Christmas movies are a staple of the holiday season for many people around wintertime. Films such as “Diehard”, the “Home Alone” sequels and “Elf” are watched and rewatched many times over the holiday season and instill the holiday spirit in youth around America.
Because these holiday movies are so popular, cable channels such as Hallmark and Freeform run programs such as 25 days of Christmas, where the channel runs many of the same movies starting from Dec. 1 until Christmas day. Many of the popular movies on the channel are easily able to get over a million viewers, even due to the fact that they are repeated every year.
Many families have a tradition of rewatching Christmas classics during the holidays, giving students an opportunity to spend quality time with their family by experiencing the holiday spirit.
“Every year, I go to the Putnam museum with my dad to watch the Polar Express,” said senior Paul Malachuk. “It is a great tradition because I get to spend family time with my father while embracing the Christmas spirit. Polar Express is the best Christmas movie, nay, the best movie of all time.”
Christmas movies have evolved over the years, from traditional Christmas movies like the Polar Express to different genres such as horror. These horror movies have been a recent pop culture phenomenon, grossing many millions and gaining much popularity, especially among the youth during the wintertime.
“I have watched many Christmas movies, especially horror ones such as Krampus,” said junior Akash Pradeep. “They are unique and less predictable than typical Christmas ones. They are refreshing to watch after seeing the same stereotypical Christmas film every year.”
No matter the genre,Christmas classics always have a theme of giving and spending time with family, which is often able to fill viewers up with the Christmas spirit and show them the real reason behind the holiday.