Today is the first Advent Sunday, which means the holiday season officially started today. It also means that I watched the movie “The Associate” (with Whoopie Goldberg and Dianne Wiest) yesterday while decorating my apartment. Don’t ask me why, but it’s a tradition of mine to watch that movie while decorating on the Saturday before the first Advent. I started that tradition a few years ago, even though it’s no typical Christmas movie. But somehow, it is for me, and watching it in the summer time would feel strange.

Another movie that I like to watch in the holiday season although it’s not a Christmas movie is Peter’s Friends. Great actors (Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, “Dr. House” Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton and Kenneth Branagh), a great story and one of my favorite songs, “The Way You Look Tonight”. But there are also some typical Christmas movies that I like to watch when they’re on TV, like Home Alone, Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase (I think Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hilarious!), Little Lord Fauntleroy with Alec Guinness and Ricky Schroder and some German movies. And of course, on Christmas Eve I usually watch The Muppet Christmas Carol, to finally get into the holiday spirit.

Have a great holiday season, and maybe you feel inspired now to watch some of the movies I mentioned, or maybe some of you favorite Christmas movies.