Match Your Holiday Treats with Cinematic Delights This Season

This year, make the season festive by mixing your favorite movies with holiday treats that the film’s characters might enjoy. From Tangyuan from Taiwan to an English figgy pudding, you can whip up desserts that will make the viewing experience all the sweeter.

Song Sung Blue | Kringle

When you return from the theater after seeing Song Sung Blue, sit down to a traditional Wisconsin holiday treat of Kringle as you talk about the film. Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue is a moving tale about Mike and Claire Sardina (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson), a real-life Milwaukee couple who fell in love when they joined forces to create the Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning and Thunder. From their first meeting at the Wisconsin State Fair, the two found in each other the strength to go on—both in life and on stage. Deadline writes, Song Sung Blue “is not just about a tribute to Neil Diamond but to the resilience of the humans at the center of it all.” To savor the film’s Wisconsin spirit, try a slice of Kringle, a flaky pastry brought to the state in the 19th century by Danish immigrants. If you can’t find it at your local bakery, Serious Eats has a recipe.

Get tickets for Song Sung Blue—now playing in theaters everywhere!

Hamnet | Mince pie

Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet explores the mystery behind William Shakespeare naming one of his greatest plays after his own son. Following the lives of Will (Paul Mescal) and his wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley), from their early romance to their domestic life in Avon to the tragedies that lie ahead, the film weaves a remarkable tale about love, death, and the transformative power of art. A fascinating vision of Elizabethan life—from herb gathering to fruit drying to baking—keeps the story grounded in the reality of its time. To savor the period, add mince pie to your holiday table, a pastry with medieval roots that was served during the holidays and shaped in an oval to imitate a manger. The Daring Gourmet provides a recipe and a short history.

 Get tickets for Hamnet—now playing in theaters everywhere!

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale | Figgy Pudding

In Simon Curtis’ Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the epic story that sprang from the imagination of writer-creator Julian Fellowes fifteen years ago comes to an end. Set at the start of the ‘30s, the Crawley family and their staff confront new challenges with compassion, humor, and elegant table manners. Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) navigates the scandal of an impending divorce, Lord and Lady Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern) struggle with economic insecurity, and Daisy (Sophie McShera) is taken seriously as a capable young woman. Snuggle in and watch The Grand Finale with a bit of Figgy Pudding, a holiday treat that certainly would have been cherished both upstairs and downstairs. Downton Abbey Cooks provides a recipe for and cultural background on this seasonal standard.

 Watch Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale now!

Nosferatu | Stollen

In Nosferatu, filmmaker Robert Eggers brings to life the legendary tale of Nosferatu, a terrifying story of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) and the hideous vampire (Bill Skarsgård) infatuated with her. When her husband (Nicholas Hoult) travels from their home in Germany to Romania, he unwittingly unleashes a wave of terror that affects everyone around him. Before dark forces gather outside your door, find comfort in a slice of Stollen, a traditional German holiday bread made with orange peel and marzipan. My German Recipes provides a classic Dresden recipe for the sweet bread, which might just be better than garlic for keeping evil at bay.

 Watch Nosferatu now!

Dìdi (弟弟) | Tangyuan

In Dìdi (弟弟), writer-director Sean Wang brings a joyful authenticity to his coming-of-age tale of 13-year-old Chris Wang (Izaac Wang). Living with his devoted mother (Joan Chen), older sister (Shirley Chen), and grandmother (Chang Li Hua) in Fremont, California, Chris struggles to fit in, both with his friends and family. Indeed, The Guardian writes it is “easily one of the best, most seamless films I’ve seen on the experience of growing up online.” While Dìdi prefers McD’s, his grandmother might make Tangyuan, a sweet rice delicacy often served during winter solstice for the Dongzhi festival. Made With Lau’s recipe passes down her dad’s secret for the best tang yuan (or tong jyun), a delight that symbolizes the family being together.

 Watch Dìdi (弟弟) now!