Within most films set across a number of years or the entirety of just one, a Christmas scene is often customary. For about 10 to 15 minutes within the walls of a film and what must be a set decorator’s dream project, Christmas or the days preceding will occur within the narrative of a film and consume it.
You know the one, often cued to the sound of a sleigh bell, sometimes dissolved from or to a zoom-out of a snow globe, almost always at some point containing a long table of food, choral singers, and fake snow dumping a sound stage.
Often a gift opening or a dinner, soiree or even a holiday spent in isolation – every scene about Christmas in films not about Christmas have little to do with nativity or faith, similar to how many of us view Christmas in our own lives. Burying differences and pacification in the best interest of the unit – the friend group, the nuclear family, even the drug cartel. Ultimately these scenes are included by their films to portray community and acceptance, who gets to be a part of it and who doesn’t.
Obscene luxury in the form of gifts or platters of food or busy staff can be used to expose the abundance of material wealth or compare it to someone’s lack thereof, the bachelorette is seen tirelessly moving through holiday functions with a smile on her face despite spending her adulthood single. A Holiday recital in the form of a variety show to combine competition and participation features a verse from the slippery Kevin G
While the institution of the Christmas movie scene is not nearly as sacred a tradition as the Christmas movie itself, Christmas movies rarely can be watched outside of the Holiday season, while one-off scenes weirdly place Christmas in the middle of a July release calendar enclosed by a film not about Christmas at all, appreciated from its bookends.
We had two defining rules:
a. the film cannot be set over the course of Christmas or the Holiday season, there must be a substantial portion of the film set during other months. This means no Trading Places, no Die Hard, no Eyes Wide Shut, three awesome films that don’t directly contain Christmas themes but hold a Christmas setting.
b. the film must defiantly include Christmas in some way, shape, or form; films simply set during the cold of Winter do not count (The Shining would then not qualify).
The scene does not have to be set on Christmas Day or Eve.
The lobbying process thus became decently sophisticated. What is It’s a Wonderful Life then? A film whose large majority is told through flashback scenes decidedly not set during Christmas (in contrast to A Christmas Carol) in a bid to Americanize Dickens so families wouldn’t have to stare at Allaister Sims every year. It obviously goes deeper than this; George Bailey’s reflection of family, work, and friendship and how it proves to him that life really is worth living will and always has been a major touchstone of the holidays. It got us thinking, why set a movie at Christmas or even just one scene in a movie not about Christmas? Our writers defined each film scene based on what it had to say about the Christmas season.
Merry Christmas from SMACK and light us up on Reddit if we forgot your favourite.
dir. Steven Spielberg
Scene: “Just Take Me Home Carl”
Christmas Theme: Late Joiners
Spoilers: Yes
What might be the most sentimental scene on this list, Frank Abagnale’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) desperate return to see his mother on Christmas is a sign of how far he’s strayed from his previous old life. Returning while on the run from the FBI (per usual), Leonardo DiCaprio’s con man realizes his childhood life no longer exists, and that his family has moved on. The tableau of him and his newly discovered stepsister on either side of the glass is striking and reminds us of the fragile warmth of childhood and family.
The holiday season is meant to remind us of what’s important, something Frank has lost sight of with his absence from his family on the run. He has now become an outsider looking in, trying to wipe the fog off from a window so she doesn’t lose the image entirely. This scene is tough, but not as depressing as others. It affirms how important loved ones and human connection are, not only during Christmas but all year round. Once Abignale Leo/Frank finds out his old family is officially gone, he turns and rushes back to Carl Hanratty, the Federal agent pursuing him. Carl is sadly now the only family he has.
Although some people now think this whole “true story” never happened, this scene remains legendary.
- Thomas Desormeaux
dir. Christopher Columbus
Scene: “Dormitory Friendsmas”
Christmas Theme: Friendship
Spoilers: No
After years of emotional neglect from the Dursleys, Harry Potter spends his first Christmas at Hogwarts. As is par for the course in our tragic hero's story, it partially serves as a reminder of what he's lost. The invisibility cloak he inherits from his father is a loving heirloom, but a blanket that cannot be seen also becomes a visual metaphor for the parental love missing from Harry's childhood.
