Holiday Special 2025
Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! The first thing you see is a gift from my sweetheart - a pixelarted version of my Vtubey done by Chris!!! I'm an ornament!!! I love this art so much!!!!!!!!!!
This monthly blog post comes a bit early as a celebration of holiday cheer, with another on the way at the end of the month as a retrospective. I'll give you a look at how Chris and I celebrated Christmastime, as well as a nice list of mostly-offbeat holiday movies - many with links to see if you'd like something to watch today!
IRL Festivities
An event I've been eagerly awaiting all year, CALA (Comic Arts Los Angeles), had a two-day run this year! This is genuinely one of my favorite events ever. Chris and I met and talked to so many cool artists, made some pins, drew on the doodle wall, and even picked up a few wonderful comics (it was hard to decide what to get because of the overwhelming amount of awesomeness there!). I hope I'll be able to afford supporting even more artists the next time CALA comes around!
Chris and I indulged in some appetizing treats this month, quite a bit of which I made at home!! To me, baking is central to the holiday season, so I've been whipping up a ton of tastiness in my kitchen. I made "Snowpoff Cookies" (a take on Chris' Mom's seasonal "Snowball Cookies" recipe), Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with tasty unusual jams, and many candied nuts. One of my proudest achievements this month was making Mincemeat Pies with Chris, which neither of us had ever tasted until the day we made them, and they came out super deliciously!!! Other highlights include visiting our local European bakery to try even more holiday delicacies we've never had - including Lussekatt (aka Saffron buns) - and trying the Christmas specials at our favorite French patisserie.
Here are some sights from our tasty times this month! The first is a pic one of our mini homemade Mincemeat Pies, the "Santa Hat" and "Christmas Tree" pastries from Artelice Patisserie, a Lussekatt from Berolina Bakery, and the Christmas ambience at a lovely coffee shop we like called Republik!
I celebrated "Grinchmas" at Universal Studios! I went to an exclusive event thanks to having access to a special pass, where I had a blast taking in the sights, sounds, and delicious smells of Christmas. There were very cute live performances, a big tree lighting ceremony, "snowfall," and I even met the Grinch himself (he was quite sassy)! As a result of my excitement from the event, I ended up watching every Grinch movie (click the first word to watch the original cartoon).
Holiday Twitch Streams & Other Games
Many seasonal games were shared in my streams, then I capped off the 2025 streams with an art stream. Jazzed from my Grinchmas experience, I chose to try the PS1 Grinch game from 2000 for the first time (it wasn't very fun, unfortunately...). Tattletail is a game I got when it first came out and hadn't played it since, and it's so short and cute that I'm glad I could spread awareness of it. I tried Cave Story's Secret Santa for the first time (which is free btw!!), and I found it extremely charming and lovely holiday take on a game I love. The final Christmas-y stream I did was another version of The Polar Express, which I'd played the PS2 version of last year for the first time, and tried it on Gamecube this time - it ran so much more smoothly!! It's still janky as heck though... but you know what isn't quite as awful? The Gameboy Advance version of The Polar Express, which Chris and I played offline together!! I'm likely gonna try to share that if I'm able to do streams again a year from now!
A non-seasonal game that came out near the beginning of the month is one we've been anticipating in excitement for awhile: Angeline Era! Chris is still working through it (we've been very busy), but the vibes are immaculate... beautiful art direction by Marina, and Melos' music is incredible. By the way... did you know that this game was actually an inspiration for the game Chris made, X-YZE? (if you haven't played X-YZE yet, go check it out! it's free!!!!)
25 Days of Christmas Marathon
This year, Chris and I watched a bunch of unusual and/or new-to-us movies that are typically glanced over in favor of classics such as Home Alone or Elf. I'll share what we saw, and also share links to watch some of them if they're available for free in case you'd like something easy to enjoy today!
Chris and I spent a day wrapping gifts for family and making cards with a bunch of classic Rankin/Bass animated specials playing! These are all pretty well known, and I'm really just sharing them so any reader may have easy access to something cute and maybe familiar in a pinch (click the title you'd like to watch): Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Frosty's Winter Wonderland, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and Pinocchio's Christmas.
