Movies to get you in the festive mood!

I like to start early when it comes to Christmas movies - there are some absolute classics, and a handful of more recent films, that give me that festive feeling! So check out my movies to bring you some laughter and a bit of cheer!

Let's start with some family friendly movies that everybody can enjoy!

Elf (2003) - Directed by Jon Favreau, starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen and many more famous faces, this has to be one of my all time favourite films to watch at Christmas! Buddy the Elf; a human raised by elves at the North Pole, discovers that he isn't an elf and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime by travelling to New York to find his father. But the world is a big scary place to navigate, and as he enjoys the time he comes to spend with his dad he realises that they are very different people, and the world is losing it's love of Christmas festivities.

The Santa Clause (1994) - Directed by John Pasquin, starring Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson and Eric Lloyd, The Santa Clause is a movie that follows Scott; a man who accidentally caused Santa to fall off his roof, and inadvertently agrees to replacing him to become the new Santa Claus in order to fulfil his Christmas Eve duties. It's all down to a small clause, whereby if you don the big man's red suit, you have to become the big man! Trying to keep this secret is tough though as Scott has parent duties and a suspicious ex-partner to contend with.

The Christmas Chronicles (2018) - directed by Clay Kaytis, this Netflix original stars Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Judah Lewis, Darby Kamp and Kimberley Williams-Paisley in a story about two children who attempt to kidnap Santa on Christmas Eve but instead cause havoc when they cause him to crash his sleigh. The two have to do all they can in order to assist St.Nick and save Christmas! The sequel to this movie has joined Netflix this week, so be sure to check that out as a follow on (review to follow soon).

Robbie The Reindeer: Hooves of Fire (1999) - This BBC movie has been surrounded by criticism in more recent years due to a few of the more mature jokes and the appearance of the film reindeer... but who is really looking out for whether or not reindeers have boobs? Honestly, people these days! The story is that Robbie, son of Rudolph; the red-nosed reindeer, travels to the North Pole in order to follow in his father's hoof-prints and become the sleigh navigator for the jolly man. Rather than a red nose like his famous father, he has a built in GPS that can find ANYTHING! There are two further movies in this collection, but this is by far my favourite.

Home Alone (1990) - Directed by the beloved Chris Columbus, this feature sees Macaulay Culkin star as Kevin McCallister; an 8 year old boy who is accidentally left behind by his family when they depart for their festive holiday to France! As Kevin comes to terms with being alone for the holidays, and going through the notions of being independent, doing things for himself, he encounters some pesky thieves who threaten to ruin Christmas for everyone. Home Alone 2 is also pretty good, but I wouldn't bother with any of the others!

Noelle (2019) - This Disney Christmas movie is the story of Kris Kringle, Mrs Claus, Nick Kringle and Noelle Claus, AKA Santa and his family (don't ask me why the ladies have a different surname to the men because I have no idea!). Nick is the son of Santa, and this year he will be taking over from his festive duties, carrying on the family legacy. But Noelle doesn't think he's up to the job, and as he goes through his training they discover he's not really cut out for the role. Noelle suggests he goes away for a little while so that he can clear his head, take a breather, but when he doesn't return she needs to hunt him down and bring him back in order to make sure Christmas still goes ahead without a hitch!

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - This piece of movie magic is one of my favourite musicals, Halloween movies, Christmas movies and Tim Burton movies all rolled into one! Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King from Halloween Town, becomes tired of the same annual traditions and decides to take on a new, shiny holiday after venturing through the forest and stumbling upon Christmastown. In an attempt to spread joy the way Santa does he convinces his town that this is the way forward, and draws up a plan to kidnap him and proceed with Christmas in a new direction...

Jingle All The Way (1996) - Arnold Schwarznegger stars as a desperate father who is on the hunt for a toy this Christmas for his son Jamie, who only wants this one very specific present. This almost impossible task makes for an entertaining Christmas movie as we follow Howard who has to compete with 99% of the other parents in town, travelling all over in the search of Turbo Man!

