We recognize that not all families celebrate Christmas, so we wish your family the happiest of days for whatever holiday you’re celebrating together. But for our family, Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

There are plenty of ways to spend Christmas together. Your family’s traditions might include special Christmas Eve gifts, unique ornaments, trips to see the beautiful lights, decorating your home together, baking some cookies (which always taste better when imbued with the Christmas spirit), finding service projects in your community, or a hundred other things. 

We’re a bunch of geeks, though, so our family always loves to snuggle up together and watch a few Christmas shows to get into the holiday spirit. Here are five of our favorite things to watch during this time of year.

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

The old cartoon Grinch is Christmas perfection. You know it. We know it. It’s way better than the other Grinches. Because it’s so old, it just has that warm, fuzzy Christmasy feeling that you get from old Christmas movies, and we always feel so cozy when we watch it together. 

We were so excited to show it to Geekling for the first time this year. He didn’t like the stealing Christmas part and made us turn it off before we could reach the most heartwarming scene. (I guess we know who the real Grinch is.)

If it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, watch it again and maybe your heart will grow three sizes, too. <3 

2. While You Were Sleeping

What’s better than a Christmas movie? A romantic Christmas movie, of course! While You Were Sleeping is a film from 1995 about a woman named Lucy who, through a series of misunderstandings, suddenly finds herself “engaged” to a man she’s never met. He’s in a coma, though, so he can’t rectify the situation. Lucy has to find a way to tell his family they have never actually spoken to one another—but when they welcome her into their family with open arms, she finds that breaking the news is much harder than she thought it would be. 

While we do have to admit that it’s not technically a “Christmas movie” in the same sense as The Grinch, it does take place at Christmas. So, it counts. While You Were Sleeping has some brilliant one-liners, tons of humor and heart, and plenty of romancing. We remember it fondly from our own childhoods, and we think it’s well worth watching even now.

3. Little Women (2019)

This one’s a new favorite, and it’s not technically a Christmas movie either. But Little Women starts on Christmas morning, and it just feels so cozy to watch it during cold weather. It follows the four March sisters (Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth) as they grow from girls to women, fall in love, grow closer together (and farther apart), and it spans the passing of a few years.

We loved the 2019 adaptation. It doesn’t try to editorialize or shred the source material through a 21st-century lens, but just tells the story of the joys and sorrows of these sisters in an honest and heartfelt way. Michela, who also grew up with three sisters, loved the sister dynamic in this one, and felt that it was hilariously accurate (maybe a little too accurate). 

4. The Man Who Invented Christmas

The Man Who Invented Christmas is a fun way to embrace Dickens’ classic tale A Christmas Carol. The film tells the (obviously completely true) story of Dickens as he is writing A Christmas Carol. He’s had a few flops, he’s in debt, and he desperately needs some money. And, as they say, money is the mother of creativity. At least, I think that’s how the saying goes.

In any case, now Dickens has committed himself to producing a new book (one that will sell, mind you) by Christmas, only a few short weeks away. It’s a herculean task, but who better to accomplish it than the Shakespeare of the Novel?

The film is equal parts serious and humorous. Dan Stevens (who plays Charles) turns on a dime when the scene demands it. At several points, the film highlights the difficult circumstances of Victorian orphans and beggars. At others, it relishes in the delights of Christmas, the magic of A Christmas Carol, and the woes of writers with writer’s block. Overall, it’s a delightful story and a unique way to add a bit of Dickensian spice to your Christmas season.

5. The Christ Child

There are a lot of nativity videos out there. Some are told in serious fashion; others told in comedic style by children. Our favorite nativity video is called The Christ Child.

It’s a simple video without much dialogue, and the few words that are exchanged are in what we assume is Hebrew since we don’t understand what Mary and Joseph are saying. The story is told pretty much entirely through the visuals. The actors in the video have to portray every emotion through their facial expressions and body language, and they do an amazing job. 

We particularly love the expressions of joy on the faces of the shepherds and the wise men when they arrive to worship the Savior. Their sense of overwhelming peace and happiness is readily apparent, and we tear up every time as we contemplate the immense gift of Jesus Christ. 

The Christ Child is a beautiful way for the whole family to reconnect with that first Christmas and remember the true meaning of the holiday. We wholeheartedly recommend it to your family this Christmas season. 

What Christmas shows does your family enjoy this time of year? Let us know in the comments below. Or connect with us on social media to share your favorites with us there!

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 Feature image by Eugene Zhyvchik on Unsplash