CULTURE
Why are Recent Christmas Movies Missing the Magic?
By: Sheza Qasim Edited by: Bella Gallus
It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Elf, and A Christmas Carol have defined what we expect from a Christmas film: joy, hope, humor, and that unmistakable sense of magic. However, recent Christmas movies like Love Hard, Happiest Season, and Candy Cane Lane have not fulfilled these expectations, despite achieving high ratings and viewership. These movies don’t stick around to become the Christmas classics we revisit every year. While newer holiday movies are entertaining, they fail to capture the magic of a Christmas classic.
The nostalgia brought by old Christmas movies is an aspect these newer movies simply cannot capture. Old Christmas movies remind us of simpler times in our lives when we would watch movies with our families and leave cookies out for Santa, filled with joy for Christmas. Nowadays, it seems like nothing can capture the same joy that we used to have around Christmas time. The act of watching these films was an event itself—something that became a ritual, reinforcing family bonds and creating a sense of togetherness. These movies, whether they're about the joy of giving, the importance of family, or the belief in something magical like Santa Claus, were more than just stories; they captured the very spirit of the holiday season. As viewers age, these older movies serve as reminders of impactful childhood traditions.
Emma Liao, a freshman at Syracuse University, echoed a similar sentiment. Liao explained, “People have an attachment to older movies, and just aren’t watching newer ones as much. I watch Home Alone every year with my family, but we haven’t watched a new Christmas movie since The Grinch.” The nostalgia factor with old Christmas movies is absent in newer films.
When theaters closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, streaming services quickly became the primary platform for new movie releases. Now that movie theaters have reopened, it still seems as though they are struggling to draw in a crowd for holiday-themed movies. According to the Director of Indiana University Cinema, Alicia Kozma, studios are shifting away from traditional Christmas movies and instead opting for bigger releases around the holiday season. Studios tend to release other big-name movies during the holiday season to capitalize on the domestic and international box office. With streaming platforms already offering a wide selection of Christmas movies, studios are less likely to invest in producing more.
Studios still release movies during the holiday season, even if they are not Christmas-themed. In the past couple of years, Avatar, Spider-man: No Way Home, and many Star Wars films have been released on Christmas day and received a great deal of critical acclaim. And in reality, any movie can be a Christmas movie if it holds good memories that old Christmas movies hold.
