Every Christmas, families gather around to watch good ol ‘ holiday classics. These movies typically invoke some kind of feeling whether its nostalgia, tradition, or timelessness of their message. Home Alone, The Santa Claus, A Christmas Story, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and hell, even Die-Hard. Although a recent study show’s that in polling, the vast majority of movie watching audiences wouldn’t agree with that last one. But now that there are a plethora of streaming platforms airing countless new movies and television programming, it’s easy to stick with the classics instead of finding new ones. Here’s my attempt to recommend some personal Christmas viewing that you may not have checked out yet.

➄ The Night Before (2015)

This is one I’ve personally loved since the time of its release. It flew under the radar by comparison to the tentpoles openings it went up against in late November of that year. Director Jonathan Levine’s flick did earn a cool $52.4 million at the box office and holds a 67% on rotten tomatoes. I think the stuff that hinders the film can mostly be passed over to enjoy the full picture overall. Its minor speedbumps are often the liberties of taking certain jokes too far. Mostly the ones about Judaism. Anthony Mackie is just enjoyable to watch have fun. If this film spun out into a night focused on his character, I may have enjoyed it all the same. Also, the cameos are pretty good too. Jillian Bell and Lizzy Caplan also rule. However, it’s really Micheal Shannon that shines in every moment on display here throughout. This movie still holds up and I don’t care, I’ll always let Tracy Morgan narrate my Christmas material.

➃ Krampus (2015)

2015 must have really gotten filmmakers in the spirit of the holiday as its also the year for my #4 pick, Krampus. Boy, do I love this movie. Its eerie from the start, but carefully treads its script by never feeling dreary. Its got under laden themes of consumerism sprinkled throughout. Fun performances by Adam Scott, Toni Collette (Yes, fucking Toni Colette), and David Koechner all do fine jobs here and give the film enough thrills to keep you jumping and enough heart to feel at times….warm. I recommend it to all horror enthusiasts out there that think there isn’t something for them all times of the year. For those familiar with the director, Micheal Dougherty, he was also responsible for another very good holiday horror, Trick-r-Treat. If you can allow a bit of suspense of disbelief, you will have fun with this one. It’s ending isn’t sensational, but rarely do horror flicks rely on logic anyways.

➂ The Wonder Years Season 2: Episode 3 (1988)

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love The Wonder Years. This is a show that was filled to the brim with heart and for a wee lad, moments of childhood that felt relatable. Kevin Arnold was every suburban kid from a blue-collar family. Daniel Stern’s narrating of Kevin’s older self is timeless. After only 6 episodes of Season 1, The Wonder Years won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1988. At age 13, Fred Savage became the youngest actor ever nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor for a Comedy Series. So reasonably by Season 2, the writers got into an even better groove. They discovered the tone of the show and what really worked. In this episode, Paul and Kevin debate whats more beneficial gift-wise, being Jewish or Catholic during the holidays. Kevin’s pressed numerous times about what he wants for Christmas and alludes to Winnie Cooper but winds up saying ‘a color tv I guess’ each time. This Christmas special has it all. The usual dynamic of the grumpy father with a big heart, complaining about family traditions, the annoying big brother, and that one present your underpaid family couldn’t afford but pined after. I love the nostalgia I feel when watching this, and think it holds up very well still. The family did what the Connors did on Roseanne, deal with real-world problems. Things we can all relate to. But in my opinion, the Arnolds did it better and for my money, its one of the all-time greatest Christmas specials ever aired. Also, Kevin working with $6 to get Winnie a present for Christmas provides the episodes best moments about why we celebrate the holiday. ‘It’s the thought that counts’ as Kevin so elegantly put it. You can also catch it and every season on Hulu streaming.

➁ Black Mirror Christmas Special (2014)

Dystopian tech drama Black Mirror took its first step into the big leagues with this ambitious feature-length episode in 2014. Weaving three linked stories together (starring Jon Hamm, Rafe Spall, and Oona Chaplin) over an increasingly unsettling Christmas dinner, the episode explores the horrors of digital consciousness, an unsettling dating story gone terribly wrong and one man’s technological estrangement from his family, all building to a truly stomach-clenching conclusion. Overall, it’s unlikely to leave you warm and fuzzy over the Christmas period. And it might even make you think twice before plugging in any new gadgets you’re given on the big day…Watch Black Mirror – White Christmas on Netflix

➀ Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Okay, this pick for #1 may be biased as Stanley is in my opinion, a master filmmaker in every sense. Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1999 film ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ was polarizing at the time of its release. Described as a ‘Psycho-Sexual Thriller, but doesn’t necessarily feel like that. This movie is absolutely LITTERED with Christmas aesthetic. The movie opens as Cruise and Kidman are departing for a lavish Christmas party. A spectacular Christmas tree stands in the atrium of the Manhattan mansion they visit; a fantastic Christmas light display illuminates the ballroom for dancing. OK, so the party concludes with a hooker overdosing on a speedball of heroin and cocaine in an upstairs bathroom: Let’s just say it’s a very Kubrick Christmas. Christmas is everywhere, in scenes highbrow and low. At nearly every den of iniquity he visits—a sleazy jazz club; a prostitute’s cramped, depressing apartment; a costume shop where a father sells his teenage daughter’s body—Christmas is there. They all have Christmas trees, and most rooms are festooned with Christmas lights. The higher class salons that Cruise visits—his own condo on Central Park West; a dying friend’s apartment—also all feature Christmas trees. The constant presence of Christmas decorations allowed Kubrick to shoot most of the film in natural light, as he often liked to do. But it’s clear that the auteur wanted a particularly Christmas-oriented theme for the movie on a deeper level.

– Josh O.