Since it is the season, I thought I would make a list of my go-to Christmas films for the December period. They aren’t going to be ground breaking - I’m sure you will have watched them before - nor will they be films I consider impressive, however they give me that warm festive feeling and get me excited for Christmas. So, if the Imperial workload is suppressing your Christmas spirit, throw one of these on and you’re bound to feel a bit more merry.

LOVE ACTUALLY

Love it or hate it, with Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and many more, you can’t deny it has a killer cast. Even though it’s not really a Christmas film, but a romantic-comedy, it really is a Christmas classic and I doubt you’ll manage to survive the season in the UK without seeing it on the telly at least once.

HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK

I feel like not many people agree with this, but I definitely favour the second instalment in the Home Alone franchise over the first (who even cares about the rest?). It has all the fun of the first film, but is set in New York City, and who doesn’t dream of a Christmas in New York?

HARRY POTTER

Of course Harry Potter films aren’t in anyway Christmassy, but I can’t dissociate them from Christmas. There are few things more comforting than staying in to watch Harry Potter on a cold winter’s day and I’m sure we’ve all participated in a Harry Potter TV marathon around this time of year.

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

This adaptation of the classic story by Dr. Seuss has been a firm Christmas favourite of mine for as long as I can remember. Maybe its nostalgia, but I love everything about this, from Jim Carrey’s interpretation of the Grinch, the songs to the Who’s little upturned noses. Personally I don’t think you can be too old to enjoy this.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

It’s a Wonderful Life is just a brilliant film in itself, but with the added festivities, it becomes one of my favourites. Growing up, my siblings and I had this film forced upon us by our parents annually. I may have found it slightly frustrating then, but now I find this story about a man on the edge of a suicide attempt being shown the importance of his life by an angel so touching.