As the days start to get shorter and the end of Thanksgiving break brings finals and a last push before winter break, comfort comes calling. Whether in the form of rewatching old favorites, reading a well-praised book from this past year or playing a comforting album, it’s the perfect time to cozy up and turn toward media that can provide the same feeling as a mug of hot cocoa and the warm smell of freshly baked cookies in the oven.

Movies

“The Holdovers”

A relatively under-the-radar recent release, “The Holdovers” centers around a grumpy, rude and lonely school teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti at his best) who is tasked with taking care of a handful of students kept over winter break at their boarding school. The film is steeped in the love and attention that is such a staple of holiday movies. Through a series of events, Paul, his student Angus (Dominic Sessa) and grieving cook Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) are left together to alter each other’s lives in ways they weren’t expecting.

Director Alexander Payne perfectly nails the ’70s environment, with a grain to the movie that feels stylistically organic and a soundtrack composed of folk and blues. With performances so warm and funny, “The Holdovers” has certainly cemented itself as a holiday season classic.

“Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”

A modern Bollywood classic, “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” (2013) is a tropey coming-of-age romantic comedy between bespectacled, studious Naina (the brilliant Deepika Padukone) and boisterous Kabir (Ranbir Kapoor). Directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Karan Johar, the film was set to be a major box office success from its conception. A portion of the film, when schoolmates Naina and Kabir first meet and fall in love, is set in the Himalayas in Manali, with gorgeous snowy white backdrops and an exquisite score composed by Pritam, a famous Bengali composer.

“Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” is a first-rate contemporary introduction to Bollywood and a great watch for the whole family this holiday season.

Books

“Small Things Like These”

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel is only 128 pages long, but tells a story that stays with the reader long after the book is over. It’s set in a snowy Irish town in 1985 with Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, at its center. A Dickensian hero, Furlong quietly reckons with his past, a deceased mother who bore him out of wedlock, and the present, a locked-up young woman he sees outside the convent at the edge of town. With a loving family of his wife and five daughters, Furlong must decide whether he should act on his findings or not, possibly giving up the comfort of his home life.

Keegan’s novel is a heartbreaking, feminist retelling of holiday classics by Dickens and a powerful historical fiction about the Magdalene Laundries, where an estimated 300,000 Irish women were incarcerated between the 18th and 20th centuries in convents run and financed by the Catholic Church in concert with the Irish state. “Small Things Like These” is a brilliant book about the power of hope and quiet heroism that can be easily read in a day.

“We Are Okay”

Taking place during the winter break of Marin, a freshman in college, who contemplates a solitary month-long stay in her dorm, “We Are Okay” by Nina LaCour is a beautiful ode to families and the secrets held within them. The book takes place over two timelines, the first week of Marin’s winter break interspersed with the last few months before she heads to college. The book reveals that Marin fled San Francisco, cutting off contact with her high school sweetheart and best friend, Mabel, after the death of Marin’s beloved grandfather. In the present day, Mabel comes to visit Marin and brings with her all the complicated baggage of friends who become lovers who become strangers.

With gorgeous prose and a poignant main character, the last section of the book, set during Christmas Day, is one of the most heart-rending depictions of creating holiday season traditions with chosen family.

Albums

“Come Away With Me”

In 2002, Norah Jones released her debut studio album, “Come Away With Me,” an incredibly intimate, cozy album that is still a staple of winter playlists. At only 23, Jones won a total of five GRAMMYs, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for “Don’t Know Why.” A perfect blend of folk, jazz, blues, pop and country, standout tracks include the titular “Come Away With Me” and “Turn Me On,” but the Super Deluxe version with a whopping three discs has a number of crooning ballads that are proof of a long-lasting artistry.

“Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying”

English singer-songwriter Labi Siffre poured his soul into “Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying,” a quintessential folk rock album released in 1972. “There are things you can say in a song that you would be too embarrassed to say in conversation,” Siffre said about this album in a BBC interview. This truth is certainly true of a record such as “It Must Be Love,” which is a lovestruck ode to his partner. As a proud LGBTQIA+ artist at a time when it was frowned upon to be open about one’s identity, Siffre wrote lyrical yet simple music that was colored by his experiences. “’Till Forever,” the minute-long penultimate track of the album, perfectly encapsulates what makes “Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying” so sweet and comforting.