If you’ve been reading Substream for a while, you may have seen our weekly Take Five column, where we highlight our five favorite songs from the previous week. For the month of December, we wanted to highlight of our love and appreciation of the holidays by doing something special for our readers. So for this month, we present you with a special variation of Take Five with the Holiday Five.
We’ve gotten together with some amazing artists and music industry people to chat about their five favorite holiday movies. This will be more than a weekly column, so be sure to check in every day to see who joined us to talk about their favorite holiday movies.
Our seventh piece this month comes from Stefan Alexander — head below to see what their favorite holiday films are!
Rugrats Chanukah (1996) – Growing up Unitarian Univeralist, I was raised celebrating both Christmas and Chanukah. We used to watch this episode of the Rugrats on Christmas in between dinner and dessert. It’s one of the only Chanukah-themed shows or movies out there and made me feel seen as a multifaith kid, so I’ll always love it.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) – Dr. Seuss is a legend and this movie brings one of his best books to life. I’m sure Seuss’s rhymes have influenced my songwriting in some way, being such an important part of my childhood. This movie is not only about the spirit of Christmas, but also the power of community and how it can overcome alienation.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – This movie is just so magical! The animation, the alternate mythology, the melding of holidays and traditions, plus some incredible music. This movie and many other Tim Burton films give kids the permission to be weird and go against the grain.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) – What could be more wholesome than Charlie Brown? This movie is so nostalgic and the message is universal. We’ve all felt like a scraggly tree at some point in our lives.
Jack Frost (TV Movie – 1979) – This is my favorite holiday movie. I always watch it when I catch it on TV. My sister would put up a fuss because she has a phobia of ventriloquist dummies, so the puppets in this movie scared her. I love the old-timey feel of the visuals and the story, but thinking back to what drew me to it in the first place, I probably just had a childhood crush on Jack Frost.
