On November 2nd, I ran to my nearest Starbucks, flung open the doors, and demanded a peppermint hot chocolate from the nearest barista. Or something along those lines. I’m not sure if any of you follow the Starbucks seasonal flavors, but November 2nd marked the official start of the Christmas season, and what better way to celebrate it than with a Christmas comfort movie? Though Thanksgiving is a week away, I firmly believe Christmas starts once Halloween ends. After all, you don’t hear anyone raving about Thanksgiving music and décor, so it’s best to treat Thanksgiving as a Christmas pregame.

Now you may ask “Peyton, aren’t all Christmas movies comfort movies filled with holiday magic and cheer?” To that I answer no, no they are not. Take every Christmas Hallmark movie ever. If you’re looking for a fantastic holiday movie that will make everything merry and bright, look no further than Elf. You know the one, with Will Ferrel playing a giant man baby-elf who helps save Christmas with his disgruntled corporate father. I’m going to assume you know the gist of the movie, so with that let’s get analyzing.  

A crucial aspect of Elf is that it is a Christmas movie. Honestly my analysis could stop right there, because Christmas movies offer a certain appeal unique to the theme. First of all, Christmas movies are usually watched around Christmas, a holiday about getting together with the family and opening presents. Hopefully lots of warm happy feelings all around. Especially as a child the holiday seemed a lot more magical, so it makes sense that those happy feelings translate over to the movies we watched. Furthermore, Christmas movies are interesting to watch because their plots can be random and explained by holiday magic. This is important because it gives you a break from other more serious movies throughout the year.

So, when you take a movie like Elf, filled with comedy and Christmas miracles, the same nostalgia of Christmas’ past is brought out. About the movie specifically, Elf does an excellent job of tying romance to an already enjoyable plot. Whereas most Christmas movies tend to be about family, Elf is about family and love. But not in a cheesy Hallmark romance way, but in a heartfelt and romantic execution. We see our main character Buddy grow and learn about new things as he explores the human world, and it’s almost like watching our younger elves learn about the world. Ultimately, the nostalgia and relatable plot line helps make Elf such an amazing comfort movie.