Every year as the holiday rolls around, friends and family gather around to revisit their favorite Christmas movies. Movies like “Elf,” “Home Alone” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” are a few of the classics that are a staple in many households. 

According to Forbes, some of these films have been watched in millions of homes. “Elf,” for example, has been viewed in 9 million households with its popularity growing every year. 

“Home Alone” has reached an audience of 7.9 million households, proving that the charm of these movies only gets stronger over time.

But have you ever wondered if new Christmas movies can ever be as good as the old ones? Can these films capture the same magic that makes the old ones so special? 

There is something about old Christmas movies that holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Movies like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Polar Express” have been around for decades, and are childhood memories for many of us. Creating a nostalgic feeling every time we watch them. 

Every year there is a new set of Christmas movies that comes out; some are funny, and others are romantic, like the “Christmas Chronicles,” an adventure where two siblings try to capture Santa Claus on camera, only to join him on a wild journey to save Christmas. 

Then there’s “Love Hard,” a romantic comedy about a woman who meets her perfect match online, only to discover she’s been catfished after flying out to meet him.

These movies provide us with something new. These stories might be fresher to tackle more modern issues, can they ever leave us with the same feeling?

One newer film that has caught people’s attention is “Candy Cane Lane,” made in 2023, starring Eddie Murphy. This movie follows a man determined to win a neighborhood annual Christmas contest and makes a pact with an elf who casts a spell and brings the twelve days of Christmas to life, bringing chaos to his and his family’s lives. 

Reviewers like Morgan Alexander think the same feeling can be found in newer Christmas movies. Alexander praised “Candy Cane Lane”  for capturing the classic spirit of Christmas movies. She wrote,“ I could not have been more glued to the screen! No one has made movies like this since the early 2000s! I never thought we’d see movies like this come back as the best movie since Elf, Polar Express or A Christmas Story.” 

So that poses the question: Are new Christmas movies making a comeback and could join the classics? With the many streaming platforms we have, movies are more available than ever before. Platforms like Disney+, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime release new holiday movies each year, giving a greater variety of these holiday films. This gives people a chance to discover new films and possibly add them to the Christmas movie rotation.

There are a lot of upcoming movies that have the potential to become a great watch like the “Red One” coming out on Nov.15 starring Dwyane Johnson and Chris Evans.  This is a movie where two kidnappers take Santa from the North Pole and elves are on a mission to find him. 

Another one is “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” released on Nov. 8 this is about six siblings who have a reputation for being the worst kids in the world but they will shock the world on the true meaning of Christmas.

This is not the end of new movies to watch this year so remember this season to seek out and try something different. 

The future of Christmas movies is full of possibilities. But classics don’t just happen overnight; they need time to grow on people. But maybe in the future one of these might just be the next movie we can’t imagine Christmas without.