Movie Picks for a Loving New Year

Six film picks for a loving New Year's Eve. Wrap up in a blanket, dim the lights, and press play on one of these with your partner for a much cozier night in.

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It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas.

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

It tells the story of a grumpy cynic who sets out to steal Christmas, but has his heart changed by a young girl's generous holiday spirit. Funny, heartwarming, and visually stunning.

2. Noel (2004)

On Christmas Eve in New York, Rose Collins, a lonely and widowed publisher, needs a miracle for her mother's Alzheimer's disease to improve. She grieves for another patient in the hospital and meets one of his visitors.

3. Love Actually (2003)

A cult romantic comedy following eight very different couples dealing with their love lives, in loosely interrelated tales set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Tired of being the "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington discovers Christmas Town and decides to take over delivering toys to children on Christmas night.

5. Elf

Built on the idea that Santa Claus is real, it tells a story about people forgetting what's important in life, conveyed through a delightful sense of humor.

6. Frozen

A kingdom is cursed into an eternal winter by the Snow Queen. Adventurous, kind-hearted Anna sets out to end the curse and bring back the good old days.

7. The Holiday (2006)

Two women, one from Los Angeles and one from an English village, swap houses for the holidays to escape their romantic troubles, and both end up finding something they weren't looking for. A gentle, comforting pick for a quiet night in.

8. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

A classic for a reason: a man who's given up on himself gets to see what the world would look like if he'd never existed. Black-and-white, decades old, and still one of the most quietly moving films to end a year on.

Making Movie Night Feel Like an Event

A few small touches turn just watching something into an actual tradition: dim the main lights and rely on candles or string lights, make a big bowl of popcorn to share instead of two separate snacks, and put phones in another room so the evening actually feels uninterrupted. None of this costs anything, it's just a bit of intention.

There's real psychology behind why rewatching the same holiday films every year feels good rather than boring. Researchers studying rituals have found that repeated, structured traditions measurably reduce anxiety and increase a sense of connection, even when, maybe especially when, nothing about them changes from year to year. The predictability is the feature, not a limitation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if we don't agree on what to watch? Take turns picking, one person chooses this year's film, the other picks next year's, so neither person feels like they're always compromising.

Do these only work for New Year's Eve specifically? Not at all, any of these fit a cozy winter evening in general, New Year's is just a natural excuse to actually sit down and watch one together.