The Pine Needle surveyed Central students to discover which Christmas movies they preferred, pitting Will Farrell against Charlie Brown.
The holiday season is truly not the holiday without Christmas movies and Central High School’s favorite Christmas movie is Elf. In a Pine Needle survey, 90 out of 270 students selected it as their favorite, with most of those votes coming from juniors and seniors, who clearly connect with Will Ferrell’s endearing earnestness in the face of the cynical New York City. It almost makes you want to pour maple syrup on your spaghetti in solidarity. Almost.
The Polar Express was the second favorite Christmas movie at Central with 71 students voting for it. “The movie is such a beautiful way to start the Christmas season,” says Thomas Gorman, a junior at Central. “It makes me get into the Christmas spirit. My family and I watch it every year. And it never gets old.” Personally, The Polar Express is my favorite movie; the musicality behind it is incredible. In fact, the band is playing The Polar Express for their Christmas concert.
Behind the favor of juniors and seniors, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was the third choice of Central students with 17 percent (47 votes). The Grinch’s annoyance with the out-of-control Christmas festivities in Whoville has spawned multiple films and the Jim Carrey version was preferred over the animated Grinch.
Sixteen percent of students most enjoy watching Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern slipping on icy stairs, getting smacked with hanging paint cans, and being set on fire in a low-brow reminder that being the underdog (or the youngest child) doesn’t necessarily mean being a wimp. Home Alone might be a little far-fetched, but so is Santa Claus, so ‘tis the season.
In fifth place, collecting only six percent of votes, is The Charlie Brown Christmas, which first aired on December 9th,1965. In an astonishing twist, many students declared, “Charlie Brown is the worst Christmas movie ever,” and one student even compared Charlie Brown with Caillou, saying, “The two could be twins, and you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.”
So, there you have it—enough cinematic Christmas cheer to fill up the next week while you wait for your favorite shows to return. Drink some eggnog, spend quality time with your family, wrap a few presents, and the holidays will be over before you know it. Happy Holidays.
The Pine Needle 