Ready for Christmas? Enjoy our favourite doggy holiday films
Nothing makes a festive film better than the addition of a waggy
friend! Check out this list of our favourite Christmas movies
featuring dogs, and bring some bark to your holiday season.
With the holiday season fast approaching, it's the perfect time to cosy up with your best waggy friends, and watch some Christmas movies to get into the spirit of things. Our favourite festive films are, of course, the ones with furrier heroes and villains, perfect for watching alongside your pooches and pets. From heart-warming stories, to hilarious classics, here are our favourite Christmas movies featuring dogs, as well as which human and puppy snacks would go best with each flick.
Grab your blankets and dim the lights, this first festive film is a family-friendly classic that everyone can enjoy.
Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws
This film is a beloved classic for a reason: it combines heart-warming and adorable puppies with all the charm and comedy of the holidays. 'Santa Buddies' follows the story of a loveable, yet mischievous, son of Santa Paws, Santa's dog. Puppy Paws, as he is known, wants nothing more than for Christmas to go away so that he can be ordinary puppy. Hilarious chaos ensues after he makes friends with Budderball, a puppy firmly on the naughty list. Festive themed romps are guaranteed with this feel- good flick, so it's perfect for watching with the family, or for a light and fun watch at Christmas time. This film is rated U, with only light peril and danger as the puppies get into trouble, so can be enjoyed by all.
We think a delicious snack of cookies and milk is the perfect way to enjoy this movie, and eat just like Santa would. Creating yummy chocolate chip cookies is a wonderful family activity to do together, before you sit down to enjoy your hard-work with a cold glass of milk and a matching movie. For your darling dogs, we suggest a yummy bowl of our Chicken with Salmon Pie, as it's perfect for plucky puppies looking for an adventure this Christmas season.
If you fancy another classic film with a little more moxie, this next one is bound to have you laughing one moment and sobbing the next.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
This movie has been watched and rewatched by all for its fantastic world-building, hilarious comedy, and pure heart. Adapted from Dr Seuss' classic tale in 2000, the film stars Jim Carrey as the titular antagonist, who hates Christmas after a town full of Christmas-loving Whos leave him feeling like a monster. One night, he concocts a treacherous plan to disguise himself as Santa Claus, and steal Christmas from them as his revenge. This film is truly a family classic, as it has a whimsical and fun storyline, with fantastic actors and clever comedy that can delight everyone. The waggy heart of this story is Max, the Grinch's loyal dog, who even dresses as Rudolph to help him steal Christmas. This festive film is rated PG, as The Grinch himself can be quite scary, as well as cartoon violence, and some double entendres that may not be everyone's cup of tea.
Candy canes are the obvious choice for this film, as they are an absolute Christmas classic that you can spot scattered everywhere throughout Whoville. For your dogs, we recommend our Lamb Kebab to give them a meaty treat, something we think Max would adore before an adventure with his best friend.
Up next, we've got a short yet sweet animated film that stays wonderfully charming whilst tugging on your heartstrings.
The Snowman and the Snowdog
This is a beautifully animated movie, adapted from the Raymond Briggs novel: 'The Snowman and the Snowdog'. This 2012 sequel to 'The Snowman' follows a young boy who builds a snowman and snowdog in his garden, after his own dog has passed away. The snow duo then magically come to life one night, and fly with the young boy to meet Father Christmas. This holiday heart-warmer is a classic British tale, that retains all of the sweetness and warmth of the original, with just a waggier touch. This is rated U, so is perfect to enjoy with younger viewers as the more sorrowful themes of loss are explored in a touching and gentle manner alongside the magical storyline and characters.
Our movie snack of choice here are melting snowman cookies, made by popping a blob of melted white chocolate atop a cookie, and placing a marshmallow on top. You can then decorate these with an icing pen to look like little snowmen with coal eyes and buttons, or even little ears and a nose to become snowdogs. For your pup, we're recommending our Chicken Dinner meal, as it is simple and sweet, just like this festive film.
Our next Christmas film is one you may forget is holiday-themed, so lets talk about its festive fun
Lady and the Tramp
A beloved Disney tale of rags and riches pooches falling in love, this is one film that flies under the radar as a holiday movie. However, we think it's perfect to get into the festive spirit, as it opens on Christmas day, with Lady the Cocker Spaniel being received as a gift and welcomed into the family. The film comes full circle and also ends on Christmas, seeing our waggy protagonists happy and warm on December 25th. This is a great film to kick off the Christmas season with, when you want to enjoy a festive flick without too much holiday theming. This film is rated U and is universally watched by people of all ages, so is a classic to crack out with the family.
Mince pies are our recommendation here, as they are sweet, warm, and best enjoyed at Christmas. If you want a pre-movie activity, you can also have a go at making these from scratch. Your puppy pal will love a bowl of our Roast Dinner with this wonderful tale, as it is just as good for the soul
Rounding off our list is another film of cartoon fun, that follows a skeleton and his dog looking to capture some Christmas magic.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
From the mind of Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick, this animated Halloween film is rated highly by many for its fun twist on a Christmas tale. The film follows Jack Skellington, the head of Halloweentown who becomes tired of their ways. After stumbling into Christmastown, he makes it his mission to take over Christmas and find his own holiday joy. This film puts a fun spin on the festive season, and adds some spooky whimsy to a Christmas tale. It also features plucky sidekick Zero, Jack's ghost dog, who uses his red nose to fly the sleigh, just like Rudolph. It is rated PG due to slightly spooky themes and action, so use your guidance before sitting down with your youngest here.
Lebkuchen cookies are the perfect choice, as you can spend the day making them with your family, and can customise them with all sorts of flavours. The sweet and spicy flavour is reminiscent of the film, and will have your house smelling like Christmas in no time. You can even create some tasty cookies for your pup too, check out our recipes for dog-friendly baking here. The best meal for your waggy bestie is going to be our Salmon Traybake, as just like the movie, it's deliciously satisfying whilst providing a unique flavour.
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