The holidays are filled to the brim with annual traditions. My favorite tradition by far is curling up on the couch with a massive blanket to watch Christmas movies with my sister. So I thought I would share some of our favorites.

The number one movie we watch every year is Elf. For those of you who are uncultured, Elf is a Christmas comedy in which a man grows up among elves in the North Pole, but after finding out that he is, in fact, not an elf, he travels to the magical city of New York to find his dad. It’s funny and the right amount of heartwarming, perfect for the holiday season.

If you’re looking for two grown men being beat up by a little kid, Home Alone is the perfect movie for you. It’s about a slightly bratty kid who gets “accidentally” left home by his parents and has to defend his house against robbers.

I think one of the most underappreciated Christmas movies is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s one of the most chaotic movies ever, and I love it. Christmas Vacation is mainly about a family having relatives over for the holidays and how crazy it always turns out to be.

Of course, when making a “watch list” of Christmas movies, you cannot forget The Grinch, either the more recent animated one or the Jim Carrey version. Both are somewhat wholesome stories about a green man who gets pulled out of his cave to enjoy Christmas.

Another absolutely necessary movie to watch during the holidays is A Christmas Story. The main storyline is about a 9-year-old kid who really wants a BB gun for Christmas, despite his mom not wanting to get him one because “he’s gonna shoot his eye out.” 

If you’re weird and can’t get over Halloween, then I recommend The Night Before Christmas. The whole movie is basically a fever dream about a skeleton who got tired of Halloween and wanted to try Christmas. 

Next in line to watch is the Santa Clause movies 1, 2 and 3. They are about a guy who hates Christmas, but because he accidentally made Santa fall off a ladder, he has to become Santa. They do get progressively worse, but we all know you have extra time to watch them, so why not. 

Lastly, there is the newer Klaus movie. It’s about a postman who has to find a way to get people to mail letters again. Personally, I think it’s a really cute movie with a great storyline and an interesting take on the origins of Santa.

So if you have any trouble at all trying to find a good movie to watch this winter break, you can always take inspiration from this article.