Holiday Movie Mood Board

The Daily BeastsSeason's Beatings
Written By Aundria Parker

I love options. I love options when I’m ordering a sandwich, I love options when I get dressed, I love options when I sit down and want to watch a movie. The thing is, there are so many options—whether streaming or hitting up your own growing “to watch” pile—that it can be paralyzing to try and whittle down exactly what to watch, depending on your mood.

Allow me to ease the burden. In honor of the season, here are some easily accessible, standalone holiday movies, lovingly chosen and organized by feeling and frame of mind. You can find the entire list (with some additional entries) on Letterboxd.

Want to spend Christmas with a family that's bigger, messier, and more problematic than yours? No air travel needed:

  • A CHRISTMAS STORY

  • FOUR CHRISTMASES

  • ALMOST CHRISTMAS

  • THE REF

  • NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS

  • LOVE THE COOPERS

  • A CHRISTMAS TALE

Do Hallmark movies fall on the side of too Velveeta for you? Holiday romance and "romance" with just the right amount of cheesy cheer:

  • THE HOLIDAY

  • EYES WIDE SHUT

  • THE APARTMENT

  • YOU'VE GOT MAIL

  • LAST CHRISTMAS

  • HAPPIEST SEASON

  • CAROL

Didn't plan on crying like that tonight, did you? Maybe it's just the season, but these movies bring out sweet catharsis and ugly cry Feelings, and it's...well, wonderful:

  • PRANCER

  • ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS

  • THE FAMILY STONE

  • IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (duh)

  • I AM SANTA CLAUS

  • THE FAMILY MAN

  • OTHER PEOPLE

Dying for some alone time? Here’s WTF Christmas horror that will make the normies leave the room:

  • ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE

  • SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT

  • INSIDE

  • BETTER WATCH OUT

  • DEAD END

  • THE DAY OF THE BEAST

  • KRAMPUS (2015)

We can all agree that the most stressful time of year calls for some easy laughs, right? Stress-free holiday comedies that won't ask for a gift receipt:

  • BAD SANTA

  • WHY HIM?

  • THE NIGHT BEFORE

  • A BAD MOM'S CHRISTMAS

  • OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

  • A VERY HAROLD AND KUMAR CHRISTMAS

  • JUST FRIENDS

Too many glasses of egg nog have you nodding off? Spirited tales that will keep you awake long enough to hear sleigh bells on the roof:

  • REINDEER GAMES

  • GO

  • IN BRUGES

  • KISS KISS, BANG BANG

  • TRADING PLACES

  • BATMAN RETURNS

  • TANGERINE

Not spending Christmas in a winter wonderland? While not specifically holiday-centric, these cold and snowy movies will have you reaching for an extra blanket:

  • THE HATEFUL EIGHT

  • THE GREY

  • FARGO

  • SNOWPIERCER

  • 30 DAYS OF NIGHT

  • DEADFALL

  • ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Finally, my essential holiday watch list and what to do while watching because I've seen each of them a dozen times:

  • ELF (usually the first holiday movie of the season—post-food coma on Thanksgiving night)

  • HOME ALONE (while setting up the Christmas tree)

  • HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK (setting up the tree takes a while)

  • NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (while wrapping gifts)

  • MIXED NUTS (while baking cookies)

  • THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (while writing out holiday cards)

  • SCROOGED (usually on Christmas Eve while dreading the long day ahead)

Queen of Christmas Mary Steenburgen and I wish you nothing but comfort and joy this season. Between the two of us, we star in four holiday movies, spanning nearly 40 years!

P.S. The best cast in the worst movie that I cannot recommend if I want to stay on the Nice List? SURVIVING CHRISTMAS

Aundria Parker

Aundria Parker writes about movies, pop culture, and herself, usually at the same time. As a geriatric millennial, she's seen and done things most have only dreamed of, like worked at a video store and made mixes on actual cassette tapes. Follow her on Twitter at @parkerandcooley for hot goss and icy cold takes on everything from Mickey Rourke to last night's dinner.

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