More importantly, Philosopher’s Stone's Christmas sequence is about friendship. Harry spends Christmas Eve with his best friends Ron and Hermione playing Wizard's Chess (well, Hermione finds the game "barbaric," but we'll forgive her for that) and Harry wakes up not only to find presents under the tree but also Ron waiting to open them with him. Sometimes family is not defined by our bloodline but the people in our lives who actually give a damn.
- Jared Marshall
dir. Martin Scorsese
Scene: “Don’t Buy Anything”
Christmas Theme: Christmas Party Buzz Kills
Spoilers: Yes
The instructions were simple.
Lufthansa mastermind Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro) is all smiles as Phil Spector’s pop rendition of “Frosty the Snowman” blares from the jukebox. His crew has pulled off the largest heist in American history with $6 million boosted from a vault at JFK airport and split between eight goons. They hit a bar just two days after receiving direct orders and the operation was completed: ”Relax, don’t attract attention, act normal.” When crew members arrive showing off their lavish gifts purchased with their share, a flashy mink coat brought by Carbone (Frank Sivero) and a brand-new pink Cadillac leased to Johnny Roast Beef (Johnny Williams) and his wife, Conway is furious at their insubordination. He berates Johnny Roast Beef, then sends home Carbone, removing the coat, balling it up, and shoving it in his hands.
The scene is less a statement about Christmas as it is an example of the film’s historical continuity and narrative power. We see the fast seasonal turnaround of Conway’s decision to have nearly the entirety of his crew whacked in real time: The heist happens on December 11, when we find the Roast Beefs in their Cadillac, the children who discover the car are wearing mittens. Henry’s revelations hint that likely anything would have provided justification for Jimmy to leave bodies all over the city as long as he’d get to keep their shares, rendering the scene even more chilling.
The scene also confirms Conway’s level of trust for Henry that will be betrayed through his testimony later in the film. Henry mentions that he is kept around due to the profits he brings in through his Pittsburgh cocaine operation, though Jimmy pulling Henry into the privacy of the bar’s storage room to give him his share for a moment of embrace shows his sparing goes deeper than indispensability. A Darlene Love dial raise as the two of them hug is the closest thing we get in the film to a true Christmas miracle. Henry’s survival instincts bring the Hill family less conspicuous presents. He purchases a fake tree, barbies for his daughters, and a pricey looking jewelry package for Karen before brilliantly gifting her a roll of cash with a resounding Happy Hanukkah; unlike Carbone and Johnny’s gifts, cash bills are “totally…totally untraceable.”
- Aaron Chan
dir. Mark Waters
Scene: “Glen Coco” / “Jingle Bell Rock Tease”
Christmas Theme: Competition / Participation
Spoilers: No
Mean Girls explores the complexities of adolescent female friendships: hating the girls who exclude you while simultaneously wanting their approval and still wanting to embody the traits they have that make them popular. The Christmas scene is the culmination of this tension: in true machiavellian fashion, Cady (Lindsay Lohan) sends herself a candy cane from Regina (Rachel McAdams) in front of Gretchen (Lacey Chabert), with the intention of stirring up social uncertainty and the hope that she will find out secrets that she can exploit. Make that zero points for Gretchen, one point for Cady, and four for Glen Coco. The group steps out in miniskirts and camisoles to an audience of shocked parents. After Gretchen accidentally kicks the boombox and the girls are left without music, the initially judgemental audience supports the girls in finishing their number by singing “Jingle Bell Rock.” The collective support from the crowd, in proper cheery Christmas tradition, give them the confidence to finish their number. Unfortunately, this moment of cheer doesn’t last very long, as this marks the beginning of the end of their union. Nonetheless, this Christmas dance scene reminds us not to get lost in the material or performative aspects of Christmas, which is easy considering how inundated we are with showy social media posts and personalized advertisements, and instead focus on the power of vulnerability and collective celebration.
- Antoaneta Todorova
dir. Sharon Maguire
Christmas Scene: “Turkey Curry Buffet”
Christmas Theme: New Year's Resolutions
Spoilers: No
On a particularly sun-less New Year’s Day of her 32nd year without a partner, what is presented as the promise of a romantic opportunity for Bridget Jones through her mother’s annual turkey curry buffet is stifled by rejection following a deeply awkward encounter.
