A Boston Marriage

There’s a near-endless list of holiday season movies, from the animated (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, innumerable versions of The Nutcracker), humorous (The Santa Claus, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Home Alone), to the classic and endearing (Miracle on 34^th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life). However, if you’re interested in more non-traditional holiday fare, this list is for you. Some of the films are explicitly Christmas-themed, while others feature the holiday season as a backdrop—but they all have moments that hit a certain fuzzy-light-cold-snap-egg-nog note that smacks of the essence of that holiday feeling.

Gremlins

Part horror, part family movie, Gremlins is an undeniable classic to anyone with an 80’s childhood. During the Christmas season, a teenager is given an adorably furry creature as a gift—only to find out that breaking the rules of care results in dangerous consequences.

Black Christmas (the 1974 original)

This cult-classic launched the “the call is coming from inside the house” genre of horror film. Taking place at a sorority house as it empties before the holidays, the movie tells the story of a group of seventies-sexy house sisters that are harassed by heavy-breather phone calls and then taken out one by one against a backdrop of snowy fields and glowing Christmas lights.

Scrooged

This is a sadly neglected Christmas-classic—many youngings have only seen short scenes as they flip through a late night TBS showing of the film. The movie is a modern adaptation of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, starring Bill Murray. Murray plays a modern day scrooge: a coldhearted media mogul. As Murray supervises a holiday performance of A Christmas Carol, he experiences various ghostly visitations, leading, of course, to a hilarious holiday transformation.

Die Hard

The first installment of this epic action-quadrilogy is sheer brilliance AND is set on Christmas Eve. It features Bruce Willis in his breakout role as John McLane McClane—the rough and tumble yet lovable rogue cop with the colorful vernacular that includes the phrase “Yippee ki-yay motherfucker”—attending a Christmas party gone awry.

And finally, Tim Burton earns his own section for must-see holiday films. This darkly whimsical director has set multiple movies in the winter-holiday season, and while the films don’t necessarily center on Christmas, the holiday-tone helps create Burton’s enchanting atmospheres.

Batman Returns

This chapter of the Batman saga features a Gotham City in the throes the holiday season. With snow crunching under-Penguin’s-foot and Christopher Walken as Max Schreck lighting up the city’s Christmas tree, the gloomy city offers up a stunning and rich gothic-tinged Christmas landscape.

Edward Scissorhands

In this film, Johnny Depp graces the screen as the tragic title-character who has scissors for hands. The movie explores outcasts, communities, and love against unusual odds during the Christmas season. Notable moments include Edward expertly ice-sculpting with his steel appendages.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Halloween and Christmas are more closely tied than is immediately obvious—both days involve tons of fattening food and a surprising trust that strangers won’t traumatize our children by either poisoning their candy or exposing the Santa-Claus hoax.   This film taps into the connection between these holidays and is wildly entertaining and endearing while doing so.

Originally published, way back last winter holiday, in [here]. Forgive the recycling, but it’s a good movie-list.