It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Here at Scene Creek we love all things Christmas; the decorations, the music, and most of all, the holiday-themed movies. Thankfully, Netflix Canada has gifted its subscribers with enjoyable cinematic treats that we can all enjoy this holiday season. Here are our five top picks.

1. (tie) Elf / Love Actually
We know what you’re thinking, what do these two modern holiday classics have to do with one another? Well, they were both released in 2003, and feature future Game of Thrones stars (Peter Dinklage in Elf and Thomas Brodie-Sangster in Love Actually, respectively). We also have an annual tradition of watching both of these films on Christmas Day (in pajamas while drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows).

2. Miracle on 34th Street
Whether you’re a fan of the original classic version from 1947 featuring a young Natalie Wood, or the updated version from 1994 featuring the enchanting Mara Wilson, Netflix Canada carries both family treasures.

3. Happy Christmas
Director/screenwriter Joe Swanberg’s latest collaboration with star Anna Kendrick (who can be seen in theatres as Cinderella in Into the Woods) is one of our favorite hidden gems from 2014. The film is an honest depiction of relationships, the struggle to balance motherhood with a job, and unconditional love amongst family members. In a year where realistic portrayals of women onscreen are scarce, this film features three of the most strongly written women (played by Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey and Lena Dunham) in film this year.

4. In Bruges
This film may not immediately spring to mind when discussing essential holiday viewing, but director/screenwriter Martin McDonagh’s darkly comic tale unfolds around Christmas and is a great antidote to the otherwise sugary-sweet holiday films. It stars Colin Farrell (True Detective), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Brendan Gleeson (Calvary, written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, Martin’s brother).

5. Scrooged
We admit that this holiday classic is on our shame list, but when we polled friends and family of which films to include on this list, Scrooged was the unanimous favorite. While he can be currently seen in theatres in the sweet St. Vincent, Bill Murray plays a different sort of curmudgeon in this film, loosely based on Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol.

Be sure to grab a bowl of popcorn and catch your personal holiday favorites with loved ones this holiday season. Happy holidays from all of us at Scene Creek!