Just as horror movies are often a go-to for movie lovers ahead of Halloween, Christmas movies have long been a tradition for people to ring in the holiday season with both classic and new titles. However, the question that many have is when does the Christmas season start, particularly in the US, when after Halloween we still have Thanksgiving to celebrate? Is it OK to start watching Christmas movies when the leaves are still turning and Turkey Day hasn’t arrived yet?
The option is certainly there for those who want to, as the likes of Hallmark, Lifetime and BET start rolling out Christmas movies in early November (in some cases before), while some of 2022's marquee holiday movies like Spirited with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, Falling for Christmas with Lindsay Lohan and the sequel to a previous Christmas classic, A Christmas Story Christmas, were all released before Thanksgiving. But with streaming and on-demand, the option is also there to wait if you want.
We’re going to let you, our readers, vote on when you are ready to start watching Christmas movies in the poll below, but first let us make our cases to you.
Michael Balderston, US editor: wait till Thanksgiving
I've given up hoping supermarkets and malls won't get Christmas stuff out before we're even done with Halloween (seriously, Christmas candy replaced Halloween candy days before October 31 at one of my local stores this year), but the push of Christmas movies before Thanksgiving (and like the candy and decorations even sometimes before Halloween) has gone a little too far.
It's not that there are a ton of movies centered around Thanksgiving (Planes, Trains and Automobiles is probably the first one that we all think of; I'm not even sure I could name five more) to watch, but the holiday has its own special place in people's hearts (it's a personal favorite of mine) and doesn't deserve to be second fiddle in November. Christmas already gets a month of being front and center in all of pop culture and even a second month with Christmas in July for those who really have the holly jolly spirit.
I'm not a complete grinch. I love rewatching Christmas classics like It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street and Die Hard (yep, it's a Christmas movie) and I'm looking forward to checking out A Christmas Story Christmas and Spirited this year. But it can wait until after Thanksgiving. Heck, you want to watch it right after you have your Thanksgiving dinner, go for it; just finish the turkey first.
Sarabeth Pollock, staff writer: Christmas doesn't have to come just once a year
Sometimes, you need a little Christmas. While some people prefer to keep their holidays separate, in my world if you need a little Christmas before Thanksgiving, it's totally fine — and so is having a little Christmas in April and July, too. Christmas movies are a special genre full of joy, magic and hope, and that can be exactly what you need even though you haven't even had Thanksgiving dinner yet.
Christmas movies are meant to be a lighthearted distraction, a diversion, and some people need that diversion more than ever. The holidays can be a rough time for lots of people who don't have family or who have stressful relationships with family members. Sometimes you need to escape, and that's where Christmas movies can help.
Kelly Preston famously told Oprah that unlike her Jerry Maguire character, she put up her Christmas decorations four months early because it made her happy. If watching Christmas movies makes you happy, then go ahead and watch them. Forget the naysayers and embrace it. If it's not your thing, then wait to watch them until after Thanksgiving. No one stops horror fans from watching horror movies in February, so if Christmas movies are your jam then you should watch them whenever you want.
What do you think, should Christmas movies be watched before Thanksgiving? Share your responses in our WTW poll.
