Growing up in South India meant the changing seasons; the yellowing leaves of autumn, the chilly winds of winter, and the subsequent snowfall were experiences only enjoyed through the movies. This is also probably why my earliest memories of a Christmas film are so deeply intertwined with the weather I experienced only through the screen. I remember watching in awe as Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) trudged through knee-deep snow and wandered around a wintry New York City decked up in swathes of tinsel and dotted with gigantic Christmas trees in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York 

The status of Die Hard, released in 1988, as a cult Christmas film has been debated over the years. The argument persists owing not just to its Christmas eve setting, but also how it has proven to be the ultimate comfort repeat watch. Years later, many of us trooped to the theatres to see action movie staple Arnold Schwarzennegger take on some Christmas spirit in the 1996 film Jingle All The Way. As kids, we cheered as Howard Langston looked for a toy for his son on Christmas eve, all while navigating rival parents, jetpacks and a bomb scare or two.

A still from ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’

As a millennial, however, it has been fascinating to see how cosy, tropey romances that promise an unlimited supply of the warm fuzzies have slowly but surely climbed up my list of favourites, dethroning these family-friendly comedy dramas. Handsome, brooding hero? Check. Small-town warm vibes? Check. Great winter fashion moments? Check. The predictable emotional beats and the guaranteed fluttering hearts more than make up for the lack of nuance. Honestly, are we even missing it at all?

The 2003 film Love Actually brought together an ensemble cast to tell stories all centered around the holiday season. The film delivered a range of memorable swoons and smiles courtesy Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, and most importantly, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley and a simple set of cue cards. Nothing, however, has captured the romance of the holiday season for me — of idyllic cottages, crackling fires, and fleecy warm jackets — like Jude Law did in The Holiday in 2006. With his grey eyes, tousled brown curls and winning smile, he starred alongside a sparkling Cameron Diaz, a charming Kate Winslet and an endearing Jack Black, in the film which follows two women who swap houses for the season and fall head-over-heels in the most unexpected of ways. 

The ‘Hallmark films’ (holiday-themed films that released on the Hallmark channel) as a genre always promised, and delivered on a few key things: a big city to small town transition, the leads navigating a personal and professional crisis, being alone for the holidays, and the prospect of falling in love with a man who is either as tsundere as they come, or a manic-pixie dream girl. The predictability of it all, and the sheer comfort of always knowing that things will end well feels like a much-deserved reward at the end of a long year that probably had its fair share of jump-scares.  Holidays aren’t easy for everyone either, and you can’t help but resonate with a swoon worthy Henry Golding holding Emilia Clarke close as he tells her ‘Being a human is hard,’ in the 2019 film Last Christmas. 

A still from ‘The Merry Gentlemen‘

The Netflix-fication of this genre over the last few years has ensured unlimited access to an avalanche of films. This year, I’ve seen three new releases in quick succession and have hardly made a dent in their holiday films catalogue. The tropey goodness is there of course, but so is the nostalgia.

If Chad Michael Murray fills up the screen as a grumpy, and extremely fit, carpenter ready to break into a sexy jig to save a small town bar in TheMerry Gentlemen, Our Little Secret has favourite mean girl Lindsay Lohan trying to impress her prospective in-laws all while fighting off complicated feelings for her ex-boyfriend. Her Mean Girls co-star and high school best friend Gretchen, Hallmark movie regular Lacey Chabert, too, has a Netflix Christmas movie, Hot Frosty, that has her as a grieving widow who falls in love with a snowman-come-to-life. Is the plot ridiculous? Yes, but no one particularly cares when the objective is a small-town romance, complete with a cosy house, affable townsfolk, and a male lead who is an endearing green flag.

I have just about five more new films queued up, and not to forget the older films all due for a rewatch. This truly is the season for tinsel, trees, and Jude Law.

From The Hindu cinema team, a fortnightly column recommending films and shows tied to a mood, theme, or pop cultural event.