15 Shows, Movies, Games, Albums, and More That Are Getting Us Through the Holidays
With so many go-to holiday traditions off the table due to the pandemic, many of us are leaning hard into entertainment to get us through the end of the year. So for a special holiday installment of our Got Us Through series (in which we recap all of our entertainment recommendations month-to-month), we rounded up the movies, TV shows, books, games, and albums that are getting us through the holidays.?
- Freeform1
Watching: Holiday in Handcuffs
We have a tradition in our house. We watch as many holiday movies as possible throughout the month. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And I like to think a lot of that tradition began with the discovery of this 2007 (oddly pornographic sounding) gem starring Mario Lopez and Melissa Joan Hart. Tired of displeasing her judgmental family, a can't-catch-a-break waitress (Hart) kidnaps a wealthy businessman (Lopez) and lugs him to Christmas dinner. What could go wrong? It's silly and hokey and not believable in the slightest, so laugh along and enjoy. —Amy Eisinger, special projects director
Watch: Freeform?
- Netflix2
Watching: The Office
Like I mentioned in this article about spending the holidays alone, I am leaning hard into the Christmas entertainment this year to help keep the loneliness at bay. I kicked off the season rewatching the Christmas episodes of The Office, which are reliably weird and hilarious (and incidentally, make me grateful that I don’t have to sit through any awkward holiday parties this year). —Anna Borges, senior health editor
Watch: Netflix
- Netflix3
Watching: The Great British Baking Show: Holidays
It's no secret that I freaking love Derry Girls, a show set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles that features a sassy group of Catholic high-school friends and the people in their world. It's one of those shows where every single character is excellent, including the secondary ones like the young, amazing-haired priest or the woman who sells chips. Earlier this year, I saw on Instagram that Derry Girls did a crossover with one of my other all-time favorites, The Great British Baking Show (GBBO, as it's known to fans). I was thrilled until I realized I had no way of watching it in the States. Fast forward to this month, when GBBO released their special holiday episodes, and like a gift from the heavens, the Derry Girls/GBBO crossover episode was included. I'm happy to report that it does not disappoint.?
The episode features the actors who play the girls (minus Orla) and the actor who plays Sister Michael (my personal fave) competing just as the regular GBBO contestants do, going through all of the hoops for judges Paul and Prue. Of course, none of them are actually bakers (or have even baked before), and true to their characters, light shenanigans ensue. It is truly a joy to be in the tent with the gals, watching them try to navigate the vague technical challenge and bake a tiered signature cake. You do not have to have watched either show before to enjoy this crossover, though you may find yourself wanting to watch both after. I've watched it twice already and can tell I'll watch this probably every holiday season to come. Sláinte! —Malia Griggs, commerce editor
Watch: Netflix
- Phoebe Bridgers4
Listening to: If We Make It Through December by Phoebe Bridgers
I’m normally a big Christmas music person, but for obvious reasons I haven’t really been in the mood for my usual choices. So I turned to more mellow Christmas and holiday-adjacent albums. Phoebe Bridgers’s album is a gigantic mood. Several lyrics from this album have become mini mantras: If we make it through December, we'll be fine. —Borges
Listen: Spotify
- Avon5
Reading: Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
I’m closing out my year of cute escapist rom-coms with a final holiday-themed tale. And I heartily recommend it! It’s about Elle, an astrologer and social media influencer, and Darcy, a seemingly icy actuary, who hatch a plan to pretend to date to get through the holidays to get their families off their backs. And then, of course, feelings happen. It’s delightful. —Borges
Read: $15, bookshop.org or $14, amazon.com
- Amazon6
Watching: The Holiday
Is The Holiday an underrated Christmas movie? I have no idea. For all I know, it’s extremely well-loved and popular and I’m just not looking in the right places. Either way! I’ve seen The Holiday get lost behind some other Christmas rom-coms, so if you haven’t watched it yet and you enjoy cheesy, unrealistic love stories set during the holidays, what are you waiting for? The premise: Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet both hate their lives in one way or another, so they meet online and swap houses for the holidays. Diaz winds up in an adorable British cottage, where Jude Law shows up and smolders at her while being a hot single father. Winslet, on the other hand, enjoys a big ol' L.A. mansion and finds a silly yet delightful love interest in Jack Black. Sold yet? —Borges
Watch: Amazon Prime
- Netflix7
Watching: The Princess Switch and The Princess Switch: Switched Again
