How to Write a Holiday Movie That Sells

Hi all,

As you can imagine, COVID changed the game in Hollywood. Right now, movies and shows with big casts are a ‘no-go’, pandemic-based storylines can elicit eye rolls from execs, and anything with a big make-out scene is a non-starter. 

But, one thing that’s in higher demand than ever is Holiday movies. 2020 has been a lot and we’re all craving those warm and fuzzy feelings that a good holiday movie can provide. 

Every year networks like Hallmark, Lifetime, and more recently, Netflix are in need of holiday movies to fill their slate from Thanksgiving through New Years. Plus, if you happen to write a “Christmas Classic” like It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story it could end up getting ‘holiday airtime’ for years to come,

If you are considering getting into this market, here are 7 ‘must haves’ for your next holiday script:

1. Warm family feels

One key ingredient for almost every holiday movie is a focus on family. Most of us connect the holidays with family (in its many forms), and a good holiday movie taps into those ‘warm family feels’. Whether it’s a character arriving home for a holiday with their quirky relatives, someone who’s alone for Christmas and missing the ones they love, or a character who learns to create their own version of family - there are many ways to explore this holiday movie trope. Just make sure your version feels fresh, relatable, authentic and tugs on our heart strings.

2. A healthy dose of nostalgia

A healthy dose of nostalgia is a ‘must’ in these kinds of movies. A good holiday movie lets us sink back into the days of wishing for presents, praying for snow and (if you celebrate it) trying to survive the killer anticipation of Christmas morning. Audiences love familiarities in holiday movies, and a lot of holiday traditions are experiences many of us share. Make the most of these ‘universal memories’ in your script - maybe the inciting incident happens at the town Christmas tree light up, or the main love interests fall for each other during an impromptu snowball fight - find a way to weave holiday nostalgia into your main story. Also, don’t feel limited to traditions that are Christmas-related. Maybe you celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanza or Diwali - what nostalgia can you source from those holidays? This is the time for new voices!

3. Lean into tropes and clichés

You’ve probably spent your screenwriting career trying to avoid tropes and clichés. Well, believe it or not, this is one arena where it can be good to lean into them. We love seeing the crazy aunt, the career-obsessed parent, the weird cousin, the handsome small town stranger, the polar-opposite siblings that never get along. The test of a great holiday movie screenwriter is to be able to serve up tropes and clichés like these, while also making them feel new and exciting at the same time. For example, how could you serve up a new spin on the ‘high-powered career woman who returns to her hometown for the holidays’ narrative? A great holiday film strikes a balance between feeling familiar and fresh.

4. Magic

Guardian angels guiding someone toward their true love, a tree ornament that grants wishes, a jolly, fat, old man who can squeeze down chimneys to deliver presents in the middle of the night… All of these things sound crazy (and frankly a bit cheesy) except when used in a holiday movie. The holidays are known as a time of magic - when any wish, dream, or ‘Christmas miracle’ might be fulfilled. Miracle on 34th Street, The Polar Express, It’s a Wonderful Life - are watched year after year because they remind us to be less cynical for a beat and buy into a bit of holiday magic.

5. Hope

When was the last time you saw a holiday move that didn’t touch on the theme of hope? Never. Probably the most important aspect of a holiday movie (now more than ever) is hope. Life can be tough, and on the verge of a new year, we want to watch something that makes us feel like things might just turn out okay. Be it a holiday drama, comedy or family friendly movie - they all need to offer up hope in the end.

6. Inner conflict and redemption

Redemption is a main ingredient in a lot of great movies, but is especially popular in holiday films (there’s a reason A Christmas Carol, featuring the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge, has been adapted and remade countless times). The Grinch, Kevin in Home Alone, even Jack in the Nightmare Before Christmas has a redemptive character arc. What inspiration could you take from this crazy year to create a redemption narrative?

7. Think outside the holiday box

Just because holiday movies are full of clichés and tropes doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to think outside the “holiday” box when writing your script. Scrooged is a great example of a movie that took a familiar story (A Christmas Carol) and turned it on its head. How could you take a popular holiday narrative or trope and approach it from a new angle? Maybe you write a film inspired by It’s a Wonderful Life about a disillusioned teenage girl who finds her way thanks to a guardian angel posing as the ‘new girl at school’? Maybe you create the “real” origin story of Santa Clause, or write a romcom that involves elves living among us? (Hey, you’re the writers, you can do much better than this. I just wanted to give you a little direction). This genre can seem a bit ‘paint by numbers’ but the best holiday movies, the ones we re-watch over and over again, have managed to take this familiar genre and infuse it with a unique twist.

What are some of your favorite holiday movie scripts? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!