Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week.

Photo by Kate Laine on Unsplash

From Home Alone to How the Grinch Stole Christmas to cheesy Hallmark movies, Christmas movies have worked their way into the hearts of many, regardless of whether or not they celebrate the holiday. It might only be a week into December, but as “25 Days of Christmas” suggests, it is still the perfect time to get cozy and watch some Christmas and holiday-themed specials.

With finals coming up this week, the mood might not be joyous and cheerful, but some lighthearted movies and shows might be just the thing to warm up even the Grinch-iest of hearts. (And if traditional Christmas movie really aren’t your thing, don’t worry. You can still watch Die Hard, Harry Potter, Gremlins, and Black Christmas).

If you have 10 minutes…and are a Birds fan, read this article about the Eagles’ new Christmas record.

Photo by Игорь Лушницкий

If you have 22 minutes…and want to watch one of my personal favorite Christmas special episodes, watch Bob’s Burger‘s “Bob Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins,” available on Hulu. It’s definitely got the absurd tone of the earlier seasons of Bob’s Burgers.

If you have another 22 minutes…and want to watch my favorite Hanukkah special, watch “The Hanukkah Story” from The Nanny, available to stream on Max.

If you have 42 minutes…and love watch “A Benihana Christmas” from The Office‘s third season, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. This was one of the best seasons of The Office, and I think this Christmas episode reflects that.

Bonus: check out this list of the best sitcom Christmas specials for some more Christmas recs you can stream.

If you have 1 hour and 34 minutes…and are a fan of the classics, watch A Christmas Story, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. This is one classic I’ve never gotten around to watching (unless you count seeing the play), so it’ll definitely go on my watch-list this holiday season.

If you have 1 hour and 48 minutes…and enjoy ballet, watch The Nutcracker, available to stream through Falvey. Seeing our local Nutcracker productions was always one of my favorite Christmas traditions, but it’s hard to compete with this professional performance.

If you have 2 hours and 10 minutes…and want an even older classic, watch It’s a Wonderful Life, available to stream through Falvey.

If you have 2 hours and 30 minutes…and want some light reading, read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, available online through Falvey.

Bonus: if you want even more Christmas book recs to read once the semester ends, check out this list of new releases.

Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Gandalf said, “The world is not in your books and maps, it’s out there.”

Happy Monday, Wildcats, the final Monday of the semester! With finals ending tomorrow, the semester is quickly coming to a close, and Winter Break is almost upon us.

For Winter Break, I leave you with this: Take a break from all the textbooks, notes, and academic pressures (and maybe even a brief hiatus from social media, if you’re feeling particularly drained), and enjoy the world. I wish you an enjoyable and fulfilling break. See you next semester!

THIS WEEK AT FALVEY

See you back next semester for some more awesome events at Falvey! 

HOLIDAYS THIS WEEK

Tomorrow, Dec. 20, is Games Day. Falling on the last day of finals, Games Day is a great opportunity to decompress with some friends or family. (After the past week, I think we all could use some decompression). Whether you’re into video games, card games, or board games, awaken your inner child and play a game. I know I’ll be challenging my parents to a (sometimes heated) game of Scrabble.

As some of you may know, this Wednesday, Dec 21, is the Winter Solstice, marking both the shortest day (of daylight) in the entire year and the first official day of winter. Fittingly, Wednesday is also Humbug Day, a day for any resident Grinches and Christmas detesters. It is also a day for anyone to express their negative feelings and stress about Christmas and the December holiday season. If this fits you, Dec. 21st is your day to shine.

Photo by Aleisha Kalina on Unsplash

National Christmas Movie Marathon Day is this Friday, Dec. 23. What a better way to gear up for Christmas with a festive movie marathon? Celebrate by watching some of your favorite Christmas films, whether they’re classics, like How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, or nontraditional picks, such as Die Hard and Black Christmas. If you’re having trouble picking, check out our latest Weekend Recs post on Christmas specials for some inspiration.

Christmas Eve shares its Dec. 24th spot with another festive holiday, National Eggnog Day. If you’re a fan of this creamy winter beverage, celebrate the day by grabbing yourself a (spiked, if you’re over the age of 21) glass and toast to a joyous and hopefully stress-free holiday season. Although the best eggnog is usually homemade, there are some solid store-bought options to try out if you’re not much of a mixologist.

Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Library.

Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. 

Photo by joshua herrera on Unsplash

Christmas is a little over a week away, and this means that Christmas specials will begin (if they already haven’t) filling the airtime of most cable channels and streaming recommendation lists. In the spirit of the season, or simply as a way to bring some merriness into the bleak week of finals, this weekend’s recs will share some Christmas specials for festive enthusiasts and Grinches alike.

If you have 4 minutes and 18 seconds…and need some (violent) humor in your day, watch this SNL “A Christmas Carol” sketch. If you’re a fan of old SNL, you’ll be happy to know it features prior cast members, Steve Martin and Martin Short.

If you have 22 minutes…and need some Michael Scott cringe (or hilarity), watch “Christmas Party” from The Office‘s 2nd season, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. Although The Office has quite a few Christmas episodes, “Christmas Party” was the first and, arguably, one of the best.

If you have another 22 minutes…and look forward to another Belcher family Christmas each year, watch the most recent Bob’s Burgers holiday special, “The Plight Before Christmas.”

If you have 51 minutes…and are a fan of the family-friendly classics, watch The Year Without a Santa Claus. If you have cable, you will likely have ample opportunities to catch this old-timey Christmas special, and it is, in my opinion, one of the bests. (I mean, the Snow Miser and Heat Miser songs earn their iconic status).

If you have 1 hour and 28 minutes…and have a chaotic family that keeps the holidays interesting, watch Four Christmases. An ode to children of divorce and emotionally immature parental figures, this Reese Witherspoon/Vince Vaughn comedy might just make you feel a bit better (or at the very least, validated) about your Christmas-time family antics and woes.

If you have 1 hour and 45 minutes…and want to watch a slightly newer “classic,” check out the ultimate Jim Carey holiday film, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. In all honesty, this is my favorite Christmas movie of all time, so I might be a bit biased when I say it is worth a watch, but…it’s worth a watch.

Photo by Samira Rahi on Unsplash

Bonus: this recommendation practically goes without saying, but watch Elf this holiday season, also available in Falvey’s DVD Collection.

If you have 2 hours and 7 minutes…and are tired of re-watching old Christmas films, watch Spirited. Released over Thanksgiving, this film updates Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with a comedic twist. Plus, as a bonus, it stars Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell.

Bonus: For all the MCU fans, Iron Man 3 and Hawkeye are both set around Christmas time and are perfect for those who want something only tangentially related to the holidays.

Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Library.