If you haven't already gotten on the Vanessa Hudgens–Netflix train, climb aboard. The former High School Musical star plays double (and spoiler: triple!) roles in this Netflix film duet. You know the story already: A charming but lonely Chicago baker flies to a far away land (Belgravia) and falls in love with a prince. The details don't really matter do they? It's bright and lighthearted and honest truth: I do not think Hudgens gets enough credit for being a surprisingly good comedic actor. Watch her in this and Netflix's Knight Before Christmas and tell me she's not a rom-com natural. —Eisinger
Watch: Netflix
- 8
Watching: Little Women
Judge all you want, but the 2019 adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott classic is my comfort movie and I am unashamed. The first time I saw Little Women in theaters (OMG, remember those?) I sobbed the whole way through, because it was just so well done. Directed by Greta Gerwig, the film incorporates my favorite things: cottagecore, Bob Odenkirk saying "My little women," outfits that look like they came from Anthropologie, Timotheé Chalamet, Christmas, and making molds of your feet to send to the person you love. The whole movie exudes warmth and coziness, and in a year that has made me miss my family so much, I'm happy to be adopted by the Marches, if only for just over two hours. I queue this up when I'm feeling lonely and immerse myself in the beautiful women-centered world that Alcott and Gerwig have created. —Sarah Madaus, editorial assistant
Watch: Hulu
- Netflix9
Watching: Dash & Lily
This eight-part limited Netflix series directed by Fred Savage relies heavily on a fairly unbelievable gimmick introduced in the first few minutes. Without giving too much away, you'll follow our adorable leads, Dash and Lily, as they discover weird and wonderful New York City. In the end, I couldn't decide if this was a coming-of-age tale between two teens or a love letter to NYC. Just as prominent as the characters' lives, so too is the topography—the Strand bookstore, Morgan Library, Tompkins Square Park, Two Boots Pizza, McSorley's Ale House, Macy's—they all get starring roles too. If you (still) love New York, enjoy this delightful story. —Eisinger
Watch: Netflix
- Bandcamp10
Listening to: Christmas Songs by Manchester Orchestra
My “depressing Christmas music” recommendation train continues, this time with Manchester Orchestra. This album is so lovely that I am willing to overlook the annoyingness that is not being able to stream it on Spotify, where I typically listen to music. It’s for good reason, though. Proceeds go to Atlanta Mission, Atlanta’s largest and longest-running provider of services to men, women, and children without homes. —Borges
- Netflix11
Watching: A New York Christmas Wedding
This is how I imagine the elevator pitch for this film went: time-traveling gay wedding at Christmas. If that sounds absurd, what actually emerged was an inventive, touching, and original story about one woman who gets ‘ye olde Christmas Eve wish granted to do it over again. What this movie lacks in terms of production value, score, and cinematography is made up for with decent acting (there’s a guest appearance from Mr. Big—Chris Noth!—who is also an executive producer) and a thoughtful narrative I haven’t seen in a Christmas movie before. I finished this film and thought a lot about how beautiful it is to be with the person you truly love. What more could you want at Christmas? —Eisinger
Watch: Netflix
- Hulu12
Watching: Happiest Season
As a big ol’ bisexual, I wasn’t about to not watch the Gay Christmas Rom-Com. Was it kind of disappointing? Yes. Will I probably watch it again? Also yes. Even with the clichéd coming out drama, it was still a depressingly rare thing: a queer love story where no one dies and the queer characters actually get a happy(ish) ending. Low bar, I know. But yes, no spoilers, but everything you heard about Aubrey Plaza's character is true. ?—Borges
Watch: Hulu
- Nintendo13
Playing: Animal Crossing
I played a whole lot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons—a game where you move to a private island filled with cute animal villagers—at the beginning of the pandemic but slowly fell off the wagon. But I decided to pick it back up to enjoy the winter update. Yes, my villagers were a little mad that I’d been gone for so long (sorry!), but I’m happy to be back. Whether you’re a new player or someone who, like me, stopped playing regularly, it’s worth diving back in to enjoy your festive, snowy island. —Borges
Play: $60, nintendo.com
- Bear's Den14
Listening to: Christmas, Hopefully by Bear’s Den
Okay, final Christmas-adjacent music recommendation from me. I love Bear’s Den year round, so when I saw they released a Christmas-ish album, I knew it would be perfect. The lyrics are hopeful-ish (I hope you find some peace of mind this Christmas, hopefully—me too, Bear’s Den, me too), but their sound is slow and gentle. It’s a good combination that allows me to wallow a little without full-on hurting my own feelings. —Borges
Listen: Spotify and Apple Music
- Netflix15
Watching: White Christmas
Can it really even be the holidays without this Irving Berlin classic? Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera-Ellen, and Rosemary Clooney (yes, actually, the aunt of that Clooney) star in this delightful (if culturally outdated) musical romantic comedy. Expect big dance routines, lots of singing, gorgeous costumes, and an incredible performing arts budget for a small Vermont hotel. We kick off the holidays with this film each year and it never disappoints. —Eisinger
Watch: Netflix
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