Holiday Movie Recommendations 2023

What’s your favorite holiday movie? Check out our annual list of faculty, staff, and SLATE member recommendations!

• Kim Edwards, Director of Technology Services
  • The VERY BEST holiday movie ever made is The Muppet Christmas Carol! It has music! It has drama! It has suspense! It has joy! It has Kermit the Frog! It has Miss Piggy!  And it has a rat help to narrate the story!  Who could ask for a better cast? ☺
  • Last year, was surprised to learn how many people have never seen A Christmas Story, which is also a favorite.

• Will Thompson, Dean’s Office Admin Coordinator
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol. It’s the only holiday film I watch every December. Definitely make time for a rewatch this year!

• Sara Titcomb, Admissions Specialist
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the Island of Misfit Toys is always one of my favorites- Can’t beat the stop-motion animation and that cast of characters!

• Janette Morgan, Acquisitions and Serials Manager
  • “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  It’s really old but the story is still relevant!

• Kristen Osenga, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law
  • DieHard is a holiday movie. I’m willing to go to the mat for this.

• Carl Hamm, Multimedia Prod & Tech Spec
  • My mom and I binge-watched “A Storm For Christmas” last winter…. Pretty great series – though some parts of the plot seem a little bit contrived, it’s wholesome and heartwarming overall.
  • “As busy travelers make their way through the holiday rush at Oslo Airport, a brewing storm lights up the flight display boards with delays.”
  • Studio Ghibli’s “Wolf Children” is a good winter-time anime, though it’s not specifically Christmas themed. Another great Christmas Anime film is “Tokyo Godfathers.”
  • And another film that’s only really Christmas-related by the title (otherwise it’s more of a war drama by a Japanese new wave director, Nagisa Oshima), but it’s a good one – “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” – starring David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

• Maggie Graff, Digital Communications Manager
  • It’s tied between It’s a Wonderful Life and Elf for me!

• Sylvia Yanes, Faculty Services Librarian
  • A Nightmare Before Christmas

• Roger Skalbeck, Associate Dean for Library & Information Services
  • My favorite holiday movie is Elf.  It’s a cherished family favorite, and we know we’re in the holiday spirit at home when we’ve watched Elf.  At least once.  At this point, the jokes are predictable, we know where it will end up, and we always have a good time.

• Janice Craft, Assoc Prof. of Legal Practice and Director of Professional Identity Formation
  • I recommend “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” With many thanks to the Vince Guaraldi Trio, the music alone makes it worth a watch. The heartfelt message it contains – that the holidays offer an opportunity to connect with who and what are most meaningful to you – is pretty great, too.

• Lauren Dillon, SLATE 2L
  • Favorite Holiday movie would be the Grinch: It’s a classic for a reason. Seems like one of the few holiday movies that is not a romantic christmas story. Everytime I watch it I catch some kind of adult reference I missed the first time and it always makes me laugh. Best time to watch it would be while wrapping presents.

• Chris Ames, SLATE 3L
  • My favorite holiday movie is probably Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. It’s the perfect combination of action, comedy, and high stakes taking place in the hours leading up to Christmas Day. It’s a great movie and anyone who says it isn’t a Christmas Movie is just flat out wrong.

• Anna Bickley SLATE 1L
  • I’m a Polar Express apologist! My family loves the Polar Express and watches it every year. It has only recently come to my attention that the vast majority of people find it creepy (I think it’s the animated characters’ lifeless eyes…). Also, fun fact: Tom Hanks voices something like 7 different characters in the Polar Express, including the little boy main character.