While the Harry Potter series might be filled with a lot of extremely dark themes and moments, there are also a lot of magical and uplifting ones. The atmosphere created in the books makes the series perfect for many holidays, especially Halloween and the winter holidays such as Christmas.
There’s something about imagining these holidays at an old castle filled with magic and mystery that is so exciting and cozy. While there are some great Halloween moments from the series, some of the best holiday moments come from the Christmas/winter season at Hogwarts. Here are the ten best winter holiday moments from Harry Potter.
WHEN HARRY FIRST GETS REAL CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
Harry’s experience with holidays before he came to Hogwarts was rather sad and depressing. While the Dursleys would give Dudley tons of nice gifts, they only gave Harry horrible things like tissues and hangers.
This is clearly very abusive and neglectful of them, so when Harry goes to Hogwarts and gets actual presents on Christmas from his friends and their families, it’s a heartwarming moment. Harry gets his first taste of the joy that the holiday season can bring and what it’s like to have people who care about him.
THE HOLIDAY ATMOSPHERE AT HOGSMEADE
This is more of an overall point about the experience reading about the Christmas season at Hogsmeade. While only Christmas is mentioned as a winter holiday in the books, there likely would have been students who celebrate other holidays, too.
Hogsmeade is definitely a place that would be beautiful to see in the winter. It has a very old-fashioned feel. Seeing it covered in snow with cozy buildings such as The Three Broomsticks would be a magical experience.
DOBBY DECORATING THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT FOR CHRISTMAS
In the books, there are a lot of moments where Dobby interacts with Harry during his time at Hogwarts. One sweet moment is when Dobby decorates the Room of Requirement for Christmas during the time when Dumbledore’s Army is practicing there.
While Dobby decorated with ornaments that have Harry’s face so they are taken down by Harry, the thought is really endearing, and it’s definitely a fun moment.
THE CHRISTMAS WHERE THERE WERE ONLY A HANDFUL OF STUDENTS LEFT AT HOGWARTS
While this moment doesn’t make it into the movies, the Christmas season during Harry’s third year at Hogwarts is a little different than most. Harry and Ron are two of the only students that remain at Hogwarts over Christmas.
This means that the normal Christmas feast only consists of a few students as well as some of the faculty. This gives fans the chance to see Dumbledore and Snape play a game of Christmas crackers. It’s a fun, festive scene that’s enjoyable to read in the books.
HARRY GETTING THE INVISIBILITY CLOAK
Some of the Christmas scenes in the Harry Potter series are more than just heartwarming or aesthetically pleasing. There are some that are actually really important to the plot. One of these moments is when Harry receives the Invisibility Cloak.
While it’s later discovered that the gift was from Dumbledore, Harry at first is confused about this mysterious gift. The Invisibility Cloak is a major plot element in multiple points of the story, so it’s a gift that keeps on giving in the series.
SPENDING CHRISTMAS AT GRIMMAULD PLACE
During Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and the Weasley children all spend Christmas at Grimmauld Place. This is because of Nagini’s attack on Arthur Weasley. But, around Christmas, he is finally healthy enough to come home.
This makes for a rather joyous holiday season for them all. It’s great to see Harry and the Weasleys get to have some moments of joy in the middle of such hard times. Plus, hearing about Sirius singing “God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs” is rather funny.
THE DECORATIONS IN THE GREAT HALL
The Great Hall is always a rather impressive place to be. It’s always enchanted to reflect the night sky outside and, during Halloween, it’s full of jack o’ lanterns and a delicious feast. But it’s the winter season when the Great Hall really shines the most.
This is when Hagrid and the professors go all out. The Great Hall is filled with huge Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and then a huge Christmas feast on the day of the holiday.
SEEING THE DIFFERENT GIFTS THE TRIO WOULD GET EACH OTHER
Given that Harry had such a tragic childhood where he was first orphaned and then raised by abusive and neglectful relatives, it’s always endearing to see him build a family full of people that care about him. The most important people in his life during his time at Hogwarts are Hermione and Ron.
It’s always enjoyable to see these three picking out gifts for each other. Harry always likes to give bigger gifts, and Hermione gives really thoughtful ones. Ron might not have as much money to spend but he gives as much as he can.
THE YULE BALL
The most extravagant holiday moment to occur in Harry Potter is the Yule Ball. Since this event is held on Christmas, Hogwarts goes all out with their decorations. They make the Great Hall more extravagant than ever.
There are ice sculptures, fairy lights in the courtyard, and even a rock band, The Weird Sisters, that takes the stage. This makes for an extremely magical and romantic wintertime celebration.
CHRISTMAS AT THE BURROW
There are many magical moments during the wintertime holiday season in the series. But, one of the most heartwarming is when Harry spends Christmas at The Burrow. The Weasleys are Harry’s family in almost every way, so getting to see all of them spend time together during the holidays is adorable.
This scene is filled with some distinctly magical moments such as the fact that the Christmas tree topper is actually a garden gnome with a tutu. Ginny also goes all out to decorate the living room for the season, and it’s hard to imagine any place more homey or cozy to spend a holiday than the Burrow.
