Even as students’ lives shift from season to season, the quiet anticipation of familiar holidays offers comfort—not just in the promise of a break, but in personal traditions that warm the heart. For some, that might mean attending church or setting up an Advent calendar; for others, it might mean trading hot chocolate recipes or re-watching that comfort film that may not even be about Christmas. With that in mind, The Omega asked its staff to name their ‘must-watch’ movies and television shows for the season.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
For The Omega’s Sports editor Alexa Liptak, the holiday season wouldn’t be the same without A Charlie Brown Christmas. Choosing this film because it’s also her dad’s favorite, Liptak reaches for A Charlie Brown Christmas to set the Christmas mood. This short film by Bill Melendez follows the titular character, Charlie Brown, as he searches to find the true meaning of Christmas despite being surrounded by commercialism.
“I think it really brings a true spirit of Christmas that it’s not about pretty things or anything. It’s about being with people, and that’s the best part of Christmas,” Liptak said.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Bringing to the table a classic story many of us may be familiar with, staff writer Jakob Schmietenknop reveals that his tradition wasn’t just about watching the stop motion film directed by Larry Roemer, but an all-day quest. Schmeitenknop shared how it all started when, along with his family, they would set up the Christmas tree while listening to the family’s favorite jingles. After completing that mission, that’s when the party really started. “In the evening, usually there would be like some cookies, [and] I would always have to have eggnog to watch Rudolf. Otherwise, it would ruin the movie for me.”
Now that Schmeitenknop has grown up, he admits that modern audiences may find the classic feature a little boring, but in this day and age, where retro is in, what’s old is often new again, especially with the help of some good ol’ fashioned adult eggnog.
Avatar (2009)
As a true science fiction fanatic, The Omega’s photographer, Charles Rankin, chooses Avatar by James Cameron as his favourite December movie. Avatar takes place in the future on Pandora, a fictional planet far from Earth inhabited by an alien race of humanoids called the Na’vi. When humans come to Pandora to exploit the planet’s abundant ecosystem, the Na’vi are forced to violently defend themselves or face total annihilation.
For Rankin, sometimes the movie one sees is more about the cherished memory than about the holiday.
“The first time I saw it was with an uncle of mine who’s now passed. My family had no interest in watching this weird alien movie [but] my uncle and [I] were really big sci-fi buffs, and it [just happened to come] out in December,” Rankin said, noting that it’s that connection to his uncle that makes the tradition so important.
Jingle All the Way (1996)
Directed by Brian Levant, this comedy follows a father’s adventure trying to secure his son’s wish: a Turbo Man action figure that seems sold out everywhere in town. Staff writer Santiago Rojas recalled when one of his family members asked if he had seen this movie. When his answer was negative, he remembers how they all sat down to watch it every Christmas since.
“I just think it’s hilarious, it’s funny how Arnold Schwarzenegger acts [in] the movie. It reminds me of like… family— sitting down all together watching this movie, before or on Christmas [day].”
Love Actually (2003)
For the romance fanatics, staff writer Billie Gladue recommends Love Actually by Richard Curtis. This film tells the story of eight couples with different plot lines who are dealing with their own romantic problems. Gladue admits that during her initial viewing, she and her mother actually turned off the movie 20 minutes in, as her father convinced them to watch something else. However, she said, once they ended up watching it completely, she fell in love with its message.
“At the beginning they say… ‘if you look closely you’ll find that love is all around’ and it shows that it doesn’t place a huge emphasis on romantic love. It’s like all different kinds of relationships.”
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
When it comes to holiday movies, no one loves them more than Robert McAlaster, The Omega’s editor-in-chief.
Out of the thousands of Christmas movies that have been released, McAlaster credits the Jim Henson classic, The Muppet Christmas Carol, as his favourite.
“What I love about the movie is how authentic it is,” he said. “Not only is it wholesome and fun, but it’s also remarkably faithful to the original Dickens’ text. Add to that watching Sir Michael Caine playing the role of Scrooge straight-faced opposite a bunch of puppets, and I think you have something very special.”