How to Recreate a Retro Holiday Movie Night With Your Kids This Winter

There was a time when winter break felt like the biggest event of the year. School let out, the air felt a little colder, and suddenly you were standing inside Blockbuster clutching a VHS tape, planning the kind of night that made you feel like the luckiest kid on the planet.

Pizza in the backseat. Popcorn tins with three flavors. A best friend on the way for a sleepover.Y our favorite holiday movie is ready to be rewound again.

Those nights weren’t fancy, they were magic.And even though the world has changed, your kids can still feel that magic too.

We don’t have Blockbuster anymore, but we do have streaming.We don’t have VHS tapes, but we do have movies you can click into instantly.

You know that feeling of a slow, cozy winter Saturday night? It’s still there just buried a little under the busyness of everyday life

Below is your guide to bringing back the nostalgia and giving your kids a winter break memory they’ll talk about for years.

How To Create a Nostalgic Holiday Movie Night For Your Kids

Choose a Retro-Feeling Saturday Night

Pick a Saturday evening with no plans. Not “maybe we’ll do this” or “after errands.” A fully open night , where time doesn’t matter and nobody needs to be anywhere.

Put it on the calendar like it’s a holiday.

This is your tiny time machine. The one that takes your kids into a version of your childhood they’ll wish they lived in.

Next, choose your movie. 

Think of this like strolling down the aisles at Blockbuster, reading movie covers and deciding based on whichever one felt fun.

Here are five nostalgic holiday favorites that hold up so well:

1. Home Alone (1990) A cozy classic full of humor, chaos, and perfectly 90s Christmas charm.

2. Deck the Halls (2006) Light, silly, festive and hilarious for kids.

3. The Santa Clause (1994) Pure warmth, nostalgia, and that magical holiday feeling.

4. Jingle All the Way (1996) Everything we loved about 90s Christmas movies: big energy, big laughs.

5. Miracle on 34th Street (1994) A soft, heartwarming classic that feels timeless.

Here are five nostalgic, non-holiday movies perfect for a retro family movie night:

1. The Sandlot (1993) A summer classic about neighborhood kids, baseball games, scraped knees, and friendships that feel endless.

2. Matilda (1996) Cozy, clever, and empowering. A love letter to books, imagination, and believing in yourself.

3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Bike rides, sibling bonds, and a friendship that feels magical and tender in all the right ways.

4. The Goonies (1985) Pure adventure and chaos. Treasure maps, secret tunnels, and kids running the show.

5. The NeverEnding Story (1984) Dreamy, imaginative, and a little emotional — perfect for kids who love getting lost in a story.

Let your kids help choose the final one, just like grabbing a VHS tape off the shelf.

Build the Ultimate Retro Snack Box

This is where the nostalgia comes alive.  These snack boxes are perfect for winter movie nights! 

🍕 Pizza (delivered or picked up)

Pepperoni or cheese that’s it. Keep it simple, grab paper plates to make the night super easy for clean up! 

🍿 Popcorn Tin (three flavors!)

Remember the giant tubs with caramel, cheese, and butter?They STILL exist!  Grab one from Target, Walmart, or your grocery store.

🍬 A Little Candy

Gummy bears, M&M’s, or whatever you loved as a kid. 

Pro Tip: Grab one of those holiday multi-pack snack packs. The smaller-sized treats feel just like the childhood snack packs we grew up with and they’re perfect for building your retro movie-night snack stash.

🥤 Fun Drinks

Cherry cola, root beer, or hot cocoa in a mismatched mug.

Pile everything into a basket or plop it onto the coffee table. Just remember, the beauty is in the simplicity.

Create a Cozy No-Rush Evening

Let the whole night unfold slowly.

• Pajamas early

• Living room lights dim

• Just the glow of the Christmas tree

•Phones tucked away (this is the perfect device charging station)

• Blankets everywhere

This is the stuff children remember forever. Not the big events. Not the perfect house. Not the matching pajamas.

They remember how the night felt.

And tonight? It will feel like magic.

Schedule It Now

The holiday weeks fill up fast, and the cozy days slip through your fingers before you even see them passing by.

🌟Pick a Saturday.🗓️Put it in your calendar.⭕Circle it.👐Protect it.

A retro holiday movie night is simple, sweet, and one of the easiest winter traditions you can start, and one your kids will ask for every year.

Remember, the best memories don’t come wrapped.

They come from slow evenings, pizza on paper plates, popcorn tins on the floor, and the glow of a movie you loved when you were their age.