It’s easy to get stuck in the repetitive routine of choosing Home Alone for the fifth time this month, but we have some Christmas films to get you in the festive mood that you may not have seen before.
Carol 
Words by Lana Davidson Flood
When it comes to niche Christmas films, my favourite is definitely Todd Haynes’ Carol, a film adaptation of the book of the same name by Patricia Highsmith.
Carol follows the story of two women in 1950s America. First is Therese Belivet, a young woman who is unhappy in her current life. She has a boyfriend she doesn’t love and is uncertain about almost every decision she makes. Second is Carol Aird, an attractive woman much older than Therese. Carol happens to stumble into the department store where Therese works in search of the perfect Christmas gift for her daughter, which sets off their journeys of self-discovery and love, all in the face of adversity in a time period where being gay was not an accepted way of life. The two women embark on a cross-country trip, searching for the happiness they cannot find in their day-to-day lives, learning more about themselves and each other as they travel.
While not specifically a film about Christmas, Carol does take place over the Christmas period. What initially draws the attention of Carol is the adorable Christmas hat that Therese dons in her department store job, with Carol flirtatiously mouthing ‘I like the hat’ as she leaves after their first interaction.
Many elements of this film make it my favourite Christmas film. This film’s cinematography is beautiful, with a muted colour pallet and breath-taking close-up shots of the two women. More importantly, this film depicts a love story between two women, which is still relatively rare in the film industry, and almost unheard of in Christmas films. Finally, there is the simple beauty of escapism in the film, where the only happiness they can find is when they are away from all the austerity around them in their day-to-day lives.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Words by Katie Jones
Ask anyone their favourite Christmas carol, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is bound to come up a few times, but not many people have seen the most famous reindeer of all’s 1998 movie, directed by William R Kowalchuk. Imaginatively titled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie, Kowalchuk’s film follows the story of Rudolph from his birth as a young baby reindeer with a shiny red nose to his heroic going-down-in-history guiding of Santa’s sleigh.
ÔÇïThe movie stars Kathleen Barr as Rudolph, whose unfortunate nose leads him to be a source of ridicule at school for the other reindeer. Supported only by his parents and his friend Zoey the doe, his dream is to join the Flyers one Christmas Eve along with his father, Blitzen, and uncles. When his nose gets him disqualified from his one chance to join the team, Rudolph runs away from home in humiliation. Now set out on a journey of self-discovery, Rudolph makes new friends on the outskirts of the North Pole and learns to love his unique facial features. The film climaxes as Rudolph rescues his only friend Zoe from the clutches of the Ice Queen, who casts a snowstorm over the North Pole. And if you’ve heard the aforementioned Christmas carol, you’ll know that the storm is no match for Rudolph’s illuminating nose, winning him the spot on the Flyers he’s always dreamed of.
ÔÇïThe movie doesn’t have the incredible animation or the high-flying cast of some other Christmas blockbusters, but it has excellent nostalgic appeal for me. It was a big part of my childhood Christmases – no Christmas Eve was complete without it. But even if it’s your first time watching, it gets you in the holiday spirit and has an important message of self-acceptance, bravery, and perseverance. So, this year, get some Christmas pyjamas on, grab a hot chocolate, and give Rudolph’s festive biopic a watch!
All I want for Christmas
Words by Ashleigh Adams
Honestly, I’m not sure if this Christmas film is a niche, but it is definitely lesser known than Home Alone, so to me, it counts as niche. All I want for Christmas (1991) has been one of my favourite Christmas films for as long as I can remember and would definitely make it into my top 5. Upon googling the film, you’re greeted with a harsh 7% on Rotten Tomatoes, so I guess it’s not “certified fresh”, but nevertheless, it holds a special place in my heart, and I stand by my recommendation. There’s something about the aggressively American visuals and the Parent Trap-like storyline that never fails to get me in the festive spirit every year.
The plot follows siblings Ethan and Halle, whose parents are separated and going through a divorce. The children hatch a pretty nonsensical plan to get their parents together for Christmas, which in summary, involves a dozen mice used to fake an infestation, a Ben and Jerry’s delivery van to cart away an evil stepfather and a faux illness to top it all off. Admittedly it’s not the greatest plot, but its set in 90s New York at Christmas time and the festive soundtrack is guaranteed to make anyone feel so cosy. There’s also a magical element where the department store Santa Claus is implied to be the REAL Santa, and he brings back the kid’s lost mouse (snowball), who found himself lost in New York earlier in the movie; a Christmas miracle! I’m not entirely sure what this film’s message is since, on the surface, it seems anti-divorce, which I definitely don’t support, but in the spirit of Christmas, I will forgive and forget, and I hope you will too! Having said that, it is a super sweet film, and I love seeing a wholesome sibling duo in any context.┬á┬á
