Netflix guide for a relaxing winter break

Christmas Movies

“The Nightmare Before Christmas”

There are only a couple times a year when it’s appropriate to watch Tim Burton’s modern classic, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”—Halloween and Christmas. With winter break coming up after finals, it’s the perfect time to watch it. The film follows the mishaps of Jack Skellington. Growing tired of the same Halloweentown yearly happenings, Jack stumbles upon a door that leads him to a strange and wonderful place—Christmastown. Exploring Christmastown, Jack finds himself more and more intrigued and believes that he should kidnap Santa Claus and take over Christmas. Enlisting the help of his fellow Halloweentowners, Jack set his plot in motion. Little did Jack know that things could go seriously awry even with the best of plans.

“White Christmas”

As the cold winter break approaches, so does the season of warm Christmas movies. In the ‘50s classic, “White Christmas,” singers Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up with sister act Betty and Judy Haynes to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. Upon reaching the location of a country Vermont Inn, the boys find out that their former World War II commander, Maj. Gen. Tom Waverley, is the owner. After catching up with Waverley, Wallace and Davis learn that he is having financial trouble. Wanting to help out their old commander, the four singers plan an extravagant Christmas miracle that’s sure to put the Vermont Inn back in business. Unfortunately, things go wrong due to miscommuntication and Wallace and Betty have a falling out. It’s then up to Davis and Judy to try and patch things up between the two of them. After a long day of sledding, this holiday musical is perfect for sitting around with the entire family and drinking hot chocolate on a late winter night.

Television series

“The Carrie Diaries”

Based off the popular series “Sex in the City,” “The Carrie Diaries” is about Carrie Bradshaw in high school during the ‘80s. This show goes through Carrie’s interactions with her friends and family. People who like fashion and drama would also enjoy the series. The show does a great job showing what life is like in New York City, as Carrie works for a fashion magazine there. “The Carrie Diaries” will be a great show to watch during winter break because it only has 26 episodes and you can finish it all before school starts again. “The Carrie Diaries” does a brilliant job of showing real teenage struggles.

“One Tree Hill”

“One Tree Hill” is about half brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott growing up and finding themselves in the process. The show revolves around basketball and the ups and downs of being a teenager. “One Tree Hill” is very inspirational for teenagers that have gone through some tough times. All of the characters are inspirational because they have gone through hard times and have gotten through it. “One Tree Hill” does a great job dealing with tough situations on the show. “One Tree Hill” has nine seasons and you get to watch the characters grow up from teenagers to parents. “One Tree Hill” would be a great show to watch if you want to get committed to a long series and love drama.

“Black Mirror”

“Black Mirror” is the perfect mysterious television series to curl up to and binge-watch during winter break. The little-known British sci-fi series consists of two seasons of only three episodes each. Each episode has a new storyline, with new characters and settings. This series may not be for everybody, however, as every episode contains mature themes. Each of them has to deal with a dark occurance happening because of technology. Everything from Youtube, to an online service that brings a deceased person back to life can be considered the enemy.