I grew up in a house of six kids, and every year when the Christmas season rolled around the day after Thanksgiving, my siblings and I dove into Christmas cheer by watching our favorite Christmas flicks. As a kid, these movies were exciting, funny and heartfelt, but as I grew older, I noticed all of my favorite Christmas movies were somewhat cheesy.
There was usually an unwilling-protagonist that the movie focused on who ultimately, through a series of events, experienced a change of heart and went on to save Christmas. In the movie Santa Clause, Tim Allen’s character starts off as a divorced, trying-but-failing dad who isn’t interested in Christmas spirit. But by the end of the movie he actually becomes Santa Claus. Another example is from the movie Elf. Though not the main character of the story, Buddy’s father Walter is quite the Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. However, by the end of the movie, he helps Buddy fix Santa’s sleigh and sings carols proudly as the credits roll. Other prime examples of the happy ending theme in Christmas movies include the Grinch and Scrooge himself.
While cheesy Christmas movies can be hard to watch, especially as you get older, their true purpose is to bring families together. While many Christmas movies lack strong plot lines and toe the line between reality and fantasy, and others simply jump across the line, cheesy Christmas movies are meant to warm our hearts rather than win the Oscar for best motion picture. Many of my favorite Christmas memories involve enjoying these types of movies, the laughs they bring, the warmth, the cheesiness in all its glory and, most importantly, the time spent with my family.