It’s never too early to start your Christmas movie marathon.
Well, that’s not true. People shouldn’t be watching Christmas movies in April. But November is fair game! There may still be some people who will give you a sideways glance to dive deep into the Christmas canon right after you get rid of the Halloween decorations, but there’s an easy solution: Look for Christmas movies that conform to seasonal lines.
Save the big hits like “Home Alone,” “Love, Actually,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Christmas Vacation,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” for December. There are many other movies that can ease the Christmas craving and start watching them in November.
These are the Christmas movies that we think are safe to enjoy in November.
Vacations
This may be the hardest Christmas movie to sell in November simply because it’s a holiday movie. But of all the popular, high-profile Christmas movies, “The Holiday” deserves more recognition, and the best way to show that is to start watching this movie early and often.
Sure, Jack Black and Kate Winslet have the romantic chemistry of two rocks, but Christmas movies are more about feelings than stories half the time, and “The Holiday” has good feelings in abundance.
“The Holiday” is streaming on Prime Video.
Harry Potter franchise
The Harry Potter franchise may devote only 3 to 5 minutes of screen time per movie to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the holidays, but try to find someone who will argue that it’s not a Christmas movie.
Granted, some of this may have to do with most of the series airing during Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas, but that’s enough. If you’re ready to take a dip in the festive waters but not ready to face The Grinch, spend the month rewatching Harry and his companions battle Voldemort.
The Harry Potter franchise airs on Max and Peacock.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The war on Christmas is getting tired, and the war over whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween or Christmas movie has become a war. Why not split the difference and see it in November? The movie is about Jack Skellington, a prominent citizen of Halloween Town, who finds a grove with Christmas-style doors that lead to other worlds and becomes obsessed with the idea of Christmas.
The movie has been crossed off the list with several holidays, making it definitely safe to watch in November.
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is streaming on Disney+.
Dwarf
There are some people who confidently admit that they watch “Elf” all year long. It’s one of those movies that jumped from a cozy Christmas movie to a general cozy movie. Will Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf is one of the most beloved characters to ever grace the big screen, and November is close enough to the holidays to queue up the comedy without judging your colleagues.
“Elf” airs on Max.
You received a mail
Many people claim that “You Have Got Mail” is one of the best Christmas movies. These people are not wrong. The movie checks all the boxes for a good fall-to-winter movie. It follows Meg Ryan’s struggling bookstore owner with Tom Hanks’ corporate bookstore owner who has moved across the street, as the two begin to fall in love online anonymously.
Young women
“Little Women” is definitely a Christmas movie and is best watched at the beginning of your Christmas party. Much of the movie is a bit sad, so it’s best to start early and end on a lighter note, but it also highlights the real reason for the season: Spending time with family.
“Little Women” is streaming on Hulu.
Caught in Love
“Stuck in Love” is booked for Thanksgiving with a bit of Christmas in between, which is more than enough to set a festive mood while also being the exact opposite. The movie follows a family of writers as they face their budding and dying love lives. The cast is filled with names like Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connolly, Nat Wolff, Lily Collins, and Logan Lerman.
“Stuck in Love” is a ridiculously underrated romantic comedy, and if being labeled as a “Christmas movie” attracts more attention, that’s a good thing.
“Stuck in Love” is streaming on Prime Video and Fubo.
A source