There are two versions of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus: a version from Rankin/Bass with puppets from 1985, and a 2D animated cartoon from 2000 (click either description watch that version). I always enjoy this fantasy take on Santa Claus' story filled with fairies and magical creatures, and Chris liked them too (particularly the second version)! If you weren't aware, the creator of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its series - L. Frank Baum - wrote the original book, so it's very imaginative!
One of my favorite movies we watched this year is pretty recent, from 2023: The Holdovers. Shot to match its setting of 1970s New England (a setting which Chris especially appreciated), this movie is deeply empathetic, heart-achingly dramatic yet funny, and filled to the brim with the kind of holiday spirit I adore. If you're looking for a movie off the beaten path, this is a fantastic choice.
Another favorite of the newer movies we saw is Feast of the Seven Fishes, which made me miss my childhood friend gatherings so very, very much... it perfectly captures the feeling of spending time with loved ones without it devolving into what too many holiday comedies become. I was surprised at how many times I laughed out loud, and it made me SUPER hungry for pasta!!!
Chris and I watched both versions of Christmas in Connecticut back-to-back - first the version from 1945, and then the version from 1992. 1945's version of the movie is a huge mess in the best way possible; it's very funny, cleverly crafted mayhem about a NY writer who writes a food column masquerading as a countryside housewife, and has to cover her deception when her boss and a war hero invite themselves to her "home" for Christmas dinner. I'm gonna be thinking about the phrase "hunky dunky" for the remainder of the year. We didn't expect much from the 1992 version, but it ended up being interesting and fun in its own kind of way - the story shifts from the lady being a column writer to a hit cooking show host, but still follows similar beats otherwise with an added ounce of mischief. This version had some fun tidbits, such as being Arnold Schwarzenegger's single directed movie, and that I've worked with the leading actor in a tv show previously!
It's not new to me, but a well-loved favorite of both me and Chris now: A Child's Christmas in Wales! Warm, comfy stories of a grandpa's childhood Christmases as he tells it to his grandson. Beautiful imagery, spoken like a storybook, and utterly charming, I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to be in the mood of the holiday.
If you're looking for a cute, perhaps little-known Christmas cartoon that's full of heart, I'd recommend Annabelle's Wish (click to watch)! This is one I got as a gift from my country cowgirl Aunt Sid as a child, so I think of her whenever I see it - Chris and I made a batch of homemade country sausage gravy just to have while watching.
Want an extremely cool and creative take on A Christmas Carol? Click the title to see it! Produced by the incredible animator Chuck Jones and brought to life by Richard Williams Studio, I highly recommend giving this haunting version of this beloved tale a watch. The Ghost of Christmas Past is especially awesome!
If you'd like a cozy, gorgeous animated film without much talking, give The Snowman a look (click to watch)! The animation itself consists of many traditional mediums, including pastels and crayons, which blend together to create a magical look. I had seen The Snowman many times in the past, but this year watched its follow-up Father Christmas (also click to watch). Just don't make a drinking game out of how many times Father Christmas says "blooming" unless you'd like to be very drunk or full of water.
Looking for a more sci-fi take on Christmas? Check out this obscure Canadian animated special, A Cosmic Christmas (click to watch)! Three aliens come to Earth to understand the phenomenon that started the holiday tradition of Christmas. Very squishy and stretchy animation!
Speaking of sci-fi... I watched the Star Wars Holiday Special (click to watch), and I liked it SO much better than I expected. After years of hearing "ugh it's soooo bad" I finally had the chance to watch it to make my own judgment and I'm glad I did, because I thought it was super creative and entertaining! Maybe it's a little "weird" for most people, but I appreciated it, even the freaky Wookiee faces of Chewbacca's family. Something I found really interesting about it is that it came out only a year after the original movie - Star Wars Episode IV (A New Hope) released, which speaks volumes to how popular the franchise immediately was!
Looking for a unique Christmas movie? Try Rex: A Dinosaur's Story. Yes, dinosaur!! The story centers on a young Japanese girl's Paleontologist father happening upon a dinosaur egg ready to hatch, and when it does, she becomes the mother of Rex the baby dinosaur. There are themes of family and a VERY Christmas-y sequence that happens after an hour of... other stuff. Some cool tidbits about this film include the fact that it released just one month after the original Jurassic Park movie (they reportedly released it before the Christmas season just to match the hype), and the creator of Rex's puppet is Carlo Rambaldi, famous for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Alien's animatronics/puppets!
Breaking up the movie section with the cover art for Rex because it's so very, very cute!!!
