrate and reconnect. People feel more nostalgic during the holidays because many memories and traditions are reawakened. This nostalgia helps people feel connected around the holidays.

Many families make it a Christmas tradition to watch the same movie each year. Junior Kit Cooney’s favorite movie is also Elf, “I watch it every year, even not around Christmas, just because I love the actors and the songs.” These movies bring a comforting feel to families around the holiday time.

Of course, Christmas movies are best enjoyed with delicious snacks. Harris and Cooney both express that popcorn and candies are best to eat while watching Elf. Day believes that it’s best to have a nice cup of hot chocolate when watching The Polar Express.

No matter what someone’s favorite holiday movie is, the Christmas and holiday season is a great way to spend time with family. People get to partake in family traditions, eat their favorite snacks, and have quality time with the people they love.