20 essential classic holiday films to watch this year

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Much like Little Women, Meet Me in St. Louis isn’t an explicitly Christmas film. It’s actually a film about all the holidays, following a family living in the turn-of-the-century in St. Louis. The Smiths are the prototypical family, with boy-crazy middle daughter Esther (Judy Garland) and the death-obsessed little sister, Tootie (Margaret O’Brien) being just two of the characters who populate their busy household.

Meet Me in St. Louis hits on all the requisite facets of old-time living (and Hollywood filmmaking). We watch the Smith sisters go to dances and bottle ketchup. Director Vincente Minnelli, who ended up marrying Garland, understands the holidays from a child’s point of view. His Halloween sequence is spooky and hilarious, but it’s all about the film’s final minutes, looking at Christmas. The Smiths are planning to move from St. Louis, but the girls don’t want to go. Distraught, little Tootie gets upset, leaving Esther to sing her to sleep, performing a tear-inducing rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Garland’s voice is so powerful that it’s impossible not to be moved by it, but what makes Meet Me in St. Louis so wonderful is the family atmosphere. Watching the Smiths’ relationships develop and change is relatable to anyone, and though it looks old-fashioned, it’s hard not to be taken in by it.

Rent on YouTube, Google Play, and Vudu.