From 'Home Alone' to 'Die Hard': Holiday movie picks from the Mainebiz staff

Photo / Adobe Stock Here is a list of must-sees to help you get in the holiday spirit.

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For many during the festive season, watching holiday-themed movies and specials is a cherished tradition, as some of us chatted about at last week's Mainebiz holiday party.

The conversation sparked plenty of nostalgia and a lively debate, especially over whether "Die Hard," the 1988 action thriller, is really a Christmas movie.

Here's a rundown of everyone's favorites.

Pizza, Kevin and Christmas

There is nothing like grabbing “a lovely cheese pizza, just for me” and watching “Home Alone”, the 1990 movie about a family Christmas trip to Paris gone wrong when Kevin is left home alone and must defend his house against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve, which we all know the famous line “this is my house, I have to defend it.” I grew up watching this movie every holiday season and over the years, it has become more than just a funny movie — it has turned into a comfort movie filled with nostalgia. And don’t tempt me because I can quote the whole film. “It’s a Wonderful Life” is special in a different way because of its powerful message. It’s the kind of movie that sticks with you and feels just as relevant no matter how many times you see it.

Alexis Wells, Digital Editor

Rom-coms all the way

I’m a rom-com fan and have two holiday faves that I watch every year: “The Holiday” and “The Family Stone.”

Peter Van Allen, Editor

New England nostalgia

A couple of my favorite holiday movies are “Christmas in Connecticut,” a 1945 Barbara Stanwyck movie that I would watch with my mum every year. I love the quirky characters and the beautiful scenery. Another favorite is the 1994 version of “Little Women.” I grew up near Concord, Mass., and it reminds me of home. The strength and love of the March family never fail to put me in the holiday spirit.

Allison Spies, Operations and Administrative Manager

Austrian kitsch and an American classic

Two of my go-to flicks at this time of year are the “Sissi” film trilogy starring Romy Schneider in the title role as Empress Elisabeth of Austria and “Meet Me In St. Louis,” set in the midwestern city at the start of the 20th century. As a fan of historical fiction and a lifelong German speaker, watching “Sissi” in the original German is like indulging in the sweetest Sachertorte. And Judy Garland’s soulful rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” in "Meet Me In St. Louis" to the tearful Tootie (played by Margaret O’Brien) gets me every time.

Renee Cordes, Deputy Editor

Family favorite

Our holiday season is not complete without the whole family sprawled out on the couch watching “A Christmas Story.” The nostalgia it creates and the amazing one-liners we quote all year finally come together when we gather as a family for our annual event. “You’ll shoot your eye out,” “I double dog dare ya,” and “It’s a major award” have become part of our family language and will always hold a special place in our Christmas celebrations.

Michelle Phillips, Account Executive

Scrooge vs. 'Scrooged'

My favorite Christmas story is Scrooge, because I love Dickens and redemption stories. Ebenezer Scrooge is a lost and lonely soul whose greed has overshadowed everything truly important in life — friends, family, community, kindness and generosity. Who is redeemed by some sassy ghosts. See the Albert Finney version, set in Victorian England, which is the Christmassiest place ever. But my all-time favorite is “Scrooged,” starring Bill Murray and a crazy, cool cast. It has the best ending of any Christmas movie ever, which seems pretty timely. Watch it — worth the 5 minutes — and try not to cry.

Kerry Rasor, Senior Accounts Manager

'Festivus for the rest of us'

Season 9, episode 10 of "Seinfeld" features Festivus, a holiday invented by George Costanza’s father, played by Jerry Stiller.

Laurie Schreiber, Senior Writer

‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie

My favorite holiday movie would have to be “Home Alone,” because what's more fun than watching a smart young kid fool the adults? I also stand firmly among those who say “Die Hard” is, in fact, a Christmas movie.

Ken Hanson, Senior Accounts Manager

A holiday tradition

I can’t remember a holiday season when I haven’t watched the 1954 film, "White Christmas." The stunning Technicolor, catchy songs and impressive “choreography” continue to delight year after year. My grandfather was also a fan of the film and once dug out his old WW II Army uniform and reenacted the final scene in which the retired general discovers that the show is produced in his honor. One of my most treasured memories of him is tied to a warm-hug of a film.

Samantha Elliott, Events and Marketing Director

Holiday movies on repeat

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is leaving the TV on for 24 hours of "A Christmas Story." You inevitably walk away at various parts of the film, so by the end of 24 hours, you have hopefully seen the whole movie. I enjoy it so much that I do a 24-hour countdown leading up to it. While wrapping my gifts, I always have "Love Actually" playing — “there was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?”

Andrea Tetzlaff, Publisher

Happy Life Day

Like Christmas itself with its eclectic accumulation of theology and pre-Christian solstice traditions, elements of the “Star Wars Holiday Special” have been seamlessly integrated into the larger canon despite its long-held pariah status. Chewbacca's family, their homeworld Kashyyyk (though not its pronunciation), Boba Fett's Amban phase-pulse blaster, and the "Star Wars"-ified quasi-Christmas holiday of Life Day have all escaped this weird abomination of a 1970s variety show to become official Star Wars lore. Enduring the tonal dysphoria of Bea Arthur serenading the cantina aliens so that you can get a better look at all those great masks could teach us all a little something about taking the good with the bad in the spirit of unconditional love during the holiday season.

Matt Selva, Art Director

‘Elf’ for laughs

Will Ferrell is at his screwball best in "Elf." How the rest of the cast — Bob Newhart, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Zooey Deschanel — manage to keep a straight face during his antics is a testament to their talents. So many laughs with this one.

Tina Fischer, Staff Writer