‘Tis the season for a festive movie night… and it’s also the season for an expansion of Flavour of the Film! This is the first of many different posts, all still within the film & TV niche. I’m super excited for this next step and it begins with a guide on putting together some Christmas movie night ideas tailored to specific festive movies. Starting with The Holiday.

Contents

• Christmas Movie Night Ideas
• Snacks
• Drinks
• Comfort
• Ambience
• Decor
• Christmas Movie Night Ideas Wrap Up

Christmas Movie Night Ideas

Festive movie nights are the cosiest, right? 

Getting wrapped up and sticking a Christmas movie on with a spread of delicious snacks available on hand… there’s just something about it. With some soft twinkling lights on in the room, it just levels up the whole vibe.

There’s no doubt about it: The Holiday (2006) is a fan favourite. With its gentle colour palette and heartwarming character dynamics, it’s not difficult to see why. Nancy Meyers knows how to write with charm, that’s for sure.

I mentioned it in my Christmas movie bingo, but it’s worth noting again. Kate Winslet has talked about how she is approached by fans who tell her that The Holiday is their favourite film to watch as mother and daughter.

Having watched Kate Winslet talk about this, I felt inspired to write my first Christmas movie night ideas post centred around The Holiday.

Snacks

I’m saying it now: the core of Flavour of the Film will always be food. Whether that’s recipes and baking from scratch or recommending food you can buy. So, the first of my Christmas movie night ideas posts has to start with the snacks!

Snacks are the best part of a movie night besides the actual movie. Thoughts?

I’ve mentioned in inspired recipe posts like my The Shawshank Redemption brandy snaps, my Good Will Hunting pizza trees and also my Remember the Titans themed menu that some films don’t necessarily leave much room for inspiration when it comes to food.

This is purely when it comes to material that doesn’t include dishes that I can recreate. Fictional food is a joyous part of Flavour of the Film, but not all movies have specific dishes that they are known for on some level.

Including The Holiday. 

Savoury

If you’re on the hunt for Christmas movie night ideas and are looking to make this a dinner & movie situation, I have one word for you.

Fettuccine. 

Here’s a recipe by Jamie Oliver to set you up for success on the pasta front. 

Otherwise, I recommend starting with popcorn (this can be sweet as well, of course) purely on the basis that there is a movie theme within the film! Specifically connected to Arthur, as he encourages Iris to watch movies with powerhouse women in them to help her find her own gumption.

I also recommend grabbing some crispy snacks that are seasoned with festive flavours.

Supermarkets usually bring out crisps (potato chips) and the like specifically designed for the Christmas season, so there are bound to be festive numnums out there for you to get your hands on.

The flavours I grabbed from Sainsbury’s (no affiliation) were “Turkey Gravy” and “Pigs In Blankets” for obvious reasons. These aren’t vegetarian, so I didn’t eat any myself, but I heard good things from those that I was sharing my Christmas movie night with.

Sweet

When it comes to sweet snacks, all I can say is chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. It’s Christmas! Grab your favourite festive chocolate selection box – see Celebrations pictured above – or festive flavour bags of chocolates. 

Amanda buys herself some foil wrapped chocolates during her visit to the corner shop, after all.

Alternatively, you could reach for a dessert. 

The shops are full of them during this season, so if you are organising your festive movie night as a post-dinner evening, dessert could play a lovely part in your movie snack food spread!

Shortbread is a Christmas must in my family, so I made sure to include that in my list of Christmas movie night ideas. The same goes for a Terry’s chocolate orange! A true festive classic. 

Drinks

Three drinks in particular come to mind when thinking of The Holiday.

Wine, hot chocolate, coffee.

Amanda drinks red wine from the bottle whilst shopping at the corner shop and both red and white wine are consumed during the Hanukkah party that Arthur and his friends have with Iris and Miles.

Coffee is what Amanda makes after her first night with Graham. Then there’s the coffee that Miles brings Iris when they’re out looking for movies to rent. 

There’s no forgetting the Mr. Napkin-head scene.

Hot chocolates with five marshmallows all round, yeah?

I genuinely did an impression of Mr. Napkin-head whilst out for a meal on a family holiday when I was about 14 years old. I had everyone in tears… and have yet to live it down. 

Any of these drinks would fit a The Holiday movie night perfectly. Just remember: I only encourage you to enjoy the wine if you are of the legal drinking age in your country of residence. Know your limits, friends!

If you’re opting for coffee, are you a big dollop or little dollop kind of person?

Comfort

Now that the snacks are organised, the next thing to prioritise is our comfort during this Christmas movie night.

I’m talking clothing, cushions, blankets, warmth. This is especially important if it’s cold out!

Getting comfy and cosy doesn’t need to be complicated. It also doesn’t need to be expensive! If you don’t have any blankets, grab whatever duvet or comforter you use on your bed and wrap up in that instead.

If you have a fireplace or log burner etc., get that going instead of having the central heating turned up.

Make sure you have as many cushions on your sofa or seating arrangement as you know will make you snuggle in.

Lastly, I’d recommend getting into a pair of Christmas pjs if you have any! Otherwise, wear what you feel super relaxed and comfortable in.

Note: I, of course, recommend all of this to help make your festive movie night as cosy as possible. Just keep in mind that if you know you are prone to falling asleep during movies, avoid wearing pyjamas and try not to tuck yourself in too tight!

Ambience

Lighting and sound are two of the most important elements in film. They are also two of the hardest elements to get right.

This is partly why I feel that ambience is key to a joyous movie night, especially a Christmas movie night. 

Getting the ambience right simply means setting the mood in a way that makes you feel relaxed and at peace.

With that in mind, let’s start with the lighting.

I recommend lighting some candles (scented or not and away from anything flammable). If you have battery powered candles, they would work nicely. 

Candles alone create a lovely atmosphere. If you need a little extra light, make sure it’s a gentle glow. 

Stick to having a single lamp on – if any electric light at all. You want to be able to see the food you’re eating, but having the main room light on is not the vibe, friends.

The sound takes less effort as most TV sets have decent sound systems built in or speakers that can be hooked up in a flash.

Hans Zimmer created one of the best scores to any movie with his work on The Holiday. 

As long as you’re happy with the quality of your speakers, there’s nothing more to do in this area.

A good friend of mine has surround sound speakers situated on the wall that her sofa is pushed up against. These speakers provide a cinema-like experience so – if you are able to and have regular movie nights – I do recommend investing in a properly good set of surround sound speakers. 

Surround sound should help you stay awake during the movie, too, if you know you’re that person that falls asleep during a screening!

Decor

Decor is another element that helps to create the right kind of atmosphere.

I’m hoping that if you’re looking for Christmas movie night ideas and are planning for a festive movie night, you already have your Christmas decorations up.

Whether you’re a multiple-tree-singing-Santas-snowy-scenes kind of person (yeah, me too) or you prefer a smaller tree and a few stockings, the Christmas spirit is present. 

This is the only type of decor I recommend having up and ready for your festive movie night.

Even if you don’t have much in the way of Christmas decor, a simple set of battery powered fairy lights (warm white or multi-coloured for the win) are all you’d need! Drape them over the TV, across the hearth or around the TV stand.

However you choose to place your lights, make sure they light up the room and make you smile when you look at them. 

Christmas Movie Night Ideas Wrap Up

There you have it, friends. A collection of my Christmas movie night ideas centred around fan favourite festive watch, The Holiday.

These tips are designed to help you put together the cosiest, most festive movie night with The Holiday on screen. 

Whether you’re putting this together for a night-in with yourself or with loved ones, I hope you have a truly delightful evening doing so. 

Stay cosy, friends.