The Vacation (2006)
One of those films that has sunk into our brains as a “modern Christmas classic” in the face of seemingly endless ITV2 reruns, The Holiday is two romantic fantasies, but generally harmless.
Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz are bored single people who decide to swap homes over the Christmas period, both flying abroad and straight to a geographically stereotyped city. Winslet is forced into a huge Hollywood mansion and dinner parties with movie stars, while Diaz is trapped in a picture-perfect English cottage in the country, where her neighbor is a friendly Jude Law. We’ve all been there, right?
Mandarin (2015)
This critically acclaimed transgender comedy is set on the streets of downtown LA on Christmas Eve, with trans sex workers Sin-Dee and Alexandra trying to track down Sin-Dee’s ex-boyfriend, who allegedly cheated on her with a cisgender girl.
Shot entirely on an iPhone, but still one of the most visually lush and thrilling films in years, Tangerine uses Christmas more as a backdrop than a narrative focus, but tells the story of two social outcasts who are forced to raise their own families during what is supposed to be being the happiest time of the year is particularly poignant.
Krampus (2015)
It may have taken until 2015 for a major studio to release a celebratory horror film about the iconic German goat demon, but in some ways it was worth the wait.
This creepy slasher, involving a family besieged by the titular beast days before Christmas, is weird and wonderful, with a touch of Henry Selick and a similar vibe to Stranger Things or a particularly intense episode of Doctor Who. Fun for the whole family! Toni Collette and Adam Scott play the lead roles.