For those who still want to feel the holiday vibes, think back on this: Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas song blasts on the radio, bundled in thousands of layers with hot chocolate from your local cafe. Cookie decorating with friends, frantically buying last-minute presents, and ice skating in Bryant Park. However, what ties the Christmas spirit together is none other than the movies; it is part of the tradition of rewatching The Grinch for the fifteenth time and watching Santa struggle to fit down the chimney. Thus, I sent out a survey to a hundred people, all varying in age, and asked four basic questions: Do you have any Christmas movie recommendations? What is your favorite Christmas movie? What is the worst Christmas movie you have ever watched? What do you consider a Christmas movie?
For the first question, multiple people recommend it’s a Wonderful Life and Love Hard. It’s a Wonderful Life is a sentimental movie that includes topics involving suicide and depression. The main character, George Bailey, is a troubled man who believes he must end his life—on Christmas! However, before jumping off the bridge, he is greeted by his guardian angel, who shows George how different his town would be without him because of how positively he impacted all the people and places around him. The movie ends with George returning to his family with a new perception of the world and kissing them all Merry Christmas. I highly recommend this and have cried at least twenty times watching it. The director, Frank Capra, did a beautiful job creating scenes from the past and future while expressing such strong emotions and feelings through simple dialogue and actions. However, Love Hard took on a more gossipy, playful tone. It starts with a single lady named Natalie, who discovers dating apps. After meeting the perfect man, she decides to surprise him for the holidays, but when he appears at his doorstep, she realizes the art of catfishing. This movie kept me laughing throughout the whole hour and forty-five minutes. There were some predictable and corny scenes, but I enjoyed watching the movie and its cast, featuring Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang.
Now, What is the worst Christmas movie you have ever had to witness? This question was a bit more complicated because people focused more on genres than one specific movie. Including Dogs Who Talked Home Alone spinoffs. I could see why these were some of the answers because dogs who talk can always be a little creepy, and no movie is as good as the original. Along with this, at least nine people agreed that the Grinch animated version, released in 2018, was terrible. Many reviews described it as bland and stated how the Jim Carrey version in 2000 was so much better. They also emphasized how Carrey was just funnier and more entertaining.
For the question we have all been waiting for, out of the hundred people, 41 agreed that Home Alone one was the greatest film of all time, 22 voted Elf, 13 said the live-action Grinch, another 12 agreed on Polar Express, and the rest of the votes were random and unknown. What is a Christmas movie, though? This question had a lot of mixed responses. Most people answered anything to do with the winter or holiday season. Five of them strongly emphasized that a Christmas movie has to focus on Christianity and the birth of Jesus, and many of the younger kids I interviewed concluded that a Christmas movie must involve Santa Claus. A Christmas movie can be just about anything you want, as long as you are surrounded by family and friends and in the Christmas spirit. Happy (Belated) Holidays!
