It’s a cold, dark December night. You just got out of the shower and are now wearing your
favorite pair of holiday pajamas and warm fuzzy socks. You get some hot chocolate and snuggle up on the cozy couch. You turn on the TV to watch… what? What impacts the holiday movies you choose?

Since many people were old enough to remember, they have associated movies with the memories that came watching them. The nostalgia hits especially with Christmas movies.

Elf is the most beloved Christmas movie among BSM students according to a survey conducted by the Knight Errant. It seems to act as almost a looking glass to simpler times in life. Movies like these seem to trigger holiday memories that folks everywhere hold so dear. “Every year [Elf] just makes me feel the holiday spirit and it brings back old memories,” sophomore Frankie Hyde said.

Apart from the basic nostalgia radiating from Christmas movies, the familial aspect also seems to be something that pulls people back to certain films. The second most loved holiday movie among the BSM community, Home Alone, seems to be tied to relationships. “My family would make hot chocolate and we would just sit on the couch and cozy up and turn on the movie and just watch it and laugh at Kevin and every single mistake he made,” senior Fayedra Vang said.

The passion that many feel towards Christmas movies, and the obligation to tradition also seems to tie individuals to certain films every year. Growing up watching the same movie on the same day every year is bound to make an impact on their minds, and how they see the holiday season. “Some Christmas movies you just have to watch every year no matter if you’ve seen it 10 times. It’s just required,” Hyde said.

However, nostalgia may look different for some people. Though mostly associated with classics, many people also find comfort in action movies like Die Hard and romcoms like Hallmark movies.

No matter how many years go by, Christmas will always have a special place in everyone’s heart. When you turn on the TV to see a holiday movie that you haven’t seen in a year, it’s bound to trigger some kind of excitement. This kind of content sparks someone deep inside you that is still an avid believer in Christmas magic. You feel a prominent sense of joy whether it be about the movie itself or the nostalgic recollection you get from it.