It’s More than Just Christmas in These Five Holiday Films
Christmas is that time of the year when we look back at our life journeys and yearn for comfort as well as celebration by connecting with our loved ones. We also wait to welcome the next year in the offing.
Christmas isn’t merely a festival about sprucing up our old walls, decorating an evergreen conifer and expecting Santa to shimmy down the chimney.
It’s also about sharing stories, showing generosity of spirit and having the courage to not simply dream, but pursue our deepest wishes so they don’t remain buried inside us.
These five films, while staying true to the Christmas spirit, also portray the varying shades of our lives that add more beauty and depth to the jingle of the joyous bells:
Little Women (2019)
The cliché goes that classics never go out of fashion. Watch the March family, especially the four lively sisters Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), Meg (Emma Watson) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen) navigate their dreams, relationships, love and hardships as Christmas teaches them lessons of generosity and forgiveness.
Expect: journeys of sisterhood, heartwarming dialogues.
Single All the Way (2021)
Unlucky-in-love Peter (Michael Urie) persuades his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) to accompany him as his pretend boyfriend for his trip back home for Christmas. But before Peter can declare the fake relationship, his mother surprises him by revealing that she has set him up for a blind date with her hunky spinning instructor James (Luke Macfarlane).
Expect: interracial queer romance, Jennifer Coolidge’s quirky humor.
The Noel Diary (2022)
Reclusive best-selling author Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) returns to his estranged mother’s house after her death to settle the estate’s affairs. Sorting through the clutter, he chances upon a diary penned by an unknown author. Meanwhile, charming polyglot Rachel (Barrett Doss) shows up at his doorstep in search of her biological mother. The Christmasy air is festive yet brooding.
Expect: reconnections, seeking closure.
Happiest Season (2020)
Abby (Kristen Stewart) struggles to love Christmas after her parents’ death. Harper (Mackenzie Davis), who has been dating her for nearly a year, convinces Abby to accompany her home for Christmas. Abby gets excited and sees Christmas as the perfect opportunity to propose to her in front of her parents, only to realize Harper is not out to them.
Expect: coming out woes, family issues.
Christmas as Usual (2023)
When Norwegian and Indian traditions clash, it isn’t of course Christmas as usual! I won’t say much about this recently dropped Netflix film. Except that Jashan’s (Kanan Gill) girlfriend Thea Evjen’s (Ida Ursin-Holm) mother keeps getting his name wrong several times (“Shazam”) and also has an “interesting” (racist?) spice cabinet.
Expect: cultural tension, Teeny Tiny Christmas.
© Kaustabh Kashyap
