The HARRY POTTER series has a cauldron full of Christmas moments. Although the 8-movie franchise isn’t a traditional choice for a holiday pick, there’s something uniquely magical about rewatching the films around this time. Half of the movies (1,2,4,7) were released in mid-November, perfectly timed out for a holiday theatrical viewing – plus the holiday is mentioned in almost every movie (except the eighth, which takes place in the spring).
Before diving into ranking Harry’s Christmases, I want to clearly state that this isn’t based on any specific set of criteria. I did think about how December 25th showed us more about Harry’s character, advanced the plot, or contributed to world-building, but it’s hard to quantify Christmas spirit. So without further ado, here are the best (and worst) holiday moments in the Harry Potter film series.
8. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 (2011)
Christmas is non-existent in this movie, which primarily takes place in the spring.
7. HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002)
In Harry’s second year, the trio uses Polyjuice Potion to infiltrate Malfoy’s gang. The only thing this scene has going for it is a fun body-swap – it does little to move the plot forward, and there’s barely any mention of Christmas. It has a notable holiday spirit deficiency compared to other years at Hogwarts. This is also probably the worst movie in the series, so it’s no surprise it couldn’t redeem itself here.
6. HARRY POTTER AND HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (2009)
As the series progressed, HARRY POTTER got much darker – the sixth installment proves this in a mostly horrifying holiday season. Katie Bell is cursed by a necklace in Hogsmeade, resulting in one of the scariest scenes in the franchise – and Harry confronts Malfoy with the Sectumsempra curse. This Christmas also includes Professor Slughorn’s party and the attack on the Weasley’s home, the Burrow. Proportionally, this movie technically has a lot of events around December, but unfortunately, very little Christmas spirit.
5. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)
The only reason that this film ranks so high is the committal to the Yule ball. This was the Hogwart’s version of prom, and it was fun, festive, and relatable. This film feels like a bit of a coming-of-age for Harry and his friends; crushes, jealousy, and insecurity about your outfit are things that even wizards experience. There needed to be a little more Christmas to bump this up on this list, though.
4. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007)
The most frustrating part of the ORDER OF THE PHOENIX was how much potential its Christmas had. This was the only Christmas Harry spends with his chosen, extended family – the Weasley’s, Professor Lupin, Sirius Black, and the rest of the Order. He also has his first kiss right before the break, but his relationship with Cho all but ends right after. This is the first “dark” POTTER movie though, and while it may have seemed out of place at the time, in hindsight, if I could wave a wand, I would’ve added a moment of warmth.
3. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004)
Christmastime in Hogwarts seems like a fun time, but Hogsmeade does seem even better. In THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, Harry visits the neighborhood adjacent to the school, through a gift from Fred and George – the Marauder’s Map. He later also receives the Firebolt after his Nimbus 2000 is destroyed. The gifts, the setting, and, of course, butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks make these scenes feel like Christmas. Such a big theme of this film, overall, was finding light in darkness, and focusing on the good in people. If that isn’t the holiday spirit, I don’t know what is.
2. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1 (2010)
The second place spot goes to one of the most heartbreaking scenes on the list. Against Hermione’s better judgement, her and Harry visit Godric’s Hollow – Harry’s birthplace and the site of the infamous Vol-… ,I mean, You-Know-Who incident. It’s somber and dark; but it feels like a mourning of what could’ve been. There’s an exchange between the two that really sticks with me:
“Do you think they’d be in there, Hermione? My mum and dad?”
“Yeah, I think they would.”
Christmas can be a joyous time, but moments of HARRY POTTER like this show a more realistic side of the holiday and growing up. And while this sounds dreary, we also have one of the best scenes between Hermione and Harry in the series, cementing this film in second place on this list.
1. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (2001)
And finally, with the best Christmas – HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE. Not only does this one move the plot of this film forward, with the introduction of the impactful Mirror of Erised, Harry is gifted his father’s invisibility cloak, an item that we eventually find out is one of the titular Deathly Hallows. This is also the first Christmas that Harry spends away from the Dursley’s – and the first he spends at his new home – Hogwarts. We see the magic of both the season and the school in this installment, and ache for Harry. This movie, overall, is also our introduction to the world of magic – and isn’t that what this time of year is all about?
The HARRY POTTER movies are now streaming on Peacock and Max.
