Christmas movies have wormed their way into your viewing pleasure at any time of the year, whether you were looking for them or not. You may recall playing in the background on Christmas morning while violently tearing apart presents, watching them on the roll-in TV the last week of school before winter break, or seeing snippets of them on screen through the party crowd before passing out became. While many of these movies may be pretty cheesy, they successfully strike a perfect balance between being so bad they’re good and cementing themselves as timeless holiday classics.
While many Christmas movies are universally loved, some we must defend with our lives when we enter the conversation. For me it is “The Polar Express”. I totally understand why people think this movie is an excruciating watch, but it personally brings back memories of me happily sliding down the insanely huge slide at Santa’s Toy Factory during our Christmas party in my 5th grade classroom. To be honest, not many other Christmas movies have such a special place in my heart.
That being said, the most obvious choices to make around this time of year include “Home Alone,” “Elf,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But what actually is a Christmas film? Many people would count movies that are simply set around Christmas, or incorporate them into part of the plot, like Batman Returns or Die Hard. I would consider Perks of Being a Wallflower to be one of those for me. Many of the scenes take place during the Christmas season and generally create a cozy and nostalgic atmosphere. Or maybe you don’t need a traditional, family-friendly Hallmark film for a Christmas movie. I promise I won’t judge you for throwing Krampus on the 25th.
Regardless of which Christmas movie you prefer, there’s definitely one that you trust will get you in the holiday spirit the moment you tune in. In honor of those tried-and-true comfort movies that make you cry in the best possible way, here are a few tattoos inspired by our favorite vacation movies. Enjoy watching!
HOME ALONE (1990)
Elf (2003)
Die Hard (1988)
Batman Returns (1992)
THE SNOWMAN (1982)
THE YEAR WITHOUT SANTA CLAUS (1974)
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990)
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)
BAD SANTA CLAUS (2003)
ADVANTAGES OF A WALLBLOWER (2012)
Gremlins (1984)
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (1965)
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000)
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)
LITTLE WOMEN (1949)
A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)
THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004)
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (1969)
RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE REINDEER (1964)
KRAMPUS (2015)
NATIONAL LAMPOON CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)