What Christmas Activities Are You Planning?

It is Christmas. The shopping is finished, and the wrapping is done. Now it is time to make the pies and give assignments for Christmas dinner. Whether you have your big dinner earlier in December, on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day, Christmas is a suitable time to gather with family and friends.

Christmas holidays are also a suitable time for activities with family and friends. My family has an activity that my husband and I started when our oldest children were toddlers. Our children carried the activity into their homes. Christmas Eve is the time that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We have our big Christmas dinner, act out the Nativity story, and end by singing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus before eating angel food cake. This is, of course, the most meaningful activity of the Christmas season for us. However, there are numerous other activities to do.

In places with snow, sledding and skiing are fun. In warm climates, other activities are acceptable for Christmas. However, there are times when outside activities are not possible – after dark, in sub-zero temperatures, and other such times. At such times, a common activity is to watch movies.

Since the Christmas season is magical, the classic movies seem to “capture the heart, humor and nostalgia that make Christmas movies so enduring.” This site suggests the following classics. 

‘The Santa Clause’ (1994)

Rated: PG

Streaming: Disney+, Hulu

Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) isn’t expecting his life to change on Christmas Eve, but then Santa falls off his roof and Scott inherits the job. Follow along as he accepts his new role as the one and only Santa Claus.

‘A Christmas Story’ (1983)

Rated: PG

Streaming: Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube

All Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wants for Christmas is the “Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred Shot Range Model Air Rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.” But every adult has the same warning: “You’ll shoot your eye out.” A favorite full of charm and a bit of holiday chaos.

‘White Christmas’ (1954)

Rated: Not rated

Streaming: AMC+, Amazon Prime Video

Two Army buddies turned musical-comedy partners (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) cross paths with a pair of rising singer sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen). They follow the sisters to a Vermont inn owned by their former Army commander, and soon hatch a plan to save the charming lodge from closing. A heartwarming, song-filled

classic.

‘Miracle on 34^th Street’ (1947)

Rated: PG

Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, YouTube

Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) steps in as a department-store Santa and immediately causes a stir – not because he’s bad at the job, but because he insists he’s the real Santa Claus. A skeptical world soon learns that a man in red suit just might be their miracle.

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (1966)

Rated: Not rated

Streaming: Amazon Prime Video (requires add-on)

Dr. Seuss’s classic tale comes to life as the Grinch (Boris Karloff), a grouchy green fellow who lives at the top of Mount Crumpet, plots to steal Christmas from Whoville. But even he can’t predict how the holiday spirit might expand his heart.

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946)

Rated: PG

Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu

George Bailey (James Stewart) feels the weight of the world during the holiday season – until an angel gives him a profound glimpse of how deeply he’s impacted the lives around him. A timeless story filled with hope, community and redemption.

‘Home Alone’ (1990)

Rated: PG

Streaming: Disney+, Hulu

When his large family takes off to Paris for the holidays, they accidentally leave Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) behind. However, while he is home alone he becomes the sole protector of his family home when a pair of burglars target the house, leading Kevin to engineer the ultimate homemade security system to protect it.

‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ (1992)

Rated: G

Streaming: Disney+

A Muppet twist on Charles Dickens’ beloved story, this adaptation is packed with signature Muppet humor, heart and faithful retelling of the classic tale.

‘While You Were Sleeping’ (1995)

Rated: PG

Streaming: Disney+, Amazon Prime Video

A lonely transit worker rescues her commuter crush after he falls onto the tracks. Through a series of misunderstandings, she’s mistaken for his fiancée while he’s in a coma, but finds herself unexpectedly falling for his brother instead.

‘Elf’ (2003)

Rated: PG

Streaming: HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube

Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human raised at the North Pole who heads to New York City to find his long-lost father. However, things in the Big Apple aren’t what he dreams of finding.