Christmas, the most wonderful time of year and one of the most celebrated holidays on the calendar. Around 2 billion people celebrate Christmas each year so it's no surprise that the film industry capitalises on this and churn out tonnes of festive movies!
But what if you're a bit of a Grinch when it comes to watching well, the Grinch? What if the thought of seeing Home Alone again has you running for the snow covered hills? What if actually you don't give a shit about love? Well do I have just the thing for you!
Most people enjoy watching a film or seven over the Christmas break but not everyone wants to watch yet another Santa saturated movie, and guess what? You don't have to!
Here are 55 feel good films to watch over the festive season that aren't about Christmas!
Romance Films (that won't include any Christmas proposals or festive weddings)
- Holiday In The Wild
- Ibiza
- Blended
- About Time
- 13 Going On 30
- Notting Hill
- Chalet Girl
Comedy Films (with zero festive cheer)
- The Hustle
- The Hangover, The Hangover Part II, The Hangover Part III
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- White Chicks
- We're The Millers
- Bad Moms
Musicals (without an ounce of Christmas spirit)
- Mamma Mia & Mamma Mia Here We Go Again
- The Greatest Showman
- Across The Universe
- Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga
- Yesterday
- Sunshine On Leith
Quirky Films (that probably won't feature any reindeer)
- Mr Roosevelt
- Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
- Little Miss Sunshine
- The Runaways
- The Fundamentals Of Caring
- The Breaker Uppers
- Safety Not Guaranteed
Coming Of Age Films (that aren't about Christmas)
- Sierra Burgess Is a Loser
- To All The Boys I've Loved Before & To All The Boys: PS I Still Love You
- Angus Thongs & Perfect Snogging
- Lady Bird
- Clueless
- Wild Child
- Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants
Animated / Disney Films (that might feature a snowman or two, sorry!)
- Frozen & Frozen 2
- Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
- The Jungle Book
- Flushed Away
- The Little Mermaid & The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea
- Monsters Inc
- Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek The Third, Shrek Forever After
- The Lion King, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, The Lion King 1 1/2
- Aristocats
So those are 55 of the best feel good films to watch over the festive season that aren't about Christmas!
What will you be watching this year? Are festive films your guilty pleasure, or will you be opting for an anti Christmas movie instead? Whatever you decide I hope you have a fab Xmas and a wonderful life 😉
I've popped together a list of independent Birmingham businesses you can support this Christmas...
Inspired By Lauren
Yorks Cafe
As someone who suffers from moderate to severe eczema, I feel as though I've tried every available cream under the sun. From E45 to Diprobase and even the Lush Dream Cream, I've smothered my sore skin in most of them so by now I have a rough idea of what works for my skin and what doesn't. But in all honesty, my eczema is very temperamental which means I haven't found a cream that consistently works - yet.
So when I was contacted by Cetraben to try out their dermatological cream for problematic, dry, sensitive and eczema-prone skin I needed to give it a go.
The transition from summer to autumn is when my eczema tends to flare up the most. Add in the fact that right now I'm washing my hands excessively and I'm using hand sanitiser quite often, and I've got a winning combination of things that upset my skin. With all of these factors affecting my skin there really is no better time to put a skincare product to the ultimate test.
I was gifted the 50ml size product to trial, which from experience I now know lasts roughly 2 weeks when using regularly. I would use the Cetraben cream maybe 2-3 times a day using the full amount of cream produced from one pump. My Eczema does get quite severe as the seasons change so I could have done with using the cream slightly more some days but I was conscious not to use it all up too quickly.
The Cetraben Dermatological cream has a very thick consistency, similar to Sudocrem. While the cream does sink into the skin quite a bit, it doesn't rub in completely and leaves a thin shiny layer on the surface. This isn't particularly greasy or uncomfortable, however I'd recommend using the Cetraben cream when you're not planning on doing too much with your hands.
As for the price, the 50ml tube of Cetraben retails at around £4.99 so it's not the most expensive eczema cream on the market however I don't think it's the best value either. If you are looking for a product you can travel with then the smaller sized product is ideal, but for everyday use I would recommend going for the 475ml product as this retails at just £12.99, meaning you get a lot more for your moola.
2-week trial using Cetraben
The first day I tried the Cetraben cream Imy eczema wasn't particularly bad, however my skin was still very dry and flaky. On applying the cream I noticed it was fragrance-free which is always a bonus when you have sensitive skin. Although I adore scented products and will use them wherever possible, they aren't always the best thing to be putting on sore skin. Unlike some of my favoured scented moisturisers, Cetraben aims to soothe and protect the skin which is exactly what it did as soon as I started to rub the product in. Although the cream instantly relieved my dry hands, it would take a couple of days for me to see any physical improvements.
By the end of the first week, I was well on my way to having an eczema flare-up. My skin was less flakey but I had more noticeable sores, splits, and red patches on the palms of my hands. After a few days of using Cetraben, my skin did start to heal, but the change in temperature mixed with my ongoing use of hand sanitizer had clearly taken its toll on my hands. Although I upped my use of Cetraben around this time, it's not uncommon for me to have to call in the big guns and use Hydrocortisone if I cannot control the flare-up. I chose not to use Hydrocortisone this time so see if the Cetraben could help and after a few days of having quite sore hands, I did start to notice improvements.
At the end of week two, my skin was healing well and I was still using Cetraben regularly to soothe it. Most of the cracks in my skin had healed up and my palms were much less itchy than before. Although I don't think the cream worked any miracles, I do think it helped me to keep my eczema moderately under control, and stopped me from reaching for the Hydrocortisone cream which I try to use very sparingly.
Main pros of using the Cetraben Dermatological Cream:
- Fragrance-free and very gentle on the skin
- Rubs into the skin quite easily
- Reduces the itchy sensation I get when my eczema flares up
What what did I think of the Cetraben dermatological cream overall? It's a decent little cream that I think works best over a prolonged period of use. I would have liked to have tried it out for longer as I feel it's hard to get a good overview of a product after using it for only two weeks, especially as my eczema can get worse very quickly. I found that the Cetraben cream works just as good as other similar products I've used in the past such as E45 and Diprobase, but for now, the verdict is still out on which one of the three works best.
Can it cope with a full-blown eczema flare-up? Not in my experience and I don't think that's what it's created for. But can it soothe moderate eczema and help with dry patches and soreness? Yes, it can!
Fancy giving Cetraben a go? You can get it here.
Do you suffer from any skin conditions? Which creams do you reach for?
