What to Watch This Holiday Season

In the past, Hollywood used top release three or four Christmas movies during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays—movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, Scrooge, The Muppets Christmas Carol, Home Alone and The Santa Clause.

Sadly, in recent years, Hollywood movies featuring Christmas have been few and far between.

This year, however, things are looking up.

This Friday, Columbia Pictures and Sony will release one of the best Christmas movies of all time, a fun, charming animated comedy adventure about the birth of Jesus titled The Star. And, next week, another great Christmas-themed movie opens, The Man Who Invented Christmas, about how Charles Dickens codified England and America’s iconic ideas about celebrating Christmas in A Christmas Carol. Though rated PG-13, the recent comedy Daddy’s Home 2 also incorporates the celebration of Christmas in a major, positive way.

“We hope this trend in making uplifting Christmas movies will continue,” said Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and head of Movieguide®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment and the Christian Film & Television Commission®.

“We should remember, however, that, as they say, ‘Jesus is the reason for the season,'” Dr. Baehr added. “Just as people shouldn’t be afraid of saying, ‘Merry Christmas,’ they should also not be afraid of talking about Jesus Christ and the salvation He brings during this glorious time of joy.”

Author of The Culture-Wise Family and How To Succeed in Hollywood (Without Losing Your Soul), Dr. Baehr is chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission® (CFTVC) and its family guide to movies and entertainment, Movieguide® (movieguide.org).

Now in their 32nd year, CFTVC and Movieguide® are the largest, longest-running international, nonprofit ministry dedicated to “redeeming the values of the entertainment industry by influencing industry executives and by informing and equipping the public about the influence of the entertainment media.”