The power of Christmas cinema cannot be ignored. It delivers nostalgia, corny tag lines, questionable plot development, cliches, and escapism, all wrapped up into an hour and a half of cushy delight. Nothing cools flaring family tempers like a movie everyone has seen too many times. You know what else Christmas movies do? They contain within their multitudes great drinking scenes. We at VinePair have pooled together the finest drinking scenes in our favorite Christmas movies for your viewing enjoyment. Take note and enjoy.
“Family Stone”
When the going gets rough at your family reunion and the new significant other can’t find a way to fit into your quirky family dynamics, just remember to stop trying so hard. That’s where the “Family Stone” bar scene with Ben and Meredith comes in (found here around the one-hour mark). Ben helpfully reminds us to just relax; everyone has a freak flag, whether you fly it or not. That’s some drinking advice we can all use this holiday season.
“A Very Murray Christmas”
There was a time when elegance was the number one imperative. For the most part, we can all look back on those days and say good riddance, enjoy our $100 wine in red Solo cups, and just get lost in the moment. Other times it’s nice to reminisce and recognize that a touch of extravagance can be fun and entertaining. George Clooney in a tuxedo making martinis on top of a white piano while Bill Murray and Miley Cyrus sing and dance to “Sleigh Ride” is one of those times.
“Elf”
After all the holiday drinking (and why not, there are so many festive drinks to enjoy), you need some hair of the dog. That means syrup in your coffee! Buddy getting drunk in the mail room reminds us of our best selves, our simple selves. It’s also one of the most iconic Christmas movie drinking scenes to enjoy with your friends while thinking back on the oh-so-innocent early aughts. And you know what friends do? Tickle fights!
“Love Actually”
Chubs drinking Baileys and Champagne while watching TV is one of the saddest, and sadly realistic, Christmas drinking scenes. What comes next is straight-up heartwarming, though, when Billy Mack has an epiphany and realizes the true meaning of Christmas is spending time with the people you love and the people who love you, no matter who those people are, and no matter what you think about movies that lack a solid plot line and endorse sexual harassment.
“Bridget Jones’s Diary”
Christmas inevitably ends and not even movies can stop the passing of time. After the holiday season come New Year’s resolutions about never drinking again. That’s why you need to prepare with “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Specifically, you need to prepare by watching the New Year’s party scene on repeat where she talks about being so hungover she can’t get her head out of the toilet.
“Die Hard”
“’Die Hard’ isn’t a Christmas movie,” you might be thinking if you’re one of the 60 percent of the country who thinks that way. If that’s the case, “Home Alone” isn’t a Christmas movie, either, just because it takes place during Christmas. To be fair, though, the holiday drinking in “Die Hard” is pretty limited. It really only occurs in the opening scenes at the holiday party before all hell breaks lose. Everything that happens after that holiday drinking scene has reverberated throughout American cinematic history for 26 years.
“The Star Wars Holiday Special”
The long-lost “Star Wars Holiday Special” only aired once on TV — and for good reason. Something so bad should only be publicly promoted so many times. Still, there’s a time and a place for this, and thanks to the wonder, power, and glory of the internet, you can now find this atrocity of the “Star Wars” canon in full on YouTube. By all means, enjoy watching some creature drink something from who-knows-what planet at who-knows- what cantina (watch here around an hour in), but if you want some real “Star Wars” content you can get excited about, stick to VinePair’s “Star Wars” character drinking guide.
Cheers!
