Top 5 Holiday Movies

What I remember most as a child was watching all of those holiday claymation movies. I tried to continue that for my own family but a) couldn’t stream it for free anywhere at the time and b) they said it’s creepy. Well, I guess they are right, they are a bit creepy. My oldest daughter turns 10 soon and over the years we’ve developed some favorites, from old and new. But one thing that that doesn’t change, is hot cocoa with mini marshmallows and popcorn! Here’s my hot cocoa hack. My kids are so “picky” on what’s too hot so I bought a Breville Milk Cafe a long time ago. It lets you set the temperature and change how frothy you want it. Sometimes I actually use it for lattes but really I just pour Horizon’s chocolate milk into it and use the low froth whisk and you get kid friendly hot cocoa!

If you have any family favorites, drop a line below!

1. Elf – I have no idea how this became a family favorite. I actually hated this film when it first came out. But somehow over the years, my kids love starting off the holiday season with this film! It’s pretty family friendly so even the little kids would probably enjoy it. You can currently stream it on HBO Max.
2. Jingle all the Way – When the kids got older, this sneaked its way into our line up. My hubby is a HUGE Arnold Schwarzenegger fan and was delighted when the kids thought it was funny. I would gear this film more towards older kids like ages 7+ but most of the “adult stuff” goes over their head. You can currently stream it on Hulu.
3. The Princess Switch (series) – Keep in mind, I have all girls, so yes, this series will probably be watched for a few more Christmases!! The latest movie is called The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. This was my favorite out of all the films. I actually sat down to watch the whole thing. This is a Netflix Original so you can definitely stream all 3 there!
4. The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show – I absolutely love Kacey! I loved her Christmas album and was so excited when her Christmas Show came out in 2019. I didn’t think my family would care to watch it, but shockingly they all love it. I think because it starts off with a skit/song from James Corden, it got them hooked. Now we love jamming to it ever since! You can currently stream it on Amazon Prime.
5. The Polar Express – We have the book written by Chris Van Allsburg. My daughter’s teacher loves this author and told the class he always includes this white bull terrier dog named Fritz somewhere in the illustrations. So next time you read one of his books, keep a look out for Fritz! Okay, let’s be honest, this film is not great! I’m legit still waiting for a remake. However, until then, it has become a family tradition to watch on Christmas Eve with, you know it, hot cocoa, popcorn AND homemade cookies. We always save cookies for Santa and leave them out with a cup of milk and some carrots for his reindeer. You can currently stream it on Netflix.

Honorable Mentions:

We also love Nightmare Before Christmas and Harry Potter but both of those films are in the realm of “is it a Halloween or Christmas movie?” NBC is streaming on Disney+. Now is a good time to watch the first Harry Potter movie on HBO Max. They released a special “magic mode” to make it interactive and competitive so check it out!