By Abigail Brown

Most holiday films are fairly on the nose with their theme and lean into it heavily. When looking to get into the holiday spirit, classics like White Christmas, Elf, The Grinch and A Miracle on 34th Street are all reliable go-to’s. Then you have films like Die Hard; a Christmas classic that isn’t even really about Christmas yet still manages to fill you with the cozy warm buzz of the holiday season. Here are five holiday films that aren’t even about the holidays.

1. Little Women

A classic in its own right, Little Women has been remade a dozen times, but the strange holiday vibes around it remain the same. The story isn’t at all about the holidays, despite beginning on Christmas and featuring several winter moments. These scenes most often being crucial moments to the heart of the story no matter how it’s been retold. The shots of delicious-looking food, snowy countryside landscapes, and the cozy aesthetic of the March family home, any iteration of Little Women is certain to stir your holiday spirit.

2. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (and it’s follow-up sequels)

You won’t find so much as a galactic plant that vaguely resembles a Christmas tree in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, but with a theatrical release date of December 18th, 2015, just prior to Christmas, and its sequels, Episode VIII and IX releasing in December the following years as well, fans of the franchise knew to expect a new Star Wars film just before Christmas. This in-itself gives the sequel trilogy a vague holiday feeling, if for nothing else than the journey down snow-covered roads to get to the cinema for the premiere.

3. Nosferatu

Nosferatu, specifically the 2024 Robert Eggers remake, was released on Christmas Day. Through a thematic and scheduling sense, this alone would qualify Nosferatu as a holiday film, even though the holiday release was most likely just for marketing purposes. Still, Nosferatu plays out against a wintery Victorian backdrop, evoking the likes of Dicken’s classic ghost story A Christmas Carol …just with more blood.

4. Wonka

Another vaguely-Dickensian setting, though much brighter and colorful than the previous entry, Wonka is the origin story of fictional chocolatier Willy Wonka. Released in December (again, most likely for marketing purposes) and featuring Timothée Chalamet in a go-for-broke performance in the titular role, Wonka may not directly feature Christmas or any holiday-equivalent, but it still conjures a cozy feeling with its snow-covered sets where every moment is bursting with color and cheer. It’s hard not to watch this film and feel festive– or at the very least, not crave chocolate.

5. Just Friends

Arguably the most holiday-themed film on the list, Just Friends, is a romantic comedy taking place almost exclusively over the Christmas holiday. The story follows a formerly-overweight-nerd-turned-certified-hottie (played by the ever-enjoyable Ryan Reynolds) who is forced to return to his hometown where he is confronted by the faces of his past, but worst of all, his high school best friend and crush. Though the film still technically isn’t a holiday film, it’s still a wild and hilarious ride wrapped in string lights and tinsel.

File graphic / The Louisville Cardinal