Best of: Holiday films

It’s time to update the Netflix queue and cozy up by the space heater—‘tis the season for holiday movies. Here are some of the best Christmas cinema gems perfect for putting off all that studying and avoiding awkward holiday calls from nosy grandparents.  

"Die Hard"

“Die Hard” isn’t usually included in many holiday movie roundups, but many forget that Bruce Willis, as gun-toting rogue NYPD cop John McClane, is at a holiday party on Christmas Eve when terrorists decide to take over the building. All McClane wants to do is make-up with his estranged wife in time for Christmas, but to do that he has to outwit and outlast German thief Hans Gruber and his band of evil merry minions. McClane gets shot, walks barefoot on broken glass, falls off a building, and crashes through a window (amongst other things) all to spend Christmas with his wife and kids. If that doesn’t scream Christmas spirit, what does?  

"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"

Clark Griswold just wants to have a good old-fashioned family Christmas, complete with the perfect tree and an excellent exterior lighting display. But alas, in 1989’s hilarious classic “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”, he can’t escape faulty electronics, unannounced relatives, a charred turkey, explosive sewage chemicals, or a maniacal squirrel hiding in the Christmas tree. Penned by John Hughes, “Christmas Vacation” captures the struggles of bringing family together for the holidays with sympathy and wit. While Clark doesn’t get the Norman Rockwell Christmas he may have dreamed of, he gets something better—a real Griswold family Christmas. Everyone still loves each other even after the house almost burns down—and that’s something everyone can relate to.

"Jingle All the Way"

Remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger was just an actor? The current governor of California probably isn’t too proud of “Jingle All the Way,” a 1996 holiday romp about a workaholic father who needs to get his hands on a popular action figure called Turbo Man for his son on Christmas Eve, after forgetting to get one before they all sold out. The movie is pretty awful—full of tacky one-liners and cringe-worthy performances, but who can resist the Terminator frantically running through a crowded department store, threatening hapless employees and trampling all those who get in his way? It’s pure silly fun, especially when Sinbad (remember him?) shows up as a fellow forgetful father looking for a Christmas miracle.

"Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

While not technically a movie, “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is the longest-running Christmas TV special ever. First appearing in 1964, this 60-minute claymation take on the well-known song is Christmas at its quirky best. An awkward adolescent reindeer with a birth defect? Check. An elf that hates making toys and just wants to be a dentist? Check. A flying lion named King Moonracer? Check. And while the special delights in its strangeness, what makes it really interesting is its analogy for teenage angst. Declared a “nonconformity” who will never fit in, the red-nosed reindeer is ostracized from Christmastown and runs away from home in a depressed, hormonal state.