Tis’ the season to be jolly! The joyous time of the year known as Christmas time is approaching. Full of cold weather and everything merry, there’s nothing like cozying up with some hot chocolate and binge-watching all the beloved Christmas classics.

Well-known Christmas movies such as “It’s A Wonderful Life,”  “A Christmas Story,” “Polar Express” and “Home Alone” have captured the hearts of all viewers because of their family-friendly holiday cheer and the memorable impact they leave on viewers’ hearts. 

While nothing could ever top these all-time classics like “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty The Snowman,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” the entertainment industry has released three unique and diverse films this year that are sure to capture the overall feeling this special time of year brings.

“Spirited”

“Spirited” may seem cliché with the whole movie being based off of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” yet this movie provides an unexpected twist on this Christmas classic: it’s a musical. Full of newly-written songs and dance numbers, not to mention the all-star cast including Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, this movie checks all the boxes. 

“Falling For Christmas”

The Hallmark Channel has gained much public attention, not just for their famous cards, but the double-edged Christmas movies they release every year. These movies tend to be cliché and full of expected endings, yet people continue to watch them. 

Some may argue that these movies are so bad that they are good and are the perfect guilty pleasures needed this season. “Falling For Christmas” does just that as a Netflix original with Hallmark-style charm. The famous Lindsay Lohan portrays an engaged heiress who has a skiing accident. Now being diagnosed with amnesia, she finds herself in the care of a cabin owner who, as predicted, is irresistibly charming and who she ends up with at the end. 

Sage Creek junior Animesh Johnson is not a major fan of Hallmark movies, but does enjoy how Hallmark movies all share the stereotypical Christmas theme with each other.

“They are too scripted, all with the same plot,” Johnson said. “[However] they all have the same Christmas charm even if they are not the best movies.”

Kyla Smith, another junior at Sage Creek, shares similar opinions with Johnson, yet enjoys the visual aspect of the Hallmarks more than the actual movie itself.

“The plots are pretty basic, very clichéd and super predictable,” Smith said. “[Yet] the Christmas aesthetic is nice.”

“Violent Night”

An unusual take on the usually loving and jolly St. Nick, “Violent Night” portrays Santa Claus (David Harbour from “Stranger Things”) as a tough guy who, instead of delivering presents and eating chocolate chip cookies, is rather taking out mercenaries with violence, all with good intentions. As an R-rated 17+ action-comedy, it attracts older audiences and proves that not all Christmas movies have to be merry and bright.

 No matter what style of Christmas movies viewers decide to watch, whether it’s from Hallmark or the traditional classics which never fail to bring joy to all ages, they all share one thing in common: how Christmas should not be about the worldly gifts and the act of receiving but rather spending time with family and friends.