In the days leading up to Christmas, I really love to kindle that Holiday spark by crawling behind the TV and watch the ultimate Christmas movies. But out of so many options, which ones are the best? In the name of research, I viewed almost every Christmas movie that I could get my hands on and picked out my top 10 to share with you:

The Grinch

How the Grinch stole Christmas is probably my favourite Christmas movie. It is just a great family movie which makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Although recently the movie was turned into an animated film, I still prefer the 2000 version with Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen. I love to rewatch this every year, just because I find the character of the Grinch so funny! I think it’s my best-loved Carrey personage ever!

The Holiday

Such a romantic feel- good movie as The Holiday can not be missing from this list. Although heartbroken, Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet decide to switch houses for the Holidays and end up mending their broken hearts with new loves. I really enjoyed watching this film, even if it’s just for the lovely scenery of the English cottage. I certainly wish to spend one of my future Christmases in such a picturesque place!

The Holiday is available on Netflix in Belgium.

The Polar Express

This was one of the first Christmas movies I got on DVD, when I was about 10 years old. Then, I really found it magical. I rewatched it last year, and I must admit it had lost some of its spark to me. When the movie first came out, in 2004, its 3D technology was rather innovative. Almost 15 years later though, we are gotten used to a lot of novelties in film production and the movie is not as spectacular as it once was. However, to me this stays a bit of youth sentiment and it’s still one of the best Christmas movies around.

Miracle on 34th Street

The older Christmas movies are most definitely my favourite. This classic from 1994 is what the Holidays are all about: getting a little girl to believe in the Christmas magic again. Well, this girl was sold right away. Bonus points to Richard Attenborough for being the most wonderful Santa Claus ever.

The Nightmare before Christmas

Two Holidays combined: Halloween and Christmas, who ever thought that would work?! Well, Tim Burton clearly did and boy, was he right! I went to see his exhibition in C Mine last Summer and therefore you could say my hopes were high but surely fulfilled. This animated masterpiece expresses my exact mood every time around this period: being all alone in a world full of Grinches, living out my Christmas fantasy.

Edward Scissorhands

On to Burton’s second film in this selection. What can I say? The man is a film genius. This is probably the darkest movie of the bunch, but the Christmas spirit is still very much present in this twisted fairy tale. It’s also the première of the collaboration between Burton and Johnny Depp, who is playing the unlucky main character called Edward Scissorhands. He is an unusual figure which seems to come straight from your nightmares, but weirdly never frightens you throughout the movie. Misunderstood by society in which he desperately tries to fit in, he finds comfort with a young girl, Kim. She is kind to him, and in return he would do everything to make her happy. The famous snow scene amongst Edward and Kim is one of the most iconic Christmas scenes ever!

The Holiday Calendar

Netflix started building up its collection of Original movies at a vast pace last year and Christmas movies didn’t escape that fate. They sprung up like mushrooms this December, but this is one of my favourites. It’s about a young photographer’s magical advent calendar – magic seems to be a recurring theme in this list – which seems to prevail a little bit of the future of the following day each night. Let’s not forget to praise the handsome appearance of Ethan Peck as an impressive doctor, which is just an overall moral booster.

The Holiday Calendar is available on Netflix in Belgium.

The Princess Switch

The Princess Switch is another one of this year’s Christmas movies, starring the wonderful Vanessa Hudgens. A prince charming, a royal wedding, Christmas and baking, what’s not to like?! This is a rather corny romantic movie, but just enough for a Christmas movie. Unlike some other of the recently released Original Netflix films such as A Christmas Prince, who was a tad over the top for my taste (and coming from a sucker for romance, that probably says a lot).

The Princess Switch is available on Netflix in Belgium.

Harry Potter

To be fair, these last two options are not really Christmas movies in the strict sense of the word. However, I find myself rewatching these series every single year during the Holidays. The Harry Potter movies are, not unlike the books, basically good to watch,  or read, on every occasion. I can’t seem to get bored of the magical world and hope I never do. To switch it up a little bit, thank god J.K.Rowling came up with a spin-off (and prequel) in the form of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The sequel of those series: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is now playing in the theaters!

The Harry Potter series 1-8 is available on Netflix France. However, you can watch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them on Netflix Belgium.

Beauty and the Beast

Disney movies are always a good idea, no?! Whether you watch the animated version, or the recent 2017 adaptation, nothing beats this story of girlpower, love and family on a cold December night. The snowy setting of the movie and its compelling sing-a-long songs add the finishing touch.

Beauty and the Beast is available on Netflix Belgium.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed my top 10 Christmas movies up until 2018 and maybe you even have discovered one that you really want to see during the Christmas break. Tell me all about your favourite movies to watch in December, so that I can add your suggestions to my never-ending list!

Love, Sofie