photo credit: Taylor Guzek
The wizarding world of Harry Potter is known to be full of magic and surprise, and the holidays during the winter are known to be the most magical time of the year.
Many people have had the debate of if the movie series, Harry Potter, should be watched in the winter season or the fall season. It’s clear that the series should be watched during the winter season rather than the fall because there’s something about pretty much every one of the eight movies that has a holiday movie feel to it. It makes way more sense to watch these movies during November and December rather than in September and October.
When I think of the Harry Potter films, I don’t necessarily think of scary movies, even with the occasional ominous themes in the series. The movies blend elements of fantasy, adventure and young adult fiction, and their darker themes are often in the perspective of a child. This defeats watching it during the Halloween season because of the horror aspect. Plus, these movies are for people as young as 10 years old.
The Harry Potter series has many scenes that create a holiday-like environment. Everyone who has watched this movie series knows the iconic scene when Ron and Harry wear matching sweaters and celebrate Christmas together in the first movie. However, this isn’t the only scene that mentions holidays. They also emphasize the cozy winter vibe with the lavish Christmas decorations during the holidays at Hogwarts. There is also the Yule Ball in the fourth movie, which is a formal Christmas dance.
Along with all of these cozy and warm winter elements in the series, there are a lot of sad elements that make it less cozy. But, in spite of that, they still create a winter atmosphere. In the last movie of the series, “Deathly Hollows”, Hermione and Harry visit Godric’s Hollow, a graveyard, on Christmas Eve to visit Harry’s parents. Although this is a sad concept, it expresses finding comfort in loved ones during the holidays.
Another example of this is when Hermione and Harry dance on a frozen lake during the war, to make themselves feel better and closer during those tough times. This shows the heavy weight of their mission and the loneliness while Ron is away but also expresses finding a shared comfort during the winter, even if it’s gloomy.
There is also at least one significant scene with snow in each movie. The snow is a big part of creating the holiday feel of the movies. In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, it’s hard to forget the Christmas horse-drawn sleigh ride that marks the start of the festive season. In “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, Harry and Ron are riding the school train as beautiful countryside scenes, outside the window, glisten in the snow.
In the movies, there is at least one significant scene on or around Christmas day. In “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, they hosted the Yule Ball on Dec. 25. The Yule Ball is a formal Christmas dance held at Hogwarts as a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament. It features formal dress, dancing and a feast. Along with, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, Harry attends a Christmas party at his professor, Slughorns, house on Dec. 20. These scenes are extremely relevant to the story and also create a cozy and Christmas atmosphere.
A major part of the holidays is unity and found-family, which is also a big theme in the movies. An example of this is the Weasleys constantly letting Harry stay with them whenever he needs to and giving him the family he never had. In “Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone”, Harry, who has never received Christmas presents at the Dursleys’, is overwhelmed with emotion to find a stack of gifts, including a hand-knitted Weasley sweater.
Fans cherish the films’ blend of festive visuals and emotional themes of togetherness, often making them a holiday viewing tradition. Although this isn’t a movie series for a specific time of year, it definitely conveys feelings of warmth, friendship and magic that create a nostalgic feeling towards the holiday season.
