It’s hard to say what the essential elements of a holiday movie are. Obviously, being set during the holidays—or at least making reference to them—is one important ingredient. Plus, there’s usually, but not always, a final scene where the main character learns the true meaning of the season.
That final uplifting message, in particular, is always nice to hear while consuming cannabis. And a little marijuana can not only help you relax to better enjoy the movie, but it can also help you focus and pay attention. You may notice new and clever details you’d never seen before, even in that one holiday film you watch year after year.
There’s a lot of room for cinematic interpretation and creativity when it comes to holiday movies. This is probably why there are so many, and trying to narrow down this beloved genre to a handful of flicks is seriously challenging.
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Of course, any list of best holiday movies will inevitably be controversial—and I can already hear my inbox filling up with angry Will Ferrell fans asking what I have against “Elf.” Nonetheless, if you plan on pairing cannabis with some classic holiday films, at least a few of these recommendations ought to do the trick.
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1. For a Movie That’s as Classic as It Gets: “It’s a Wonderful Life”
George Bailey (James Stewart) is a good guy who’s down on his luck. And when he contemplates suicide, his guardian angel Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) intervenes. Clarence shows George why the world would have been worse off without him and gets him to change his mind and embrace life after all.
It’s hard to believe that “It’s a Wonderful Life” was considered something of a financial and critical disappointment when it first premiered. Today, it feels very much the standard by which all other Christmas movies are measured.
2. “The Nightmare Before Christmas”: Stop-Motion & Cannabis Are Made for Each Other
Leave it to Tim Burton to create a Christmas movie that also doubles as a Halloween movie. King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, finds a portal to Christmas Town. Once there, he’s so enchanted by the Christmas festivities that he decides the ghouls and monsters of Halloween Town should take them over.
Things go predictably wrong, but in the end we re-experience the magic of Christmas—and of Halloween. Plus, when you’re relaxing with some cannabis, the gorgeous stop-motion animation is especially entrancing to watch.
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3. “Die Hard”: Who Needs Santa When You’ve Got Explosions, Cannabis & Alan Rickman?
“Die Hard” is a Christmas classic precisely because it doesn’t bother with the usual trappings of holiday movies. There are no gingerbread houses or Santa Clauses or even any lessons about “the true meaning of Christmas.” Heck, just to rub in how un-Christmas it is, it’s set in sunny Southern California.
What we do have is Bruce Willis fending off evil German terrorists during a glitzy office Christmas party. There are explosions, machine guns and Alan Rickman acting his dastardly best—all of which are particularly fun to watch when you pair this classic with marijuana.
4. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Seriously, That Abominable Snowman Is a Bit Trippy
If you’ve ever been a child in North America from the year 1964 onwards, then endless reruns of the stop-motion classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” during December likely loom large in your memories.
While the movie strays considerably from the narrative of the classic Christmas carol—one of the main characters is an elf who wants to be a dentist, and I’m not quite sure why a movie about Rudolph includes the Abominable Snowman—the song’s heartfelt message of accepting people for their differences remains the same.
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5. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”: Funny on Its Own, Hilarious With Cannabis
Poor Clark Griswold. He’s just a normal guy trying to give his family the best Christmas ever, and yet everything seems to go against him. His 25,000 Christmas lights cause a citywide power outage, his yearly Christmas bonus fails to materialize, and I’ll leave it to your imagination what happens when the pet cat chews on the Christmas tree lights.
But like all great holiday movies, everything ultimately works out. And Clark realizes that the true meaning of the season isn’t actually about having the biggest Christmas tree or the most extravagant decorations. This is definitely the funniest movie on this list. And when you’ve got some cannabis on hand to go along with it, then rest assured, you’re going to laugh yourself silly.
6. “Home Alone”: Just Have Some Cannabis & Try not to Question the Problematic Parts
A movie about accidental child abandonment, a neighbor who may be a serial killer, and fending off a home invasion doesn’t exactly scream lighthearted holiday entertainment. But somehow, “Home Alone” manages to make its fraught plotline seem like good family-friendly fun.
Throughout this action-packed Christmas film, Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) fends off “The Wet Bandits” (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) through his use of ingenious booby traps. I won’t spoil the ending, but since “Home Alone” is a holiday flick, you’re pretty much guaranteed it’s a happy one.
7. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (Yes, Both Versions Because Both Go Well With Marijuana)
I’ll avoid wading into the debate over which version of Dr. Seuss’ “The Grinch” is better (even though it’s obviously the original 1966 one) and just let you choose for yourself by tuning into both.
The animated and live-action movies tell essentially the same story, which revolves around how the Grinch attempts to steal Christmas from the folks of Whoville. But his plot is foiled by the mic-drop realization that Christmas is about more than gifts and feasting.
While the 1966 version is certainly more faithful to the Dr. Seuss book, the 2000 version does have Jim Carrey in a role that’s practically perfect for him. Either way, paired with cannabis, these two movies make for a great way to spend a couple hours around the holidays.
Photo credit: Thought Catalog
If you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 index of articles. HelloMD can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it’s easy, private and 100% online.
