At CSOFT and in households across the world, holiday films have a way of reminding us why we celebrate at this special time of year.
For two decades at CSOFT, celebrating the holiday season as a global team has been at the core of our company’s culture, from sharing our favorite recipes in cookbooks like Around the Table to collaborating creatively to create our own holiday jingle. This time of year, movies are just one of the many things that can bring us together, but they are also one of the most universal. From performances like It’s a Wonderful Life to less expected titles like the oft debated Home Alone, our favorite holiday films make a great centerpiece for discussion and occasion for gatherings. For all these reasons, we decided to share in the spirit of the season as a company by reaching out to our global CSOFT team of cross-cultural communicators, linguists, and leaders around the world to learn more about their favorite films for the holiday season.
At the top of the list, Love Actually is a multiple-reported favorite on completely different sides of the globe. From China as well as Spain, we hear that watching this romantic comedy is a yearly ritual not to be missed when the holidays arrive. As one linguist says, “It’s a sweet movie that connects themes of love with the holiday season.” Who could disagree?
From Slovakia, for one, we are hearing that the anything-but-romantic Die Hard is a true favorite. More locally, though, the Slovak Christmas film Perinbaba sounds to be a can’t-miss title for the season. Translating to “The Feather Fairy”, Perinbaba is a cinematic adaptation of a Brothers Grimm tale that recounts how a young boy becomes immortal after surviving a deadly avalanche, but gradually begins to long for the beauty of finite existence. As well as being popular in Slovakia, this classic story has won awards at the Venice Film Festival and numerous other international film competitions. We hear the score and main theme song are worth a listen, which has since been recast in a new version for a television remake.
All things held equal, Krampus and The Grinch are two favorites we are hearing of from Portugal, veering a bit more darkly into themes of Christmas. While there is all too much cause to think of the Grinch and his plot to wreck the holidays in a year of vexing challenges and travel restrictions, the mythological origins of the hideous beast called Krampus offer a more perennial reminder that you’d better be grateful for what you’ve got, or else…as one linguist puts it, “This wouldn’t be your traditional Hollywood Christmas.” As for The Grinch, the reason will surely resonate with many of us: “Because it’s the Grinch! Love the character.”
From Georgia in Europe, rom-com fans will appreciate our suggested viewing, The Holiday, featuring a cast that includes Jack Black in a more than usually serious role. This story of two women whose discontent leads them into a transatlantic home exchange for the holiday season is a welcome reminder that when things aren’t perfect, it can be a great time to embrace change – making it perfect, as it were, for a year when everything certainly is not, and all of have needed to do just so.
From the home front in our Beijing office, Last Holiday comes with the recommendation, “Upon learning of a terminal illness, a shy woman played by Queen Latifah decides to sell all of her possessions and live it up at a posh Central European hotel. This is my all-time favorite holiday movie because it teaches you that you need to live your life to its fullest, laugh more, love more…and is also a Christmas movie at its core.”
At CSOFT’s Boston headquarters, we were reminded that no discussion is complete without mentioning Home Alone, with the glowing review, “For over 3 decades, Home Alone remains the best Christmas movie of all time. There is something nostalgic, yet fresh about it. Even more so, when you compare it to some of less-then-stellar sequels that have come after it. It never seems to take itself too seriously either. The best holiday movies work for all ages and with all company, with Christmas being the necessary driver of the plotline.”
“The movie just gets better with age and with multiple eggnogs,” we’re told.
On that festive note, all of us at CSOFT wish you a wonderful holiday season filled with food, cheer, company of loved ones, and of course, your favorite movies. If you have a favorite title to relate, be sure to send us a comment on CSOFT’s LinkedIn feed!
Happy New Year!
- The Team at CSOFT