As the air turns crisp, the weather turns cold, the nights get long, and the snow starts falling, many bundle up at home with hot chocolate in one hand and cookies in the other, sitting by the fire to watch the one thing that almost everyone likes during the season; holiday movies.
Watching holiday movies is a tradition for a lot of families. As expected, 91.2 percent of surveyed Foran students enjoy watching holiday movies, but the numbers differ for each grade level.
Unsurprisingly, 83 percent of the surveyed freshmen at Foran enjoy holiday movies, and 100 percent of surveyed sophomores and juniors said they enjoy watching holiday movies. For seniors, only 79 percent surveyed enjoy holiday movies.
There are many well known and popular holiday movies, but which ones do students like the most?
The third most popular movie amongst students is The Grinch, with 10 votes. In first place, there is a tie between two movies. Unsurprisingly, Elf and Home Alone are the most popular movies amongst students with a combined 22 votes, with each movie getting 18.6 percent of the total votes.
“Elf is very comedic, and it’s just an all around very good Christmas movie. And who doesn’t like Will Farrel?” says sophomore Joseph Lahav.
We also talked to TV Studio teacher Mr. Tom Dillon about his favorite holiday movie.
“My favorite Christmas movie is A Charlie Brown Christmas,” says Dillon.
“That is my favorite because at the end, Linus recites Luke 8:11-14 and reminds everyone that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and not about presents.” Dillon states.
Holiday movies are some of the most popular movies out there, some of the reasoning being that it gets people in a festive mood, but they can also have an emotional connection to a movie, evoking feelings of nostalgia.
“Christmas movies you can only watch during Christmas because it’s a different setting when you watch them,” explains Sophomore Daniela Boutote.
But there are also many specific aspects that make movies so appealing to certain audiences.
Dillon explains, “If I had to pick one, I would say that the most important aspect of movies that make them engaging is having powerful themes. For instance, regardless of a person’s religious beliefs, the story of the birth of Jesus is known worldwide and is a story that speaks of hope, new beginnings, and divine love. These are universal themes that resonate with a wide audience.”
The holiday season is now here, and the holiday spirit is in the air. When winter break starts and you are sitting on the couch bundled up in a blanket with some hot chocolate, what movie will you be watching?
