Celebrate The Holidays The Geek Way With Eight Winter-Themed Recommendations

It’s that time of year again, folks! Time to get cozy and enjoy some holiday- themed entertainment.

I recommended Gabriel Dropout in the list of top Anime for newbies. In Episode 9, the angel and demon girls try celebrating Christmas together while trying to ovoid the fact that the demons are technically celebrating the birth of their mortal enemy. Get ready for some blasphemous holiday cheer.

Rise of the Guardians is basically The Avengers but with holiday mascots. Jack Frost, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Sandman, and Santa team up to fight the Boogie-Man. It’s fun, mythic, and has unique artwork.

If you haven’t had your fill of badass Santa Claus, be sure to check out Klaus by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora. Klaus was originally released as a seven-issue miniseries but Morrison was so taken with the character that he plans on releasing one over-sized comic issue every year around Christmas time. “The Crisis in XMasville” one-shot arrives this week from Boom! Studios.
Klaus is one of the best things Morrison has done. The psychedelic elements are present but not overpowering and Mora’s artwork has a classic feel. Klaus is a story that can be enjoyed by readers young and old for generations.

Iron Man 3 pits Tony Stark against a group of super-powered terrorists during the holiday season. When Tony can no longer use his Iron Man armor he creates makeshift weapons out of Christmas decorations.

Everly is about a prostitute trying to escape from the Yakuza during the holidays. It’s an entire exploitation film that takes place all in one room. There’s sex and violence but it is all given context and motivation. When two villains called Sadist and Masochist appear later in the film, you know you’re in for a bloody, wild ride.

We all know that Santa brings presents to the good little children on Christmas–but what happens to the bad ones? Well, according to German folklore, the bad children are dragged to hell by a devilish creature called Krampus. The film takes the premise and brings it to the present day. This Krampus is like an evil Santa complete with creepy killer toys. Krampus packs in plenty of practical effects, scares, and satire. It’s a holiday horror classic.

Puppeteer is an underrated game that came out on PS3 right as the PS4 was being announced. The game takes place on a stage and all the in-game characters are puppets. The game’s unbridled creativity is epitomized in the snow level where the player starts in snow, transitions into a volcano and ends in outer-space.

The Batman: Arkham games are fantastic in their own right and with Arkham Origins, players get to experience the first time Bruce Wayne put on the tights. It’s Christmas time in Gotham and a new villain known as the Black Mask hires a bunch of assassins to ice Batman. Get ready to deliver justice to the tune of jingle bells.