As the holiday season nears, people start to get into the holiday spirit. Some ways are by watching movies, shows and even listening to holiday music. There are many shows and movies about the holiday season that people watch this time of year. Most likely, many have also seen lists that suggest movies and shows having to do with the holiday, even Netflix and Hulu have a section dedicated to the holidays. There won’t be any mentioning of holiday related movies/shows besides one show, This is Us.

The first movie is one for the kids. It is called Trolls. Like the title of the movie, it is literally about trolls. The main characters are Poppy and Branch. Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) is the happiest of all the trolls and the princess of the trolls. Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake) is the complete opposite of Poppy. He is somewhat an outsider. He does his own thing while being really over cautious with his life. The trolls live like this until one day a Bergen comes to where they all live and tries to catch them. Bergens are basically huge monsters that like to catch and eat trolls. This is a bad thing because the trolls are happy and enjoying their lives. The movie tracks the trolls’ adventure trying to survive against their enemy, the Bergen.

The second movie is from Netflix, which is called Glory Road. This movie is about a college basketball team called Texas Western University.Taking place in 1965, the movie features the contemporary civil tensions involving races.Coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas), who previously was a high school girls basketball team coach, accepted an offer to coach at Texas Western. The Texas Western school’s basketball team is not going anywhere, they always lose. Interestingly enough, Coach Haskins recruits seven black players who have a passion for the game and are also really good at playing basketball. Once the administration hears about what the new coach has done, he is under fire. According to the school’s administration, it looks bad and the boosters don’t like it. Regardless, Coach Haskins fights through and gets the season going. They start out with a hard fought win against a mediocre team, and from there they start rolling with wins. An important fact about this movie is it is based on a true story.

The third and final choice is a show on netflix called Parks and Rec. This show is  a comedy about employees who work in a rural community office. The employees come up with really good ideas for their city, but sometimes their ideas go way too far resulting in a consequence. The show mainly focuses on eight individuals who are all unique and funny. The main character is Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) along with Ron Swanson (NIck Offerman) who is head of the Parks and Rec department. Everyday they face a problem and almost always find a solution, but sometimes it turns into an absolute disaster.

The last and most recent show is called This is Us. It involves multiple characters all connected despite living in different times, seeming to have a birthday in common. The spotlight shines on Randall (Sterling K. Brown), his brother Kevin (Justin Hartley) and their sister Kate (Chrissy Metz). Viewers also follow the love story and marriage of the couple Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and her husband Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), whose connection to the siblings is revealed with time. Following the lives of family members Randall, Kevin and Kate, the show highlights many life lessons involving adulthood and the importance of family. This heartfelt show will draw television lovers in with a realistic air that while obstacles may come, they aren’t impossible to surmount.

For downtime or a break from tradition, movies and shows can help one get into the holiday spirit or enjoy a really good movie/show. The list above should help one enjoy some tv time or a get together with- or without- loved ones.