Steven Spielberg’s favourite Christmas movies of all time: “Every single holiday”
What’s Christmas without sitting down with your nearest and dearest to watch a festive film?
Holiday traditions vary from family to family – whether you serve Christmas dinner at noon or after dark – but one thing everyone can agree on is the joy of watching a cosy classic with loved ones.
And sure, not everyone believes in the everlasting charm of Home Alone or enjoys the chaos of Love Actually, but you’ll probably find yourself watching chunks of them every Christmas as you slump in front of the sofa, unable to move after shoving one too many Celebrations in your gob.
There’s a reason why these classic festive movies have become such stalwart parts of the yuletide period, whether you actually love them or not, and that’s down to the nostalgia they bring. That’s why certain movies that aren’t even Christmas films can become vital watches during December, like The Wizard of Oz.
What does Victor Fleming’s musical actually have to do with Christmas? There’s nothing about the film that’s overtly festive, yet it’s one that so many of us just have to watch every year, and Steven Spielberg is no exception. The filmmaker might have a busy schedule – he is Hollywood’s most profitable director – but he still finds the time to rewatch the beloved 1939 classic, even if he’s seen it enough times to know it by heart.
Talking to Parade, he revealed his Christmas movie-watching agenda, “For some reason, my kids love watching The Wizard of Oz for the hundredth time.” It seems like Spielberg can’t quite understand why The Wizard of Oz has to be watched at Christmas, but clearly, it’s family nostalgia that keeps it such a classic in the Spielberg household.
His other favourite festive movies are some undisputed champions of Christmas, and most of us can’t go a year without weeping at either one of them. “Every single holiday we’ve loved watching the classics: It’s A Wonderful Life with James Stewart and Donna Reed, Miracle on 34th Street with Natalie Wood and Maureen O’Hara,” he said.
Frank Capra’s Jimmy Stewart vehicle is a guaranteed tearjerker, loosely inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Emerging just after the end of World War Two, you can certainly sense the aftershock of a nation affected by war in the bleak story that forms the narrative of the film, where a man contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve, but he is encouraged to keep going when a guardian angel visits him, and it’s this reminder of his importance in the lives of others that makes it such a touching film.
Miracle on 34th Street was released the following year, becoming another ultimate festive favourite, balancing the wonder of Christmas and the joy of believing in a little bit of magic with comedy and pathos, it ticks all the boxes to make it an Xmas staple. Set in New York – what could be more festive? – We follow a man who claims to be the real Father Christmas as he finds success playing Santa Claus at Macy’s.
Maybe one day Spielberg will make a proper Christmas movie of his own (those festive scenes in Catch Me If You Can don’t count), inspired by these beloved Hollywood classics that are still adored decades later.
