Christmas Locations From The Comfort Of Your Couch

Travel this year is still heavily restricted so millions of people around the world are unable to have a festive getaway during the holiday season. However, there are many Christmas movies that will not only show you destinations that you can hopefully book for next year, but will also make you feel the Christmas magic too.

For those of you who have not yet watched The Holiday, starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, it is one of those Christmas movies that sneak up on you to become a classic. Filmed both here in the U.S. as well as in the U.K. there are many destinations that you can look at due to the house swap that the story revolves around.

Set in Los Angeles you can sit back and look at the beautiful streets of Beverly Hills and surrounding areas, while the English scenes were filmed in quaint villages including Surrey Hills’ Shere as well as Goldalming near Guildford in the south of the country, however it may be unlikely that you will see Jude Law walking down the high street.

One of the positive aspects of staying home this festive period is that there is no chance of you losing a child, unlike in Home Alone where the McCallister family manage to lose son Kevin not once, but three times!

In the original movie the family forget to take Kevin with them when they head to Paris for a big family vacation, however the film was primarily filmed around Chicago, with the airport scenes filmed in O’Hare International. Fans of the film often head to Winnetka to see the family home as well as the village green where Santa is discovered by Kevin.

The sequel, Home Alone: Lost in New York, shows off one of America’s most visited destinations beautifully. There are many areas that you can see in the movie starting with Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel where Kevin manages to book a stay followed by scenes of Central Park. The movie ends up at the Rockefeller Center where Kevin’s mom finally tracks him down to the Wollman Skating Rink, uniting in front of the famous gilded statue of Prometheus.

Staying in New York, 1989’s When Harry Met Sally shows off Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can also see Coney Island as well as areas in Queens and Manhattan. And who else wants to go to Katz’s Delicatessen in the Lower East Side just to ‘have what she’s having’?

Heading across to Cleveland you can visit Ralphie’s home from A Christmas Story and, when social distancing restrictions permit it, tours can be booked. You can also look at Public Square where Ralphie spots his Red Ryder BB gun however if you fancy taking a look at Canada keep an eye out for the Christmas dinner scene which was actually filmed in Toronto!

Continuing with viewing Canada, make sure you watch The Santa Clause where Tim Allen takes over the big man’s role. Filmed around Toronto you can see Toronto Zoo and many of the stores in the area, as well as the beautiful suburb of Oakville.

Meanwhile, those who would like to see Minnesota should tune into Jingle All The Way and watch Arnold Schwarzenegger make his way around the town and eat just by the Mississippi.

Back to the U.K. and romcom favorite Love Actually, starring Hugh Grant and the late Alan Rickman, is filmed in and around London locations including St. Christopher’s Place and Queen’s Walk along the River Thames.

While last year’s biggest holiday hit, Last Christmas starring Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke, is filmed in London and predominantly features the beautiful Covent Garden as well as Leather Lane Market and The Phoenix Garden. With London usually being so busy during the Christmas season many scenes were filmed at 2am meaning you get to see London at its festive best.

For those wanting to see the wintery sights of Massachusetts Daddy’s Home 2 is for you. Including scenes filmed in Boston and Lawrence you can also see Great Barrington in the Christmas sequel starring Mark Wahlberg and Christmas’s favorite Buddy, Will Ferrell.

A Christmas movie list is not complete without Elf, which follows Will Ferrell’s Buddy as he tries to find his biological Dad. Again filmed in New York City the movie shows us different areas in Central Park as well as Macy’s. It is also a great way to see Manhattan as Buddy makes his way around the district. However, many of the scenes were also filmed in Vancouver so the eagle-eyed viewer may spot some Canadian views too.

Whichever Christmas movie and location you chose to watch make sure you watch it with your favorite food and make it an event. And who knows, next Christmas you may actually be there!