I personally love stories that show slices of life between different characters who eventually meet up, so I was very pleased to discover The Man in the Santa Claus Suit (click to watch). This features three men from very different lives who visit a costume shop to rent a Santa Claus suit for their own means, and each of them discover the real magic the holiday can bring. It's very silly in a delightful way.
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (click to watch) is a cult-classic that I'd never gone out of my way to see 'til this year, and it's a VERY country-style Christmas special with many fluffy muppet-y puppets from the Jim Henson company. A sweet story of a mom and her son working hard in secret to get each other special Christmas presents.
Remember the Night is a film about a sympathetic attorney bringing a convicted shoplifter home for the Christmas holiday, where the thief has a change of heart after experiencing what love feels like in a family setting. It's cheesy, but I found it heartful and sweet. It didn't feel super Christmas-y aside from its inherently kind tone, but it DID have fluffy chickens in a New Year's Eve scene, so that was nice!
The Shop Around the Corner is another older film that we gave a try, and lo and behold, it was a bit more Christmas-y! Having scenes of snowfall and pretty decorations in windows always exudes holiday spirit to me... During the movie I was very surprised that it matched each story beat in the movie You've Got Mail, which I learned is actually a modern take on the same story!
Chris hadn't seen a version of The Nutcracker before, so we decided to put on an early-90's film version on and were shocked to see Macaulay Culkin (aka Kevin McCallister from the Home Alone movies) as the Nutcracker Prince! Beautiful direction for the ballet dancers and well-presented camera angles to make the stage effects shine even brighter.
In the same way people jokingly ask "Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?" we watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a crime story that wouldn't have worked anywhere else but Los Angeles at Christmastime (which, as a resident of quite a few years now, I feel I definitely appreciate). This movie is stupid in a funny way, and absolutely Christmas-y.
This year, we celebrated Krampusnacht by watching the excellent horror-comedy Krampus, making a delicious meal like they may in Germanic countries, wearing jingly bells, and feasting on delicious desserts such as stollen and candied nuts all day.
I've seen the first film many times, but this year was the first time I watched Jingle All the Way 2 and I just simply didn't click with the humor. I've never personally been a fan of Larry the Cable Guy, so while I wouldn't call this film bad, it's just not for me.
I'm not really sure how to feel about Prancer (1989) other than... it exists? A rambunctious little girl finds an injured reindeer in the forest and thinks it's Prancer from Santa's sleigh, so she secretly hides it in her family barn and does what she can to nurse it back to health without her father finding out (who constantly threatens to shoot it??). Maybe someone else out there will enjoy it more than I did.
Similarly to the previous movie, A Mom for Christmas is a movie that exists. A little girl longs for a new maternal figure since her mom passed away a few years earlier, and her wish is granted in the form of a mannequin from her local store coming to life and taking residence at her house. It's a strange movie that didn't really impart any kind of feelings other than "well I watched that."
Trapped in Paradise is the story of a trio of bumbling brothers who rob a bank and get stuck in town before they can scram, and end up feeling really bad about it because the townsfolk treat them with immense kindness. The humor was more miss than hit for me, but I guess it counts as one of those movies you could check out if you're looking for something a little different.
I wouldn't actually "recommend" it, but I did watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (click to watch)... a sequel the the Rankin/Bass classic, but unfortunately falls very flat with uninspired music and super bland-looking 2001 3D animation. I had never seen this before and I don't think childhood-me missed anything!!
I needed something to throw on in the background as I did some creative work, and put on direct-to-video animation We Wish You a Merry Christmas (click to watch). I don't think this needs your full attention because it's very... simple.... which is fine!
I personally detested The Ref. I found it on a list of "underrated Christmas movies" with people saying it's very funny, but absolutely none of it was funny to me and simply felt like one big headache since it was 95% bickering from a on-the-fence-of-divorce couple. Stop yelling at each other!! It's Christmas!!!!!
I watched Feather Christmas so you wouldn't have to. Abysmal film that's just one of those dime-a-dozen romcoms that doesn't even try. I only watched it because I wanted to see a chicken in a Santa hat.
Be on the lookout for one last 2025 blog!
I plan to make a year wrap-up blog post to end 2025 on, I hope you'll look forward to seeing it. Thanks for reading, and I'm wishing you a very lovely holiday!
