December has quickly arrived at Northwood, and the Christmas spirit is taking over. Decorations are starting to go up, and students are getting excited for the upcoming break. One of the most popular activities at Northwood in December is beginning to watch Christmas movies. You will see athletes on the bus watching films, or groups of students getting together in their rooms or lounges to watch.
Photo credits: 20th Century Fox and Film Art Gallery
A quick survey of students produced a list of the most popular Christmas movies on campus. Here is the rundown of the top 5 choices:
#5 – How the Grinch Stole Christmas
This live-action movie came out in 2000 and stars Jim Carrey. It tells the story of the Grinch and his dog Max, who sneak down from the mountain to steal everything holiday-related from Whoville. This is a solid, funny film that people watch over and over. It has become extremely popular to wear Grinch merchandise, such as sweaters, t-shirts, and pajama pants, during the holiday season.
#4 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
This comedy came out in 1989 and is a true classic! The film stars Chevy Chase as the bumbling Clark Griswold, who tries to give his family the perfect Christmas, but nothing but trouble follows him. It’s not unusual to hear people quoting the movie, and everyone knows exactly what scene the quote comes from. Here’s a couple of examples, “I don’t know, Margooooo!” and “Hallelujah! Where’s the Tylenol?”
#3 – Home Alone 2
This is the 1992 sequel to Home Alone, and Macaulay Culkin reprises his role as Kevin McCallister, who is once again left behind by his parents as they head to Florida. Kevin ends up this time in New York City at the Plaza Hotel and takes down the Wet Bandits again. Here’s a fun fact: the future President of the United States, Donald Trump, plays himself in the movie and directs Kevin in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel.
#2 – Elf
The second-most-popular Christmas film at Northwood is Elf, released in 2003. This stars Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf. He was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a baby and raised with Santa’s elves. Buddy heads back to New York City to find his real dad and brings Christmas chaos with him. This movie has lots of famous quotes, too, that you will hear, like “Son of a nutcracker” and “I’m a cotton-headed ninny muggins.”
#1 – Home Alone
Without a doubt, the most popular Christmas film at Northwood is the original Home Alone. This movie was released in 1990 and made Macaulay Culkin a massive star, playing Kevin McCallister. He gets left at home while his family leaves for Paris for Christmas. This is a classic movie that every kid has watched, and it was so popular that it was the highest-grossing live-action comedy for over 20 years. The movie was even nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Home Alone is considered one of the best Christmas films of all time. You will never forget hearing, “I made my family disappear,” or “Keep the change, you filthy animal.” This is the film that made generations of kids think they could take on the criminals and save Christmas. It’s an authentic feel- good classic.
Make sure you take some time over the next few weeks to enjoy some of these selections with your friends. It’s a Christmas tradition.
