BFC: A mug of steaming cocoa and any one of these

Skipping Christmas – John Grisham
Don’t see the movie (Christmas with the Kranks). Rather, let the master of legal drama draw you in with this sweet tale of a couple who decide to not celebrate the holiday, and then are compelled to change their minds. The Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
Suits of armour enchanted to sing carols, Sirius Black hanging Santa hats on the elf heads mounted in his home... Christmas at Hogwarts and #12 Grimmauld Place is always quirky.

Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
In the early chapters of the novel, the March sisters complain about having no presents, but then sacrifice their Christmas meal to feed a hungry family. It’s the nicest reminder that this season is also about giving.

Arthur Christmas
A feuding Santa Claus family, and a race to deliver a present to a child before Christmas... this movie is a completely new take on the holiday.

Love Actually
One man’s in love with his best friend’s wife, another has a tendre for his secretary, and the British PM hunts for his beloved on Christmas Eve. This movie is strange, but it will leave you smiling and in a festive mood just the same.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas
NOT the Jim Carrey version. The original animated movie voiced by Boris Karloff is a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit. My favourite line, “Then he slid down the chimney. A rather tight pinch. But if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch.”

From HT Brunch, December 23