The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone, especially if you’re forced to spend time with relatives and engage in pointless small talk. Having to tell your Aunt Lucy for the 100th time that you do not have a boyfriend and, yes, you’re okay with it can get a bit tiresome. During the holiday season with my family, after the fifth or sixth Christmas cookie and 73rd glass of eggnog, I’m ready to to just relax and watch a nice Christmas flick. Sometimes all we want to do is just go hide in our rooms and be alone. But sometimes that’s not an option, and the closest we can get to some kind of sanity is sitting everyone down to watch a movie. No talking, no stress.

Everyone has their favorites, and I think I’ve collected some of the greats. Read More »

It’s that time of year again, when the weather is getting colder, and the semester is coming to an end, and there’s a reminder of the holiday season everywhere you turn. From Christmas carols to wrapping paper, to baked goods, the usual December suspects are all around us. But nothing truly says the holiday season quite like Christmas movie marathons. Like the rest of the world, I started the holiday season a little early this year, so I’ve been watching Christmas moves since before Thanksgiving. And I have to say after watching about six (or sixty) of them, I’m beginning to notice a few similarities.

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The holiday season, I’ve come to realize, is all about the traditions. Baking cookies. Listening to festive music. Wrapping presents. Eating way too much in a way too short amount of time. Shopping for days. Decorating. It wouldn’t be Christmas without all of it.

But really, probably my favorite Christmas tradition is the endless Christmas movies. It starts on Thanksgiving day with March of the Wooden Soldiers and continues through the New Year. The perfect excuse for movie marathons and munching on sweets, all I really want to do is grab some hot chocolate and those sugar cookies I bought baked, and settle down with one of my favorite Christmas movies.  Any of these will do. Read More »

Peppermint Mochas are BACK!

I woke up full this morning, my stomach is hanging out over my pajama pants and I have 24 emails in my inbox advertising Black Friday deals at various online stores.

Yup, it’s officially Holiday Season!

While Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday of the year, there is something about the time from Thanksgiving to New Year’s that makes me blissfully happy. Sure, it could be the sheer amount of sugar that is pumping through my bloodstream right now (I ate pumpkin pie and brownies and cookies and apple crisp for dessert last night), but everything about this time of year makes me wanna run and dance and sing… and shop. Seriously, the people making those commercials should get a raise because they work on me every. single. time.

I know I’m not the only one out there who ate until they wanted to barf last night is head-over-heels in love with the holiday season, so this week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to share their favorite things about this time of year.

What do you love most about the holidays (and yes, “getting presents” is a totally acceptable answer).

Ricki – University of Michigan: The holiday music.  It is impossible to get in my car without becoming cheerful.

Ness – Sheridan: My favorite thing about the holiday season is sleeping until (after) noon, and not feeling guilty for missing class. Ah, how I love you Christmas break.

Nina – Michigan State University: I actually really love buying presents for other people. I don’t care that I’m spending inordinate amounts of money when it comes to people I love!

Teresa – UCSD: Hearing cheesy holiday music at the mall. It never gets old!

Kendra  – University of Pittsburgh: My favorite thing about the holiday season is having marathon movie binges with my older sister. There’s nothing better than being rooted to the couch and watching Disney classics, several seasons of Weeds, and every Zac Efron movie ever made while my parents bustle around getting the house ready for guests.

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: My favorite thing about the holidays is listening to Bing Crosby’s “A White Christmas” without people thinking I’m crazy.

Sarabeth – University of Texas: My favorite thing is the amazing desserts that come out around this time. Eggnog milkshake? Peppermint brownies? Yes please! Read More »

Thanksgiving has passed, everything is on sale, and Christmas carols fill the air of every store you go into–yes, the holiday season is in full swing. The next few weeks will be filled with parties, goodies, family time, shopping and avoiding those frigid temps when you can. A great way to do this? Put on some cozy PJ’s, bust out the popcorn, hot cocoa, cider or egg nog, and watch some heartwarming holiday movies.

Nothing puts me into a more jolly mood than these holiday classics (in no particular order)…

1) It’s a Wonderful Life: You’d have to be a total Scrooge not to tear up at this movie about a suicidal man who is reminded of how beautiful his life is (played by the always amazing Jimmy Stewart). It will forever stand as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time.

2) Home Alone: This movie made Macaulay Culkin the biggest child star on the planet and had audiences around the world roaring as he gave two burglars a Christmas butt whoopin’.

3) Miracle on 34th Street: This classic story about a man claiming to be Kris Kringle being put on trial for legal insanity will make anyone a believer in Old Saint Nick.

4) Love Actually: Not only does this British flick have a fantastic cast (Colin Firth, Keira Knightly, Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson), but it’s a truly lovey dovey romantic comedy that is guaranteed to make ya feel extra cozy.

5) A Christmas Story: This hilarious 80′s movie about a truly American Christmas has stemmed so many famous lines and scenes, people all over the world recognize them: “You’ll shoot your eye out!” (Get’s me every time!) You can even buy that (in)famous sexy leg lamp. Read More »

Every year around this time, our televisions are bombarded with Christmas movies. Movies that bring joy, movies cloaked in nostalgia, and movies you’d love to throw into the fire.

Got one you love? Got one that’s always pissed you off? Me too.

• Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – (1964) – This claymation portrayal of Santa’s nonconformist reindeer chased me throughout my childhood, first scarring me with unexplained oddness, and later boring me into a deep, coma-type sleep.

As a child, the idea of claymation didn’t sit well with my young mind, and the googly eyes and erratic movement of the characters in this song filled fairy tale made me absurdly nervous…and when that freaky, furry, roaring yeti-thing came onscreen…let’s just say I found a blanket, and stayed under it, for hours.

• It’s A Wonderful Life – (1946) – Everyone’s always shocked when I describe my loathing of this film, but the really shocking thing is how many people can sit through this without falling asleep. I know its sacrilege to hate on the combination of Christmas miracles and James Stewart, but no matter how many times I force myself to attempt to sit through this entire film, I can’t ever make it to the end.

Maybe I’m a freak of nature. Maybe I have a hard, cynical heart. Whatever. It’s BORING. Read More »