Binge watching is the new Christmas caroling.
It’s that time of year again! The ornaments are on the tree, the stockings are hung, gifts are wrapped, and the fireplace is roaring. But before you make cookies for Santa, make sure that there are brand new batteries in your remote. HBO Max is loaded with some of the best Christmas content, from classics like Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Carol to modern staples like Elf and The Polar Express. The streamer also has newer titles exclusive to the platform, such as 8-Bit Christmas and the adult animated series Santa Inc. starring Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman. So what are you waiting for? Grab a piping hot cup of cocoa and pull that blanket up to your chin.
We all have that one gift that we desperately want for Christmas as kids (or adults, let’s be real). This new HBO Max Original movie is all about the struggle one must go through to get their mittens on the gift they covet the most. Based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Jakubowski (who also wrote the screenplay) and directed by Michael Dowse, this family Christmas comedy tells the story of a young Jake Doyle (Winslow Fegley) who, growing up in 1980s Chicago, was determined to get the most sought after item of the season: the brand new Nintendo Entertainment System. The movie dips back and forth between present day and the late ‘80s, with the now-adult Jake (Neil Patrick Harris) recounting his desperate adventures to secure the gaming system with his misfit friends to his young daughter. The movie also stars June Diane Raphael and Steve Zahn as young Jake’s parents.
It’s a Christmas miracle. Elf is on HBO Max. Written by David Berenbaum and directed by Jon Favreau, this critical and commercial mega-hit of 2003 follows Buddy (Will Ferrell) a human that’s been raised by Santa (Ed Asner) and Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) in the North Pole after sneaking into Santa’s toy sack as a baby when he was delivering gifts at Buddy’s orphanage. Now as an adult, Buddy travels to New York City to track down his biological father Walter (James Caan), a cranky children’s publisher who is severely lacking some Christmas spirit. Buddy forces his way into Walter’s life and family, which includes his sweet wife Emily (Mary Steenburgen) and teenage son Michael (Daniel Tay). Buddy’s life changes once again when he meets Gimbels employee Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) and tries to win her over. This heartfelt and festive story instantly became a cozy Christmas classic and is the perfect movie to watch as you anxiously wait for Santa.
Careful, you might shoot your eye out. Watching the 1983 movie A Christmas Story is a holiday tradition for many families. But did you know that this movie was based on a collection of short stories that appeared in Playboy Magazine in the 1960s? The screenplay by director Bob Clark and Leigh Brown is an adaptation of the short story collection titled In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd. At the core of the film is the story of 9-year-old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) who really wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. His mother (Melinda Dillon) is strongly against this request while his father (Darren McGavin) is preoccupied with his fishnet-stocking leg lamp. Author Jean Shepherd voiced the narration of adult Ralphie in the film, which is believed to have inspired a similar format for the hit show The Wonder Years.
All aboard! You can’t go wrong with The Polar Express, an animated masterpiece that follows a young boy who’s having a hard time believing that Santa Claus is real. On Christmas Eve, a train pulls up outside his house seemingly out of nowhere and sparks his interest. He journeys outside in his pajamas through the soft snow and is informed by the conductor (Tom Hanks) that the train is headed to the North Pole to visit Santa as he prepares for his big day. Along the way, the young boy meets several other children and interesting characters that teach him about the power of friendship, adventure, and Christmas. The movie’s realistic animation was made using motion-capture technology and the story was based on a children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, who served as an executive producer on the project, and was directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Surely you’re familiar with Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas tale known as A Christmas Carol which was first published in London in 1843. Its story has impacted fans for centuries and continues to inspire dozens of adaptations for the stage, screen, and even radio. Similar to its counterparts, this 1938 version tells the story of Christmas curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge (Reginald Owen) who is visited by the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley on Christmas Eve, who warns Scrooge to repent and serve the community in order to save himself in the afterlife. Throughout the film, Scrooge is visited by three specific ghosts: the Spirit of Christmas Past (Ann Rutherford), the Spirit of Christmas Present (Lionel Braham), and the Spirit of Christmas Future (D’Arcy Corrigan). All three ghosts do their best to remind Scrooge of the error of his ways, and encourage him to embrace the true meaning of Christmas.