Deck the Halls (2006) - Danny DeVito stars as Buddy Hall, the most annoying new neighbour of all time, who has hit heart set on being able to see his house from space on a website which can show anywhere in the world, but his house just isn't in a great location and the lighting is far from desirable. As it's the holiday season he decides that Christmas decorations are the way forward, with all sorts of mayhem to follow! Steve Finch, played by Matthew Broderick is your average joe who just wants a quiet life, but the disruptions to neighbourhood traffic and the light pollution from the hundreds of Christmas bulbs shining in from the house opposite start to drive him mad. A really enjoyable film to watch at this time of year.

Gremlins (1984) - A slightly different type of Christmas movie to the rest, Gremlins is a horror-comedy. Billy's father, an unsuccessful inventor, tries to flog his latest contraption at a peculiar store, and ends up coming home with a strange creature, a Mogwai, that will be gifted to his son for Christmas. But this new pet comes with some very important rules, and if they're not followed all hell will break loose. One rule is accidentally broken, and Gizmo spawns what appear to be baby versions of himself, but as they grow it's discovered they're not as nice as their fluffy predecessor. A classic for me!

I have some more suggestions below, but these are more suited to older children, and some are just for adults!

Why Him (2016) - Directed by John Hamburg and starring Bryan Cranston, Zoey Deutch, James Franco, Griffin Gluck and Cedric the Entertainer, this slightly more mature Christmas movie is the story of a holiday gathering which could go sideways very quickly when a father discovers that his daughter's boyfriend is going to pop the question. Stephanie's millionaire boyfriend, Laird, is a bit kooky and whilst her parents are staying with them both at his pad, they start to find out a bit more that they'd bargained to and Ned is far from pleased by the prospect of Laird becoming his Son-in-Law. This popular Father vs Fiancé theme is covered in a lot of movies, and as such it's hard to find one that's really stands out, but this certainly does!

The Night Before (2015) - A typical Seth Rogen stoner movie with a unique take on Christmas Eve, we see best friends Ethan, Isaac and Chris enjoying the festivities a little bit too much, as they plan a night of debauchery, drinks and more. This will be the last of the annual Christmas Eve get-togethers for the group as Isaac; played by Seth Rogen, is about to become a father, so they want this year's celebrations to end their tradition with a bang! They decide to go on the hunt for the Nutcracka Ball, a very highly sought after ticketed event, the biggest party in New York. Follow the group as they get up to a lot of mischief and end the decades long tradition on a high.

Daddy's Home 2 (2017) - Another Will Ferrell movie that is a barrel of laughs, this movie is the sequel to Daddy's Home, which sees a mother's ex-husband and the father of her children; Mark Wahlberg, return to a household where he's no longer welcome. The step-father, Will Ferrell, has to put his foot down and show him who's boss. The pair grow close at the end of the first feature and become great friends - and as such for this follow up the family have decided to spend Christmas together, and they've both invited their own fathers to join them for the holidays. What could possibly go wrong this time?

Die Hard (1988) - Yes, this is a Christmas film in my book. I don't want any complaints from any of you as this is my list and I will suggest what I want, so deal with it! Die Hard is the tragic tale of John McClane, a police detective in New York who is making his way to his estranged wife on Christmas Eve, only to find out she's a hostage in an office building. John is obliged to save his wife, and the other hostages in this intense action movie which sees Bruce Willis navigate his way through dozens of gun-toting bad guys in order to save the day!

A Bad Mom's Christmas (2017) - If you've seen Bad Moms you will be able to appreciate that this is absolutely the sequel we needed. 3 underappreciated moms, fed up of being burdened by the biggest holiday of the year, are unexpectedly joined by their own mothers in this festive comedy. Christmas is hard enough without having to deal with extra family members out of nowhere. A very funny, very silly and at times highly inappropriate movie, but who doesn't love a happy ending that involves strippers?

Thanks for reading - we would love to hear about your favourite Christmas movies so head on over to our Facebook page to let us know which movie tops your festive list!