Jones is vaulted into first impression with a sternly intimidating, divorced, well-off barrister named Mark Darcy (Colin Firth for the second time in his career). A seemingly home-crocheted, red-nosed reindeer sweater, makeshifted to a turtleneck would seem to indicate an ounce of conviviality. Instead, he avoids looking Jones in the face and then shoots down the idea of a blind date explaining to his mother that she is a chain smoking boozer, unaware she is only a few feet away hearing every word. The outcome which would send many of us even deeper down the spiral is instead taken by Jones as a wakeup call: a lifestyle change realized by a downer holiday and brought to fruition by a new year will be her action plan.
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A pre-meme irony, UK holiday potluck with smoking indoors, lounge covers of Frankie Valli on the stereo, and gherkins stuck with toothpicks on doilies, the scene establishes character and relationship in its efficient six minutes. Curry seemingly made from either leftover turkey or discounted turkeys leftover from Christmas signals the Joneses as lower middle-class Brits while smoking and drinking establish the habits Jones sets out to break in order to develop. Renee Zellweger, plays awkward shame better than any actress since Diane Keaton in Annie Hall as she clumsily attempts to mitigate Darcy’s disapproval.
After the potluck ends, Jones takes to her single apartment, a chamber of reflection with wine glass in hand and a cigarette in the other for a theatrical lip synced version of Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself” made famous by Celine Dion, relegated here to the second tier royalties of Australian country singer Jamie O’Neal. It’s a moment of catharsis that puts the film’s events in motion as the opening credits roll. Why not act like you’re on Broadway when the pressures of a 2000+ audience are limited to your desolate two bedroom with seasonal pyjamas, a vacant answering machine, and reruns of Frasier. I mean 42nd Street contains hair metal power ballad air drumming, no?
- Aaron Chan
dir. David Fincher
Scene: “Full Leather Jacket”
Christmas Theme: Fuck Christmas
Spoilers – Well it’s the final scene so…
One of the most heart wrenching Christmas scenes I’ve ever seen, Lisbeth Salander’s (Rooney Mara) final rejection is a perfect embodiment of the ideas throughout David Fincher’s adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The typically washed-out cinematography, and sparse soundtrack fully immerse you into the frigid Swedish night and show you the resentment and degeneracy that’s created when people are isolated and abused.
Lisbeth spends this movie researching horrible crimes against women, betrayal and deceit, while, weirdly, also learning to love and trust a new friend. This final Christmas sequence reminds us of how crushing this loneliness, of ostracization, can be. Lisbeth looks at Mikael (Daniel Craig) waltzing along happily with his beautiful, successful wife and hauntingly remembers what she thinks of as her place. She memorizes a picture in order to find the perfect jacket for Mikael. Christmas in this movie represents what people think their lives should be. I think we’ve all felt some of the emptiness Lisbeth feels in this scene, an outsider looking in, and how it makes us turn and run away, returning to be by ourselves and our hurt.
- Thomas Desormeaux
Best Line: “Must be a very good friend.”
dir. Thomas Vinterberg
Scene: Look at me Theo
Spoilers: No
Christmas theme: Community and Shame
Community is what makes something meaningful. Christmas, and all holidays across cultures, are special because we celebrate them with our peers and our families. Sometimes the incredible power of a community can turn inward though. The Hunt is a classic story of false accusation. Lucas, a beloved man with tousled hair and a fucking adorable dog, is accused of something horrible. Because of mistakes and laziness, the accusation works its way through the systems of the small Danish town where he lives, and then he’s done.
The Hunt teaches us that strong, internal communities have their warmth, and their joy, but that they can bite you if you aren’t on the right side. This is something Stephen King’s stories discusses in depth, and Lucas learns all the horrible things a town can do to you when you’re not part of the crew. Holidays are when communities tighten together in the long, dark winter months, like a muscle flexing its hardest.
This scene is the crystallization of complete ostracization. Call it the Danish ghost of Christmas Future, because it’s haunting. Lucas is technically welcome in the church, but no one will sit with him. As soon as he sits down, everyone stops having fun and bore holes in the back of his head with their disapproving looks. When he finally screams and stares into his former best friend’s eyes, we all feel what it can be like to witness such a profound and shared cultural experience, but not be part of it.
