Tylah Mofford
With the festive season truly upon us, Christmas films are being shown constantly on TV. Each year, we get used to seeing the same classics repeated: Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually; but channels also seem to show Harry Potter a lot at this time of year. My question is why? Why is Harry Potter shown alongside these Christmas classics? Is it really a Christmas film? Tylah discusses.
There is no doubt that we are a nation of Harry Potter lovers, and I know whenever I see one on TV, I will always pop it on in the background. However, I wouldn’t instantly consider them Christmas films. Apart from a few moments set amongst the snowy castle, they aren’t films set at Christmas, and the Potter-esque magic is far from ‘Christmas spirit’ magic seen in traditional festive films. So, why is it becoming tradition for Harry Potter to be shown through Christmas time?
It’s more about the feeling you get watching the film rather than the storyline
Looking at more conventional Christmas films, for example Home Alone, one thing stands out. It’s more about the feeling you get watching the film rather than the storyline. A kid left alone to defend himself against burglars doesn’t instantly sound like it’ll get you in the festive spirit. Nor does a young boy discovering ‘he’s a wizard’ (to be read in the voice of Hagrid, of course). More important than the individual stories is the joy and nostalgia conveyed.
Christmas is centred on family, joy and nostalgia, so even though Harry Potter doesn’t have Santa delivering presents or North Pole elves (obviously different from house elves), it perfectly depicts family and friendship. And there’s no denying the nostalgia Harry Potter creates. Considering generations that have grown up with these films, who wouldn’t want to snuggle up on a cold December night to re-watch the tales of Harry, Ron and Hermione?
So it’s settled, just because Harry Potter isn’t initially thought of as a ‘classic’ Christmas film, it’s more than understandable why TV channels show it repeatedly this time of year. A Christmas film doesn’t need to have flying reindeer and Santa Claus to generate the pure joy and nostalgia – although, Harry Potter does have Buckbeak and Albus Dumbledore if that counts.
Tylah Mofford
Featured Image courtesy of Elfleda via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes made to this image.
In article images and video courtesy of harrypotterfilm via instagram.com. No changes made to these images.
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