The holiday season is upon us. It’s time to put away school books, buy tons of hoodies and sweaters, listen to Christmas music, warm up by the fireplace, and spend some time with family. When that is not happening, it is a great time to go to the movies.

Winter break starts December 20 and ends January 6, and there are at least eight movies coming to theaters nationwide during that time. Some of these movies are not yet rated and the trailers for others haven’t even come out yet.

On December 19, Cats will be released in the theaters. Based on the musical inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poems, this movie has actually caused a lot of controversy online, but it was mainly just jokes. The movie is about a tribe of cats called the Jellicles that must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgoB5j2Ax2k

Spies in Disguise comes out on Christmas day. It is the story of two guys, super spy Lance Sterling and scientist Walter Beckett, who are almost exact opposites. Events take an unexpected turn when Walter and Lance suddenly have to rely on each other in a whole new way, or the whole world is in peril. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FK19sxxnBU

Little Women is about a group of four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War. This movie, which will also be released on Christmas day, is rated PG and I is based on the book. The current rendition of the film features Meryl Streep and Emma Watson. There have been many versions of this movie since the book was first published in 1868. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AST2-4db4ic

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comes out December 20. It’s about the further adventures of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron. This is reported to be the final Star Wars film in the series that stared in 1977 and reunites the original cast. Andre Trujillo might go see this movie “because I have already seen the trailer and it looks good,” he said. “I think Armijo students would also like to see Star Wars because it’s very well-known.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14EztMXh5vQ

Another movie set to release on Christmas day is 1917, which follows two British soldiers who experience one harrowing day while fighting in World War I. It is their mission to deliver a message that could change the course of the war and they risk their lives to do so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqNYrYUiMfg

Clemency is about Bernadine Williams, a prison warden, who prepares to execute an inmate. She must confront the psychological and emotional demons that her job creates, including an unsuccessful execution, ultimately connecting her to the man she is required to kill. This film opens Friday, December 27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzUhz2XkFfE

Fans of movies about the complications of justice might also be interested in seeing Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan from Black Panther. This movie, based on a true story, tells about a man wrongfully convicted of murder (Jamie Foxx) and the lawyer assigned to defend him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVJxMUqCUxs

The fourth installment of The Grudge movie series, a horror-based serial, comes out January 3. It’s about an evil house that is haunted by a vengeful ghost who curses those who enter it with a violent death. The first movie was released in 2004 and sequels have been coming out inconsistently since then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2NKzO-fxwQ

Cold weather and time with friends are ideal conditions for watching movies and this holiday season there is something out there for anyone’s personal taste. Which movie or movies will you try to catch over the break?