A festive film feast of holiday ‘high-jinx’

Anthony Mackie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen get into holiday hijinx in The Night Before. Screenshot / YouTube

Let’s face it, amid all the holiday chaos, you’ve likely earned a little couch time, so why not get cosy, light up and enjoy a laugh or two?

Here are five festive flics highlighting the hijinx that are only possible when Christmas and cannabis collide…

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas (2011)

Definitely classic among stoner movie films, the Harold and Kumar series features the weed-fuelled team usually trying to accomplish a pretty simple task before almost everything goes awry.

The third movie starring the duo of Kal Penn and John Cho is stuffed with Christmas high-jinx, this time featuring even more Niel Patrick-Harris, and deserves a spot on anyone’s list, especially if you enjoyed either of their first two trips to White Castle or Guantanamo Bay.

Friday After Next (2002)

A sequel in the hugely popular Friday movie series written by and starring Ice Cube, Friday After Next captures the same essence of the first movies, with stars such as John Witherspoon and Mike Epps returning, but this time takes place at Christmas time.

While working as security guards, Craig and Day-Day team up to try and find the thief who stole their Christmas presents. With tons of celebrities making an appearance, including Terry Crews, Katt Williams and Don Curry, it’s a fun watch this holiday season.

The Night Before (2015)

Everyone has holiday traditions, but maybe not like this. Seth Rogan stars with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie as three friends who get together for an annual Christmas Eve reunion of drinking, smoking and other debauchery.

This year, the group has decided, is their final year before they “grow up and start real jobs,” so they’re looking for their “holy grail” of Christmas parties, the “Nutcracker Ball.”

Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special (2004)

For those looking for a festive twist on your favourite group of classy Canadians, the Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special is a must-see for any fan of the series. The special is a prequel to the start of the series and adds context to classic scenes, as well as the usual dope-fuelled antics of the trailer park – including an interesting twist on a Christmas light decorating contest.

Although definitely not an all-ages adventure, anyone with a soft spot for the original series should happily add this to their holiday watchlist.

High Holiday (2021)

It’s a classic movie conundrum when creating your consumable cannabis products: correct labelling. After all, you don’t want anyone reaching for what they think is a regular brownie, only to get so much more.

Well, High Holiday puts a bit of a twist on that concept, as the free- spirit daughter of a politician brings cannabis-infused salad dressing with the goal of relaxing her uptight relatives. Contrary to her plan, chaos then ensues as the family members all share their innermost secrets to (and about) each other.

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