The case for silly versus serious Christmas movies

Is it the silly, light-hearted stories of childhood wonders that really capture the holiday spirit? Or the more melancholic and somber reflections on the meaning of the season that shine the brightest? We're pitting them against each other in some very Christmassy categories: decorations, dinner, desserts, gifts and magic! – and decide which type of film does better.

christmas decorations

All Christmas movies have some level of decoration. In a sad film this could be a sad tree or an empty stocking. But the silly movies often really play up the set pieces, to the point where they can be big, driving elements of the plot. Street-wide decoration competitions! These are extravagant trees actually full of squirrels! Falling off the roof while turning on the lights, over and over again! Blinding lights! Decorations just lend themselves to tricks.

Winner: Stupid movies!

Christmas dinner

Christmas dinner is usually featured in silly movies, often surrounded by hilarious antics, such as Jamie Lee Curtis' Nora Krank arguing with a rival customer over a honey-baked ham at a restaurant. Christmas with the Kranks or the Griswolds' elderly and confused Aunt Ruth who recites the Pledge of Allegiance instead of Mercy National Lampoon Christmas Vacation.

But the lonely Christmas dinner is an essential part of melancholic Christmas films. Characters look wistfully through the windows at parties to which they are not invited, or put together a minimal meal because they are unlucky. The unlikely trio at the center of The survivors knows how to enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner, even if they have to overcome their own loneliness. Christmas dinner represents togetherness, and for most of these sad films, that human connection is just out of reach.

After all, food tastes better when you're looking forward to it, not when it's served with a generous portion of jokes.

Winner: Serious movies!

Christmas desserts

Image: New Line Cinema

I had to separate these categories because, for some reason, silly Christmas movies swing harder in emphasizing the sweet treats. You'll find brief mentions of it in serious films, but silly films are all about happy childhood joy – and sweet treats are a large part of that.

These deliciously sweet concoctions are often so over-the-top and so specific that they linger in the mind for years to come, like Buddy the Elf's alarming conglomeration of spaghetti and candy in Eleveninto the cocoa and cookie machine Santaand the extravagant sundae that Kevin makes Home alone 2.

Winner: Stupid movies!

Christmas gifts

Image: Disney

Just like the Christmas dinner, the Christmas present often takes on a deeper meaning in a serious film. We can go back to O. Henry's “The Gift of the Magi” and its many, many, many iterations for this. Gifts fall harder when the stakes are higher!

Pronunciation: Serious movies!

Christmas magic

Image: Liberty Films

At first glance, it seems like silly Christmas movies would have the most current magic: how else could Santa be real? But actually, many more melancholic holiday films use magic to force protagonists to confront their lives and mistakes. Charles Dickens set the precedent in 1843 when ghosts first came to haunt Scrooge on Christmas Eve, and films like It's a great life and totally underestimated The Family Man has since followed in his footsteps.

But how can we deny the sheer joy of seeing Santa's workshop, even in many different movies? Or the moment you enter Eleven where everyone just believes in Sinterklaas a little harder and the sleigh flies a little higher? Christmas magic is the real equalizer!

Pronunciation: It's a draw! It turns out that every Christmas movie could use a little Christmas magic.

The reason for the season

Image: Universal images

However, this is the reality: the best Christmas films blur the boundaries. All versions of A Christmas carol are inherently melancholy – and so are the seemingly silly films featuring Disney characters, Muppets and Barbie. The North Pole express is a fantastic adventure about going to the North Pole, in which Tom Hanks plays a million characters and there's a whole song about hot chocolate, but it's also quite bittersweet, as the main young hero reflects on how everyone he knows is slowly stopping to believe in Santa Claus Klaas. Love actually is a fun romantic comedy for the most part — except when Emma Thompson opens that CD and breaks everyone's hearts as she tries to pull herself together for Joni Mitchell's “Both Sides Now.”

Expecting Christmas to be entirely joyful will inevitably lead to disappointment, while setting your standards extremely low will lead to misery. It's a time of year full of mixed emotions, especially for adults who can never quite recapture the magic of childhood Christmas mornings. The best silly Christmas movies will still be a bit somber, while the best serious ones will contain moments of genuine Christmas cheer.