6 Classic Christmas Movies

Art by Trevor Pacelli

By Trevor Pacelli
​What’s Christmas all about? Since I grew up in the Christian church, I was taught that the holiday is about celebrating Jesus’ birth, even though history doesn’t always agree. For starters, Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th and many traditions, like tree decorating and mistletoe, originated from a pagan festival called Yule. Even for some who aren’t Christians, thinking of Christmas as a religious celebration is a humbling reminder not to get caught up in the commercialism, and that message is why so many people love A Charlie Brown Christmas. However, other widely loved Christmas specials assign different meanings to the holiday. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! implies that it’s about singing together, whereas Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer says it’s just about the toys. Figuring out the purpose of life is a massive reason certain stories, including these three Christmas classics, leave an impression on so many of us. Here are six Christmas-themed feature films I think do the best job in presenting a strong reason for the season:

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It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

​To anyone who’s been through a dark place and thought suicide would be the only way out, It’s a Wonderful Life proves why life is worth living. For the first two-thirds of the film, the plot progresses naturally as the events shown in George Bailey’s life naturally demonstrate through actions rather than words how his character changes over the years, particularly regarding his relationship with Mary. Then the film brings everything together beautifully throughout the last third as George goes from a mentally torn wreck to the happiest man on earth, all by seeing how everything seen in the film’s first two-thirds would’ve been worse off had he never been born.
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So what does It’s a Wonderful Life say about Christmas? The final scene presents a strong case behind why this holiday at the very end of the year should be important for all of us. When George’s loved ones save him from an inevitable prison sentence, it could’ve easily been a deus ex machina, but since George was ready to accept his fate no matter what happened, he learned his lesson. Not to mention his friends coming to compensate for his $8,000 that was lost was a result of all the good deeds George did for them. He had sacrificed his dreams of exploring the world to work at the family business, and it was worth it. It’s a Wonderful Life ultimately concludes that Christmas is about taking the time to remember your blessings, about what made your life so wonderful.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

It’s no secret that major corporations like to exploit the Christmas season to push toy sales, taking the greatest advantage of their most impressionable consumers. Miracle on 34th Street addresses this scummy practice through Kris Kringle, who while working as a Macy’s Santa is told to manipulate the children on his lap into wanting certain toys sold at the store. But Kris instead sends the customers to a different store that does sell the toy they’re looking for. His act of putting the children first ironically generates more regular Macy’s customers who are blown over by Macy’s new image of generosity. But Macy’s turns it into a marketing scheme to look good for new potential customers. Then Gimbel’s starts doing the same thing to keep up with the competition, losing the entire point of why Kris was sending customers to other stores in the first place.
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So, what does Miracle on 34th Street say about Christmas? It’s not necessarily in the anti-consumerist message mentioned above, it’s more in the more personal plot where Doris must learn through faith to let her daughter embrace the concept of imagination. A rational adult like her wouldn’t believe the twinkle-eyed Kris Kringle is the real Santa, but as she learns, common sense isn’t always reliable. Faith is often more reliable, as faith is what helps Fred Gailey prove to the courthouse that Kris legally is Santa Claus, saving him from the mental institution. Miracle on 34th Street ultimately concludes that Christmas is about believing in miracles.

A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Story structures around instantly identifiable slice-of-life moments from childhood, like that one toy you wanted more than anything else, or that one favorite TV show/radio program you used to make into the biggest deal on earth, or that one school bully who you wanted to beat the snot out of. Identifiable moments are present for the parents as well, like that one prized possession you hailed as the symbol of your success, or that one part of the house that was constantly breaking. It’s funny how this movie is called A Christmas “Story,” yet the screenplay is less of a story and more of a collection of Ralphie’s most special Christmas season memories.
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So, what does A Christmas Story say about Christmas? Much of the answer isn’t solely in its depiction of a middle-class family, but also in how accurately it depicts 1940s America. The proof is in the details, like the faint sound of a train outside the family’s house, or how the newspaper comics are called the “funnies,” or Ralphie’s daydreams that strongly resemble the radio serials he listens to. Despite being set so long ago, its relatable family drama proves how timeless your cravings around the Christmas season truly are, as well as how people of all ages share the desire to want something greater that enables a sense of control. A Christmas Story ultimately concludes that Christmas is about holding onto the family memories that most made you who you are today.

Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone became such a tremendous smash-hit that most kids’ entertainment for the rest of the 1990s mimicked its format of throwing bad guys into elaborate slapstick-heavy booby traps. Yet none of these movies, not even Home Alone 2 or the other spinoffs tied to this franchise, could replicate why these gags worked well enough to establish the film’s foundation as an instant Christmas classic. The humor takes queues from old-school comedic legends like the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, and Looney Tunes to craft expertly timed gags that give you plenty of breathing space to laugh. The famous climax also works as well as it does because the film is dedicated to setting up each individual gag. The doggy door, the BB gun, the laundry chute to the basement, the tarantula, the neighbor with his shovel, all these components are given proper time right from the opening scene to build up to their respective booby traps.
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So, what does Home Alone say about Christmas? Well, besides just being a funny movie, it also depicts any child’s fantasy where they get to break their parents’ rules without any consequence and take on the much-desired authority of an adult. Yet there’s also plenty of darkness that comes with being a kid, particularly the fears of dark basements, the creepy neighbor next door, predatory strangers, and having nobody to protect you. Home Alone ultimately concludes that Christmas is about remembering why family is so important.

The Nightmare Before Christmas ​(1993)

Disney originally hesitated to greenlight Tim Burton’s strange concept of a movie, since something so gothically creepy would naturally clash with the Mouse House brand, yet eventually, they decided having Burton’s name on the project would help make it a hit. The movie ultimately was an underwhelming success, but once the 2000s rolled around, goth culture rediscovered this little oddity and embraced it as a staple for both the Halloween and Christmas seasons. Today it remains a defining icon for the October-December months, not just for goth culture but for anyone who appreciates this film’s charming weirdness.
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So, what does The Nightmare Before Christmas say about Christmas? To know this, you should understand where the production crew’s priorities were in the making of this landmark animated movie. The characters themselves, big and small, all have little details that make them distinct and memorable. Zero the ghost dog was achieved with an in-camera pepper’s ghost effect, Oogie Boogie lets bugs out of his burlap sack body as he speaks, and Sally’s leaf-stuffed limbs constantly break off. There’s a simple beauty behind the aesthetic of this production that no other stop motion production nowadays can top, since so much heart and thought went into every single detail for the sets and puppets—which continues to be a goldmine for Disney because these characters are easily marketable! The Nightmare Before Christmas ultimately concludes that Christmas is merely an aesthetic holiday without any deeper purpose.

Elf (2003)

Director Jon Favreau’s version of the North Pole in this modern-day Christmas classic is based on the Rankin/Bass Christmas TV specials, with even the elf costumes perfectly replicating Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s elf outfits. The music likewise contains those delightful vocal “bum-bum-bums” that you’d hear in the world of Rankin/Bass, and when the movie’s setting progresses to New York City, the soundtrack sustains its yuletide aura that reflects Buddy the Elf’s contagious Christmas spirit. So many movies in the 2000s were set in New York, played on the “outsider” jokes, and revolved their plot around a workaholic father, but Elf is among the few that made all these tropes work together, as they each felt done with purpose and payoff. That, and the movie’s just naturally super funny.
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So, what does Elf say about Christmas? Well, it’s helpful to remember the cultural context of when the movie came out. The 9/11 attacks happened only two years earlier, so having a movie like this where an outside source comes to the Big Apple to rekindle the lost joy of the people working through the busiest time of year was just what America needed. Say what you will about the messy climax, but it beautifully brings together everyone Buddy met while at New York and satisfies all their arcs at once as singing together revives their lost Christmas spirit. Elf ultimately concludes that Christmas is about taking time to remember to stay happy amidst your busy soul-sucking existence.

​Now, none of these motion pictures are wrong about what Christmas is about. Heck, one of the epiphanies I’ve had recently about Christmas is that there’s no definite reason for the season. This yuletide time of year should mean whatever is significant to you, and you can figure that out by considering which Christmas specials you enjoy most. That’s what art is about- it helps you better know yourself. If you enjoy Christmas because the traditions draw you close to Jesus, that’s wonderful. If you see Christmas as a family time, that’s wonderful. If you see Christmas as a time to reflect on the past year, that’s wonderful. If you see Christmas as a spark of joy during the gloomy winter months, that’s wonderful. If you see Christmas as a time of year to buy loads of decorations, then as long as you stay out of debt, that’s wonderful.

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Trevor Pacelli is a young adult on the autism spectrum as well as the author of What Movies Can Teach Us About Disabilities, What Movies Can Teach Us About Bullying, Summer of the Fruit Virus and the illustrator of The Kindergarten Adventures of Amazing Grace: What in the World is Autism?, Gardenland: The Peas' and Carrots' Party Shake-Up, and the author/illustrator of Amazing Grace Goes to the Zoo.