Ho ho ho, oh this is not your average family-friendly Christmas cartoon. In fact, it is strongly recommended that your children are nowhere near this stop-motion animated comedy series. Created by Alexandra Rushfield, this eight episode series takes place at the North Pole and follows elf Candy Smalls (Sarah Silverman) who is determined to take the place of Santa Claus (Seth Rogen) and become the first female leader of the North Pole. Additional voices include Maria Bamford, Joel Kim Booster, Nicholas Braun, and Gabourey Sidibe. Once you put your kiddos to bed, slip into your adult-sized onesie (you know you want to), pour a cup of some spiked eggnog, and enjoy this raunchy, expletive, and nudity-filled HBO Max Original.
Celebrating one Christmas with family may seem like a lot, but imagine having to attend four? A nightmare! For couple Kate (Reese Witherspoon) and Brad (Vince Vaughn), this nightmare is actually a reality. Since both of their parents are divorced and celebrate Christmas separately, the onus is on them to make four individual trips. They think they have the perfect out (they plan a vacation to Fiji and say they are doing charity work) but unprecedented weather conditions keep them trapped at home. As a result, the two have no other choice but to face their chaotic, loud, and judgmental families, one tedious visit at a time. Will these gatherings pull Kate and Brad apart, or bring them closer together? Brad’s parents are played by Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek and Kate’s are played by Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight.
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Nothing is more iconic than the wholesome Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street. Written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies, this movie proves how powerful kindness and generosity can be. A little girl named Susan Walker (Natalie Wood) was raised by her mother, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade event director Doris (Maureen O’Hara) to not believe in Santa. Doris hires a man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) to replace the actor set to play Santa in the parade once Kris complains to her that he saw him intoxicated and unprepared to play such a beloved character. Kris’ authenticity inspires the town, but his surprising conviction that he is the real Santa concerns Doris. Much to her mother’s frustration, Susan develops a close friendship with Kris, which causes her to question her previous doubts about Santa’s existence. The film is a loving narrative about kindness, acceptance, and believing in Christmas miracles.
Vince Vaughn is at it again in another Christmas (mis)adventure. He leads a star-studded cast as the titular Fred Claus, an adult still bitter for growing up in the shadows of his younger, generous brother Nick, who became a saint and grew up to become Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti). While the last thing Fred wants to do is interact with his jolly brother, he has no other choice but to reach out for bail money once he gets arrested for impersonating a Salvation Army Santa. In exchange for the cash, Fred must help his brother out in the North Pole during his busiest time of the year. The movie also stars Rachel Weisz, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, and Jeremy Swift.
An electrocuted cat, a power outage, and a visit by a SWAT team are three things you can expect to see in this fan favorite Christmas movie. Written by John Hughes (who would soon after write Home Alone), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation follows the Griswolds and their disastrous Christmas with extended family. All Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants is to have a fun, relaxing holiday with his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and their children Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki), but a series of obstacles, unexpected setbacks, and combative family members creates more chaos than they could imagine.
You know it’s Christmas when you hear Grammy winning country music superstar Carrie Underwood singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” For her seventh studio album titled My Gift, which was released in 2020, Underwood starred in her own Christmas special event for HBO Max. Here she sings timeless songs including “Silent Night,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “Hallelujah,” with John Legend. In addition to her beautiful voice, you’ll be able to enjoy the cozy and detailed Christmas decorations that adorn the stage. It’s a great way to ease into the season and remember what you are grateful for (such as having an HBO Max subscription).
"Show me how the piggies eat."
Emily Bernard is a NJ based Senior Feature Writer & Saturday Night Live Recap Writer for Collider and studied History and English at The University of Scranton. She's pretty darn passionate about screenwriting, playwriting, and comedy. She's a Semi-Finalist in Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival for her short screenplay and her feature screenplay is a Finalist for Best Comedy Feature Screenplay in the Houston Comedy Film Festival and a Semi-Finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival. Some of her current favorite shows include Succession, Hacks, Barry, Fargo, Killing Eve, and anything Kristen Wiig does, really. She's not totally sure how she feels about this whole "writing in the third person" thing, but it sounds more professional, so she's going to stick with it.