We are officially more than a week into December and Christmas is not far away, so it's only right to watch some Christmas movies in the build-up to the holidays.
December is my favourite time of year because whilst it gets cold and rainy, the festivities of Christmas just make me smile. And this year is no different.
Whilst work and university studies continue, I'm trying to enjoy the build-up to Christmas this year, doing lots of Christmassy activities. One of these is, of course, watching Christmas movies.
Last year, I shared a blog post with festive films to watch. Some of these included The Holiday, The Polar Express, Arthur Christmas and more. So with Christmas only a couple of weeks away now, I thought I'd share some more Christmas films to get you into the spirit of the holidays.
In last year's post, I recommended some of my favourite Christmas movies. But luckily for you, I love lots of Christmas films so there will always be more recommendations.
So if you fancy snuggling up on your sofa with a hot drink and some advent calendar chocolate, maybe give these movies a try this December.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
A Christmas film that is also a musical? Say no more.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story is a musical that takes you on a journey with a toy-maker and his granddaughter. This movie is a fantasy film where an imaginary world comes to life with music and dancing and family love.
This is one of my favourite Christmas films - and not just because I love musicals! I remember absolutely loving it and really enjoying and becoming absorbed in the story of the film.
So if you love musicals, magic, and families reuniting, then this film is for you.
A Christmas Carol
This is an absolute classic of a Christmas movie. Based on the novel by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge as he is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future to help him get rid of his bah humbug ways.
I loved this book when I first read it and I do enjoy the film. It's such a heartwarming tale to have at Christmas and the transformation of Scrooge is also just great to see.
If you want a family-friendly classic festive tale, this one is for you.
The Holiday Calendar
The Holiday Calendar is technically a romance film, however, I think it teaches you a lot about embracing life and recognising what you have.
It stars Kat Graham as an aspiring photographer, who receives a vintage advent calendar from her grandfather. The story goes that the advent calendar has some magic, but at first, Abby is sceptical to believe.
But when things start to happen and relationships begin but also become complicated, she embraces the calendar and what it is trying to tell her.
Now I don't think we can have an advent calendar quite like the one in the film, but it's good to relax and watch it unfold on screen.
Love Actually
If you ask any British person to list Christmas movies, I'm pretty sure Love Actually will be on the list.
It's a classic British holiday film that combines the stories of eight different couples set in London as they navigate their relationships and the stress of Christmas.
Personally, this isn't one of my top Christmas films, but I love it nonetheless. It teaches you about relationships and is full of top-notch actors including Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, the late Alan Rickman and more.
If you fancy a romantic comedy this December, give Love Actually a watch.
Angels Falls Christmas
If you like romcoms or heartwarming movies of the Hallmark variety, this film is for you. It's on Netflix and it tells the story of Ally and Josh as they navigate the holiday season. The two are a couple at the beginning but things take a quick turn when Ally struggles to give up working at the hospital over Christmas.
But as the saying goes, you never know what you had until it's gone.
And this happens to Ally and Josh, but with the help of some angels, they both find their way back to each other and Ally finally learns to let the past go and embrace everything about Christmas.
My sister recommended this film to me and I watched it the other day whilst wrapping Christmas presents and it made me smile.
The Christmas Chronicles
With Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, you'll be sure to enjoy this family-friendly film about two siblings, Kate and Teddy, as they go on an adventure with Santa to save Christmas.
Kate hatches a plan to capture Santa on Christmas Eve to see if he is real or not and persuades her more-than-sceptical brother to join in. But things go awry and the two have to join forces with the Clauses and the elves to save Christmas.
There is a sequel to this film as well, which is just as good as the first. My family and I watched this the year it was released and I remember loving every second of watching it.
With these recommendations, I hope you find some Christmas magic this December. And if you give any of these films a try, let me know what you think about them.
Until next time...