Welcome back, besties! Today’s Blogmas offering is a delicious little detour into the cinematic multiverse. We all know the usual holiday heavy-hitters (I literally went through a bunch of them last week.)

But sometimes? You crave Christmas adjacent. You want vibes, not labels.

So here are 5 movies that are not Christmas movies but still whisper, “Yes, it’s winter. Yes, there’d snow. No, this story has nothing to do with Santa, but I’m watching this in December anyway.”

Let’s get into it.

Anastasia (1997)

This movie is WINTER MAGIC PERSONIFIED. The snowy aesthetic? The St. Petersburg backdrop? “Once Upon a December” literally being a haunting, glittery lullaby made for frosted windows? Peak vibes.

We’ve got:

• Russia in the snow
• Dancing ghosts
• Travel sequences across snowy landscapes
• Dimitri being peak animated-husband material

Also, personal bonus points: I first saw this movie in theaters in December 1997, and then I saw the Broadway musical in December 2018, so December is basically Anastasia Month for me. This movie is winter comfort food for the soul.

The Shining (1980)

Is it festive? No.

Is it cozy? Also no.

Is there snow? SO MUCH SNOW.

And I don’t know what to tell you – there is something about watching this descent-into-madness masterpiece during December that hits differently.

Why it works for the holidays:

• The Overlook Hotel is one big haunted winter hotel.
• Cabin fever energy is VERY “we’re on Day 8 of winter break and I’m over it” coded
• The aesthetic is icy, unsettling, and snowstorm-heavy

The Shining is the anti-Hallmark Christmas movie – and sometimes you just need that vibe.

The Corpse Bride (2005)

Tim Burton always gives winter-adjacent vibes, but Corpse Bride in particular hits that melancholy-romantic December sweet spot.

We have:

• Gothic whimsy
• Timeless doomed romance
• Danny Elfman’s wintery soundtrack
• A skeletal girlboss rising from the grave to claim her power

It’s pretty, but also eerie. It’s the kind of movie you watch on a quiet December night when you’re feeling whimsical, dramatic, and maybe a little unhinged.

Little Women (1994 & 2019)

Little Women is not technically a Christmas movie, but it might as well be wearing a Santa hat. Every adaptation has iconic winter scenes that shape the coziness we all chase.

In any adaptation, we can expect:

• snowball fights
• sibling chaos
• heartfelt family moments
• emotional devastation that pairs well with peppermint tea

Every version contains that warm, hearth-glow energy that makes you reflect on life and love and all the tiny choices that make up a year.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

If ANY movie is not marketed as a Christmas film deserves a December watch, it’s this one. The entire first half is literally winter. Snowy forests. A sleigh-riding villainess. Talking animals. Magical prophecy.

And let’s not forget:

There’s an appearance by Santa Claus himself saying “here’s some weapons, kids, go fight evil!”

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe also has this sense of wonder and in the end, good always triumphs over evil.

And that’s the list! These films may not be marketed as Christmas or holiday movies, but they carry that unmistakable December DNA.

Whether you want romance, gothic vibes, emotional catharsis, childhood wonder, or psychological unraveling, there’s a winter-perfect pick here for every mood.

Got other films that give holiday vibes without being a holiday movie? Drop them, besties – I’m building a watchlist.