Staff Favourites: Road Trip Holiday Movies

December brings cold days and long nights but even when the weather outside is frightful, holiday movies are so delightful! The staff here at Valley enjoy holiday movies just like anyone, but we like our holiday movies with a bit of travelling and transportation in them!

Check out some of the favourite movies that keep us going through the rain, snow, and dark that December has to offer!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

While Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is actually centered around Thanksgiving instead of Christmas, it remains a great lead-in film to the holiday season. Melissa, who heads up our Online and Marketing department, says, “It gives you laugh-out-loud moments while also providing heartwarming moments that we can all relate to.” Two strangers, Neal – played by Steve Martin, and Del – played by John Candy, find themselves bumping into each other as they make their way from New York to Chicago. The pair drive each other crazy and often try and part ways, but they are constantly finding each other. They wind up travelling together in all sorts of ways, including a milk truck! You can stream or rent this holiday movie from Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Google Play, and enjoy it with the whole family – although watch for the scene at Marathon Car Rental when Neal loses his cool and swears at the customer service desk!

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

This gem from the 90’s is a favourite among a few of Valley’s staff, even though it was initially a box-office bomb. I’ll Be Home for Christmas features Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Jake, who is trying his best to make it home for Christmas. Vanessa, in our Scheduling department, loves this movie because, “Well, it has Jonathan Taylor Thomas! How can you go wrong with a movie that is both Christmas and has JTT!” Jake treks from California to New York, using so many modes of transportation it’s hard to keep track of – including a one-horse open sleigh! This feel-good movie will have you chuckling in the desert, and happy-crying in the snow, across the continent. You can stream or rent this holiday movie from Amazon Prime, Disney+, YouTube, or Google Play, and enjoy it with the whole family!

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Often praised as a “modern Christmas classic”, this movie sits on Top 5 Christmas Movie lists everywhere, including ours! Chevy Chase headlines National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, as Clark Griswold, playing the ultimate Dad trying to put on the best holiday for his family. His heart is always in the right place, but things often go awry during his holiday. While the Griswolds have a staycation during the holiday season, the theme of travelling is seen throughout the movie with Cousin Eddie’s RV and the Griswolds trip to the tree lot! Jason, one of our Sales Support Specialists, says, “The Griswolds driving home from getting the Christmas tree is hilarious! It reminds me of my cousins in northern Ontario.” You can stream or rent this holiday movie from Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Google Play, and enjoy it with the whole family although there is some language and innuendo to keep an eye on for younger crowds.

Die Hard

Not everyone agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie but September, one of our Branch Managers, says “of course, it’s the perfect Christmas movie!” John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, is always trying to get somewhere during the holiday season and wherever he goes, something terrible happens. From terrorists in LA, to an airport hijack in Washington, DC, Die Hard and Die Hard 2: Die Harder keep McClane busy with airplanes and airports aplenty. While the argument is out there that, just because they happen on Christmas Eve, it doesn’t make them Christmas movies, you can’t help but feel in the spirit with holiday decorations and snow falling throughout. Not to mention, the underlying themes of redemption and family values! You can stream or rent this holiday movie from Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Google Play, but keep this movie for once the kids have gone to bed as it’s rated 18A for language and violence.

Four Christmases

Like the action-packed Die Hard films you’ll find the theme of redemption and family values in Four Christmases, although it starts out with long-term couple Kate and Brad (played by Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon) heading south for the winter to avoid their families! Instead of heading to a tropical island getaway, the couple are forced to visit both sets of divorced parents and spend just as much time driving as they do visiting and unearthing some secrets about each other that they never knew before. Samantha, who sits in our Education department, knows how rough family gatherings can be, but says, “Four Christmases is a great reminder that, no matter how annoying or frustrating family dynamics can be, the unconditional love that you feel can’t be beat.” By the end of the movie, you’ll be feeling warm and fuzzy, and thankful for all your family! You can stream or rent this holiday movie from Netflix or Google Play, and enjoy it with the whole family although there is some language and innuendo to keep an eye on for younger crowds.

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Whether you’re looking for an action-packed adventure or a happy-tears-inducing romance, December is the perfect time to settle in with some cozy Christmas stories! Take the time during the end of this year to be thankful for what we have and for the things that mean the most to you.