Thanksgiving is now long passed, and Christmas is less than two weeks away. There are many enjoyable activities to do before the holiday. Ugly sweater parties, building snowmen (if it snows), and making gingerbread houses are comforting activities to do this Christmas, but Christmas cannot truly be happily spent without watching a classic Christmas movie.

Here are some of my favorites:

THIS CHRISTMAS (2007)

This Christmas is a top favorite Christmas movie. It is a romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Chris Brown, Idris Elba and, Lauren London. The movie revolves around an African American family known as the Whitefields, who have not seen each other in 4 years. Ma’dere played by Loretta Devine, is a mother of 6 kids who gathered her family to spend Christmas with her. Each member of the family has their own problems to deal with. When they get together for the first time in 4 years, all they did was bicker and argue. Many of Ma’dere’s  kids do not care for the Christmas spirit. One of her daughters is encouraging her siblings to sell the family business and the other has brought home a troublesome date. Also one of her sons is running from loans and the other is a AWOL from the Marine corps. The youngest that lives with them is Michael Whitfield  (Chris Brown). He has an inspiring dream to become a singer, but Ma’dere disapproves of it. In a church scene, Michael  shows his mother how musically talented he is by singing This Christmas by Chris Brown. This Christmas shows how family with many problems come together and enjoy the holidays. The movie also expresses how blood is thicker than water and how strong unity is.

POLAR EXPRESS (2004)

Another classic Christmas movie to enjoy during the holiday is Polar Express. Polar Express is a story of a young boy who boards a magical train headed to the North pole. His intention was not to look for a train, but to wait and listen for the sound of reindeer to determine if Santa Claus was real or not. Instead, he heard the sound of a train. The conductor invites the boy onto a once in a lifetime journey where he receives an extraordinary gift from the North Pole. The gift can only be enjoyed by those who believe in Santa Claus. During his adventure, he learns the true value of friendship, bravery, and belief. Polar Express is book-based and full of positive messages for children.

ELF (2003)

Elf is a comedy-fantasy film with a little romance mixed in for good measure. The film is very enjoyable to watch with family and is unquestionably one of the best Christmas movies of the 21^st century. The movie is about a young spirited elf named Buddy (Will Ferrell) who accidently gets taken to the North Pole and gets raised by Santa Claus and the elves. It was very obvious that Buddy did not belong in the North Pole. He was human and towered over all the elves he worked with. When he was told that Papa Elf was his adopted father, Buddy the Elf went to New York in search for his real father. During his time in New York, He falls in love with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) a woman who he works with at the mall as Santa’s little helpers. The theme of the movie is to spread the joy of Christmas and to spend it with family.

HOME ALONE (1990)

Home Alone is a good natured family film. It is hilariously funny and is about a bratty 8 year old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) who was forgotten and left behind home alone during a Christmas family vacation to Paris, France. Despite this accident, Kevin makes the best of the situation spending money on of his dad’s credit card, jumping on beds, eating microwave dinners, and watching violent films. His moments of bliss come to an end when a pair of burglars invade his home attempting to steal valuables. It is up to Kevin to protect him and his home from the amateur and idiotic robbers until his family gets home. The pranks and traps Kevin has set for the burglars are pouring water on the sidewalks so it could freeze up, shooting them with a BB gun, making the door knobs boiling hot, and hitting them in the face with an iron. The message of the movie is about reconciliation and enjoying Christmas.

There are many Christmas movies to watch, but This Christmas, Polar Express, Elf, and Home Alone are Christmas movies that must be watched. Each movie shares an important message –  to spread the Christmas cheer and enjoy it with family.