Movies create sense of holiday spirit

During all the stress caused by finals week, one of my favorite things to do is watch Christmas movies, because it gets me excited for my favorite holiday of the year and distracts me from the worry.

There are many great Christmas movies out there, and a variety of channels have movie marathons such as ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas or the lower-budget Hallmark Channel movies. But the one movie that will make me drop everything — homework and all — is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” starring Jim Carey.

I love this movie because of Carey’s acting. He really plays a good Grinch — he’s goofy, mean and yet deep down he just wants to have friends, which is exactly what his character called for.

Another reason why the film is so meaningful is because of how the events leading up to Christmas are depicted and how the characters are portrayed as being way too overexcited for the holiday to arrive. This is the reason why I love it so much, because I simply cannot be sad during this holiday season.

However, there are a number of interesting trivia facts about the filming process of the movie. For example, it took Carey three hours to put on his makeup and costume, and because of how uncomfortable and confined he felt, he had to get counseling from a Navy seal.

My favorite fact about the movie, though, is that Ron Howard directed it. He acted in a movie I mentioned in one of my previous posts — “American Graffitti” — and transitioned into a director position after his acting career.

You may recognize some of the actors and actresses in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The obvious is Carey, but you might not recognize the little girl who played Cindy Lou Who — Taylor Momsen. She continued to act for a while after the movie, with a main role as Jenny Humphrey in “Gossip Girl.” She then went on to be the lead singer of The Pretty Reckless — talk about a Transformation Tuesday.

My sisters and I would watch this movie every year on Christmas Eve before we went to bed, and it’s a tradition I still continue. After attending church and family gatherings, we would get in to our comfy clothes, make hot cocoa and put the movie on. We’ve done this so many times, we could probably act out the entire film.

Call me cheesy, but the holiday always makes me happy and calm, and this movie plays a big part in that.