It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

Follows a suicidal man at Christmas, who is visited by an angel to show him the life he would be missing.

The film is a cult-classic, because of its progressive portrayal of depression, self-harm, and suicidality during the holiday season. 

Home Alone (1990)

Depicts a lonely and bullied young boy (mistakenly left behind by his family on a holiday) trying to fend his home from robbers at Christmas.

Another cult-classic, the film lays bare themes of social isolation, loneliness, and emotional abuse against a festive backdrop. 

Miracle On 34th Street (1994)

Follows a young girl and a lawyer pairing up to save a man from being institutionalized, a man who claims that he is the real "Santa Claus."

The fantasy film examines mental health institutionalization, and how community support is important for people recovering from mental illness. 

Jack Frost (1998)

Depicts a grieving boy at Christmas, whose dead father returns as a snowman to cheer him up. 

The film sheds light on the challenges of navigating the holidays with grief resulting from the loss of a loved one. 

Follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly and bitter elderly banker, who is visited by ghosts on Christmas Eve. 

A Christmas Carol (2009)

The Dickensian classic explores mental health in the elderly during the holidays, focusing on untreated trauma, grief, depression, and social isolation. 

Follows Santa Claus's gawky son, who sets out to deliver a misplaced present to please his father. 

Arthur Christmas (2011)

The Christmas classic explores a strained father-son relationship and sub-themes like poor self-esteem, daddy issues, and psychological resilience. 

Shows several interconnected couples and singles navigating life's difficulties and relationships in the period between Christmas and the New Year.

New Year's Eve (2011)

The characters depict holiday stress, alongside several mental health disorders like OCD, depression, social anxiety disorder, grief, and substance addiction. 

Chronicles the unlikely friendship between an exiled postman and a grieving widower and toymaker, Klaus. 

Klaus (2019)

The animated film explores how grief and depression can make us turn out from the joy, merry, and love that the holiday season brings. 

Follows a lesbian couple, Abby and Harper, as they spend Christmas with Harper's conservative family. 

Happiest Season (2020)

The film explores how experiences of homophobia, self-inflicted and that of others, can make mental health during the holidays challenging. 

Chronicles a turbulent royal Christmas through the eyes of Kristen Stuart's Diana, Princess of Wales, who battles bulimia and an unhappy marriage. 

Spencer (2021)

The critically acclaimed film explores how emotional abuse, poor self-esteem, eating disorders, and body image issues can make the holiday season difficult and painful.

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