- Thomas Desormeaux
Best line: “Leave me alone now, Theo. Then I’ll go.”
dir. Tomas Alfredon
Scene: “A Cold War Christmas Party”
Christmas Theme: Stress
Spoilers – Yes
Being cynical about Christmas, and really any “wholesome” holiday, is painfully common in films, from rom coms to horror movies. The members of John le Carré’s “Circus,” his nickname for the MI6 unit, are no different. This legendary rethinking of the cold-war spy genre is as dry and lonely as you could ask of a non-holiday flick. This vibe pervades its greatest scene too. A drunken, depressed, yet jovial Christmas party complete with infidelity and a masked Lenin dressed as Santa Claus., it’s this scene is the culmination of every important plot point and theme in the movie.
And we see what this type of attitude gets you. Super Spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman) stares with horror into the face of a betrayal so fundamental, that it will change how he sees everything in his world for decades. Le Carré’s source material deals with espionage much more soberly than the authors of James Bond or Jason Bourne. Spymaster George Smiley has fallen so deep, he’s become disillusioned with his country, his family, and the ideal of friendship or intimacy. Sometimes, when you act so consistently like nothing matters, your values and commitments start to recede, like Gary Oldman’s hairline, or Britain’s influence on world politics. Tinker Tailor’s party scene is a warning about many things, but mostly, it’s telling us to care about something damnit!
- Thomas Desormeaux
Best Line: “You Calvinistic penny-pinching Scot!”
dir. Damien Chazelle
Scene: “The Moment”
Christmas Theme: Holiday Shifts
Spoilers: No
Have you ever worked a Christmas shift? Being left to the holiday firing squad is enough to watch your soul sucked from your body. Just ask Ryan Gosling’s Seb who is forced to work a Christmas shift as a lounge piano player reduced to playing restaurants. He's instructed by his his floor manager (J.K Simmons) to only play Christmas songs which, people who hate Christmas music as much as I do can relate, drives Seb around the bend.
Sebastien’s depression is palpable. The scene exists not only to articulate how the holidays are commodified, but jazz and music as well and the sterilization of creativity, a continuing theme throughout the film. Seb can't take it. He tries to take the power back with a spectacular jazz number that Gosling, who is not an experienced piano player, learned for the film. It wins Mia's affection (Emma Stone), but gets himself fired in the process. The jazz sequence's transcendental beauty communicates the allure of rejecting the system, especially during the bank-breaking holiday season, but also how often this rejection costs more than it's worth.
- Jared Marshall
dir. John G. Avildsen
Scene: “Paulie Loses It”
Christmas Theme: Dysfunction
Spoilers: Yes
What the later Rocky movies lost sight of until Ryan Coogler came in and brought the series back to its roots is that it was never about the "fight" exactly. Boxing was just a backdrop to tell the stories of people at the bottom "fighting" for survival. It's hard to enjoy Christmas when you're worrying about your next meal. Paulie's (Burt Young) Christmas night blow-up brings these struggles to the forefront.
Paulie, feeling slighted by his best friend Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and his sister Adrian (Talia Shire), comes home drunk and starts trashing the place when Rocky and Adrian refuse to leave. Swinging a baseball bat and shouting offensive comments about his friend being selfish and his sister being "busted.," Rocky restrains Paulie to the couch, who begins to start weeping about how he can't keep hauling meat for money.
It's a violent and misogynistic display that finally gets Adrian to stick up for herself to her bully of an older brother. She needs to get the hell out of that house, but she's not the only one struggling. Paulie may not be airing his grievances in the healthiest way, but the man is clearly suffering. Needing the support of his best friend and his girlfriend, Rocky lets Adrian move into his place and gives Paulie a job.
It is genuinely complex drama where each character is approached with empathy. Scenes like this may not make it less of an affront that Rocky won best picture against films like Network and Taxi Driver in 1976, but it makes you appreciate it for more than just popcorn fodder. Christmas may bring us together, but it can also stir up the dysfunction in our lives that tears us apart.
- Jared Marshall
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