Christmas is a well known and cherished holiday. Many people celebrate Christmas differently and have their own traditions, some of these traditions include baking cookies, decorating a Christmas tree, gift exchanges, and more. One tradition that is the most popular during the holiday season is watching Christmas movies. These movies are often funny, heartfelt, and known for bringing families and friends together.
There have been hundreds of Christmas movies made over the years. The first ever Christmas movie made was Santa Claus (1898) which follows the story of Santa Claus and him delivering presents on Christmas Eve to the children. Other popular movies include Home Alone (1990), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), Christmas Chronicles (2018), Elf (2003), and The Santa Clause (1994). While there are more movie genres, these are comedy-based movies, often acknowledged as some of the most viewed.
To gain knowledge on some of the most loved movies in the school, we polled 30 Lafayette students, asking what their favorite Christmas movies were. Additionally, we interviewed four separate students. By interviewing these four students, we gained insight into why certain Christmas movies are fan favorites, while the poll allowed us to gather a broader range of some commonly liked movies.
The Lafayette Times interviewed four students: freshman Mia Kai, sophomore Logan Gwynn, sophomore Isabella Dietzel, and sophomore Evi Maxson. We asked what their favorite Christmas movie was and why.
Kai responded that her favorite Christmas movie is Elf “..because it’s funny and lighthearted.” The movie Elf was about this toddler who by accident was shipped to the North Pole and his entire life he was raised by Santa’s elves. He can’t stop thinking about the feeling that he doesn’t belong so he travels to New York in hopes of finding his real father.
Gwynn responded his favorite is Miracle on 34th Street (1994) “…because it is a heartfelt family movie that shows a fun spin-off of Christmas. I love the acting and the message of the movie.” Miracle on 34th Street is about this man who goes by the name of Kris Kringle who fills in for the fake Santa at the parade. Kringle then becomes a hit and he starts appearing at stores as Santa. This leads to a court case in which he claims he is the real Santa Claus to figure out his mental health and his authenticity determining if he is the real Santa Claus. It is revealed that he is the real Santa.
Dietzel replies, ”Christmas Chronicles is my favorite because it is entertaining and fun.” Christmas Chronicles is about these two siblings who plot a plan to capture Santa Claus. The plans don’t go as expected and they end up going with Santa Claus in hopes to save Christmas.
Lastly, Maxson stated that her favorite was The Grinch‘ because it brought back childhood memories for her. Maxson said, “It’s my favorite because when I was little, my mom read me the book every Christmas.” She memorized every word and now watches the movie with her family every holiday season. The Grinch is about this creature who hates Christmas. He makes a plan to steal Whoville’s Christmas by stealing their presents and decorations on Christmas Eve. When he does he finally understands the true meaning of Christmas and how it’s not just about the decorations and presents.
The poll results revealed that the most popular Christmas movie was Home Alone, with six votes. Next of the favorites were Elf with five votes, Christmas Chronicles with three votes, The Grinch with three votes, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with three votes, The Nightmare Before Christmas with two votes, and Daddy’s Home 2 with two votes. Some movies that only received one vote each were Good Luck Charlie Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, The Polar Express, Love Actually, The Princess Switch, and Krampus.
Most Lafayette students enjoyed more heartfelt and comedic Christmas movies than some more dramatic, severe movies like It’s a Wonderful Life which is about George Bailey, who contemplates ending it all on Christmas Eve. When he is about to jump he actually rescues his guardian angel. He then shows him how all of his good actions in his life impacted his town. The movies students chose have become a tradition among most families and friends during the holiday because it reminds them of childhood memories or a fun activity to do together.
