Venture beyond Hallmark (now Netflix) slop this holiday season. Go local instead 👇
It counts. If the Bears can move to Northwest Indiana, then Chicago can claim this Hoosier holiday classic. “A Christmas Story” is set in Hohman, Indiana, a fictionalized version of author Jean Shepherd's hometown Hammond, just over the border. Naturally, Ralphie’s Old Man is a begrudging Bears fan — he calls them the Chicago Chipmunks.
- Admittedly: It was mostly filmed in Cleveland.
- Watch it on: Hulu, Disney+, TBS and TNT for 24 hours
I know what you’re thinking: “‘A Christmas Carol’ is so overdone.” But what if Scrooge was gay, Fezziwig owned a disco club, and the late Chicago drag legend JoJo Baby played the Ghost of Christmas Future?
- If you like that: Manual Cinema's unique puppet “Christmas Carol” runs through Dec. 28. [City Cast Chicago 🤳]
- Watch it on: Amazon Prime, Tubi
Okay, so this pick is obvious. “Home Alone” is one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time and, arguably, the most popular John Hughes movie, too. The director who defined a generation attended high school in Northbrook, so much of his oeuvre is set on the North Shore. We Illinoisans appreciate that.
- Did you know? The Winnetka home just sold for $5.5 million.
- Watch it on: Hulu, Disney+
Also a Hughes joint, this ensemble comedy takes place in a fictional Chicago suburb, though an extremely memorable scene concerns the lingerie counter girl at Marshall Fields. Definitely a different flavor than Fields’ usual holiday representation.
- Don’t miss: “Christmas Vacation” trivia TONIGHT at Easy Street!
- Watch it on: Hulu, Disney+, HBO MAX
In this perfect Chicago rom-com, Sandra Bullock plays a starry-eyed Brown Line employee forced to work on Christmas. That slight sets into motion a plot of mistaken identity, which would be creepy if anyone but our beloved Sandy was pretending to be a coma patient’s girlfriend. (The coma lasts a while, so this is a New Year’s movie too.)
- Bonus points: Young Bill Pullman 💕
- Watch it on: Disney+
Honorable Mentions
These options may not be great, but, hey, they’re technically set in Chicagoland!
- “Holidate” spans — you guessed it — many holidays.
- “Office Christmas Party,” which I’ve actually never seen (or heard of till today). Wait, it’s got Jason Bateman and Jen Aniston?!
- “Fred Klaus” stars Vince Vaughn so of course it starts in Chicago … it ends in the North Pole.
- “Christmas with the Kranks,” which is suburban in both locale and ethos
- “The Weather Man” isn't holiday-centered, but it is the coldest Chicago film I’ve ever seen 🥤
