Among a bevy of traditional Christmas movies, both those occasionally mentioned and considered classics alike, Harry Potter is a franchise rarely, if ever, discussed.
Now, you may think “obviously,” and I wouldn’t blame you. But these movies have more holiday spirit than what meets the eye, both thematically and aesthetically. So if you’re looking for something different this Christmas season, or even something better than the average Christmastime go-to, here’s why you should give “a Harry Potter Christmas” a go!
For starters, the clear Christian themes throughout the Harry Potter universe make the films prime suspects for your holiday season movie nights. Beyond the obvious stuff—like Bible verses on Harry’s parents’ graves (in the books)—love literally defeats evil on multiple occasions, acting as a legitimate physical force that can overcome “normal” restrictions.
At the forefront of these stories is sacrificial love and deep spiritual implications that suggest that, as it is in our world also, there’s something unseen pulling the strings in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. I won’t unweave the entire thematic blanket of the series here, but truly, it is chock-full of intentional messaging that goes hand-in-hand with what we as Christians build our minds and morals upon.
It’s good stuff for the whole family, and these films especially make for effective ways to tackle this content, crunching the books into digestible filmed adaptations that highlight the best attributes of blockbuster cinema. They’re unbelievably well made on a technical level, carefully written, and infinitely watchable. That criteria is crucial to a good seasonal watch, and Harry Potter checks the boxes and then some.
It also helps that it’s always snowing, people are wearing pajamas, and in the first film, The Sorcerer’s Stone, we even get a Christmas-themed Hogwarts and a gift exchange between the main characters. Ron, Harry’s bone-headed best friend, receives a hand-knit ugly sweater from his mother with his first initial emblazoned across the front of it (and Harry gets one too.) If that doesn’t scream “holiday spirit,” then what does?
In addition to those cosmetics, the village adjacent to the Hogwarts, cheekily dubbed Hogsmeade, is covered in snow in The Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film in the series. There are scarves, snowballs, and funny winter hats galore; you just can’t ask for much more.
Even the students’ dining hall in the movies is decorated for the season at one point. The holiday is given so much special attention in the series that it’s hard not to get the feeling that some of these movies were intended for the most wonderful time of the year.
To be fair, it isn’t a vibe present in every film in the series, and there are few actual, explicit descriptions of the holiday. But again, cuddled up with a blanket and mug of your Christmasy beverage of choice (it’s Butterbeer, or you’re doing it wrong,) the Harry Potter series offers more than enough over its eight mainline entries to service the same feeling that all your favorite Christmas movies evoke.
All I’m asking is that you give Harry and the gang a chance this Christmas season. For me, the films have become essential viewing with my family and friends during this time of year. If you tune in even once, you may find yourself caught up in the swirling snow and moving fantasia of the winter-ridden Wizarding World, too.