‘This the season to watch children’s movies.
For some reason, most holiday movies seem to be geared toward children, and that’s just fine with me. During the rest of the year, I tend to get sideways looks when I indulge in my passion for kid’s movies by doing things like renting “High School Musical 3,” as if there’s something unusual about a 20-year-old woman loving Zac Efron and ridiculous musical numbers designed to thrill preteen girls. Apparently there’s also something slightly unusual about the aforementioned 20-year-old woman getting so worked up by the season finale of “The Legend of Korra” that she finds herself actually yelling at the screen.
But once Thanksgiving passes, none of that matters. I’m free to watch as many (seasonal) children’s movies as I please without being judged for it. After all, I’m just being festive.
Fortunately, there’s a wide selection of movies to choose from. I generally kick off the holiday season with the first viewing of “Fred Claus,” which coincides with the first open weeping session while watching “Fred Claus.” This cycle of viewing and weeping will repeat itself a few times between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. It’s a surprisingly emotional movie.
Like most people who have ever bought clothes at Hot Topic, I rank “The Nightmare Before Christmas” very highly on my list of holiday movies. If you don’t find yourself moved by the music and storytelling, you should probably check your pulse and make sure you’re doing all right. In addition to being a fine example of filmmaking, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is also a multipurpose movie: It can be watched at Halloween and Christmas, and be in season both times. Two birds, one stone.
Let’s not forget those classic Rankin-Bass Christmas specials. While “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a good little movie, I think it’s a bit overrated. I’ll never understand why it’s so much more popular than its fellow specials, like “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (starring a young, redheaded Santa Claus puppet) and “Jack Frost” (which features an unexpectedly stirring love story). There’s also “Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July,” that inexplicable crossover movie. I’m not sure why it exists, but I’m glad it does.
(It’s worth noting that, in addition to the holiday specials, the fine folks at Rankin-Bass also created “The Last Unicorn”; an oddly charming animated version of “The Hobbit”; and an absolutely terrifying animated version of “The Return of the King,” complete with spooky rotoscoping.)
As far as I’m concerned, the best part of the holiday season is the excuse to indulge my inner child, whether by flopping around in a snow-covered yard, taking on the challenge of trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue and avoid being hit by a car while I cross a parking lot, or sitting down to watch the Spongebob Christmas Special.
That’s my advice this holiday season: Enjoy it. Allow yourself the freedom to be unironically and unabashedly excited about all the little things that only come around once a year—holiday movies, mall Santas, endless covers of “The Little Drummer Boy,” or whatever happens to warm the cockles of your heart. Really, isn’t that what the holidays are all about?
Opinions expressed in editorial and opinion articles are the views of individual NIC students. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Sentinel, North Idaho College, or any other organizations or groups there-in. North Idaho College is not responsible for the accuracy of statements or opinions shared.
