Christmas is all around us during the holiday season, including on our screens. It’s the time of year that we love to dig up some classic favorites, but in doing so, we realize that they might not be as relevant in 2024. When we watch old 90s sitcoms, such as Seinfeld or Cheers, there are often plotlines that could never happen in an age with cell phones and Google at our fingertips.
Even still, modernizing some of our favorite classics can prove tricky over the holidays, and it’s nearly impossible not to think, “There’s no way this could happen today!” Technology has changed so much in the past few decades that entire stories are now irrelevant. Christmas is all about magic! But there’s a difference between magic and modern-day plot holes. So here’s our list of Christmas movies that could never happen today.
Home Alone is predicated on the idea that an entire family would sleep through their alarms, get to their flight from their house in less than 45 minutes, and be unable to contact their son they left at home. If Home Alone happened today, at least someone would hear one of their many iPhone alarms, so they wouldn’t rush out of the house as quickly. Even if they did miss it, if they only had 45 minutes, they’d definitely miss their flight! Airport security is a thing now in this post-9/11 world, so leaving Kevin at home wouldn’t have been a problem. They would have just gone back home to get him after missing their flight. When Kevin realizes he’s alone, he would probably just text everyone in his family until someone realized and came to get him. With communication, TSA, and iPhones, the entire Home Alone plot is all of a sudden unthinkable.
The love story between Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) feels like a timeless classic. But let’s be honest—who sends anonymous emails anymore? That’s a thing of the past. In a world with social media, there’s no way Kathleen and Joe wouldn’t figure out who the other is, making their whirlwind romance null and void.
A Christmas Story is now 40 years old, which could explain why its themes and conflicts are implausible today. This modern-day paradox isn’t because of technology, but because of changing ideals. First of all, the idea of giving a child a rifle for Christmas would probably be protested in the streets. When Flick and Schwartz dare Ralphie to lick the cold metal, today they would have just googled if a tongue would stick to it. And sadly, today there are no longer Ovaltine prizes in the mail, although the advertising industry has found new ways to infiltrate our everyday lives. Not only that, but when the Old Man washes out Ralphie’s mouth with soap, that would be looked upon today as a form of child abuse, instead of a symbol of a wholesome family. Sure, A Christmas Story has its own outlandish plotlines, such as the “785 smelly hound dogs,” but its ideals don’t totally hold up to modern-day society.
The only thing we love more than love is hating on Love Actually. The source of many memes, the film has a whole host of never-could-happens. We’ll start with the fact that of the nine love stories that incorporate family, romance, and friendship, not one of them includes queer love. That’s not very 2023! Beyond that, Jamie (Colin Firth) would have just used Google Translate to communicate with Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz).
Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) wouldn’t have needed to chase Joanna (Olivia Olson) to the airport—he could have just slid into her DMs. Karen (Emma Thompson) may have caught Harry (Alan Rickman) in an affair much earlier thanks to cell phones and social media. Not to mention, with today’s doorbell and camera technology, Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) would’ve known his “best friend,” Mark (Andrew Lincoln), was at the door. But we will say, the British guys picking up girls in America with their accents… that’s still totally realistic today.
The 1995 rom-com, While You Were Sleeping, begins on Christmas day, which makes it an immediate Christmas classic! However, the idea that an entire family would have no clue who Peter’s fiancée is would be unheard of today. With easy communication through cell phones and social media, the family would know who his real fiancée is. And we doubt that with the advent of dating apps, Lucy (Sandra Bullock) would be as hung up on a man she never talked to. Even still, we can’t knock a little Christmas rom-com!
