‘Tis the season for warm, cozy nights spent enjoying holiday movies with loved ones. Our crew compiled a list of WWII-era films we recommend that are set around Christmas time. We’ve also included links to watch on Amazon Prime Music, but you can probably find these at your local library or another streaming service.
If you have a favorite that we didn’t include on our list – let us know in the comment section below. Happy watching!
1. It’s a Wonderful Life
This timeless, Christmas classic ( which premiered 72 years ago this month) tells the story of George Bailey, a troubled businessman whose guardian angel shows him how life in his town would be different had he never been born. Interesting fact: actor Jimmy Stewart was a WWII veteran and was awarded the Croix de Guerre medal for exceptional services in the liberation of France.
2. Silent Night
On Christmas Eve in 1944, a woman and her son welcome American and German soldiers into their cottage. Based on a true story.
3. White Christmas
After serving in the Army in WWII, a successful song-and-dance duo team up with a pair of sisters to help save the failing inn of the duo’s former commanding general.
4. Joyeoux Noel
This film is set in World War I, but tells a very human tale of the realities of war in France — and a war that served as a scarring precursor to World War II. Told from the French, British, and German perspectives, Joyeux Noel brings to life the legendary Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers from opposing sides laid down their arms and came together as mere men to celebrate Christmas in peace.
5. The Sound of Music
This well-loved musical is based on a true story about a governess who brings music and joy into the home of a widowed naval captain and takes place in pre-WWII Salzburg, Austria. It is the third highest grossing film of all time in the US and Canada.
This post was authored by:
Bethany Villero
Social media for The Girl Who Wore Freedom
A recent graduate of George Fox University, Bethany lives near Portland, Oregon where she currently works as a marketing specialist and portrait photographer. As a lifelong history lover, she has found the numerous perspectives of WWII to be particularly fascinating from a young age, growing up watching and reading WWII books and films and listening to stories of her grandparents’ experiences during the war. When she isn’t working, you can usually find Bethany watching cooking shows, playing word games with friends, or relaxing in a hammock with her ukulele.
Dear Bethany,
I am a 5th grade teacher in Wheaton, Illinois and would like to see a film clip to preview before deciding to see it with my class. Is there one available? How long is the whole film?
Thank you,
Dana Wolze
Which film do mean Ms. Wolze? One of the films on this list or our film, The Girl Who Wore Freedom. We are still doing focus group screenings of our film while we raise the remainder of the funds we need. There will be a screening at the Wheaton Library on Sunday, January 10th. You can find all the details on our screening page, https://thegirlwhoworefreedom.com/screenings/
Hi Dana, thanks for reaching out! We don’t have the full “The Girl Who Wore Freedom” film available yet, but you can watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxbHineTWos.
As my team mate Melissa mentioned, there will be a screening in Wheaton on January 10th, and we’d love to have you join us. For more info, go to the Screenings page on this website or email info@normandystories.com.
I love Christmas in Connecticut the original version. It is about a magazine writer who lives in the city and is single but she writes about her home in Connecticut, husband, and child all of which are made up.
Her publisher sends a wounded soldier to spend Christmas there and they fall in love.
Thanks for the comment, Elizabeth! Christmas in Connecticut is a new one for me – I will add it to my Christmas movie to-watch list. Merry Christmas!