30 Best Christmas Movies of All Time — A Yuletide Playlist

Top Christmas Movies That Bring Holiday Cheer

30. The Holdovers (2023)

One of the newest entries into the Christmas Classic Canon is Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. Boasting indelible performances from Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa, as well as a pitch-perfect script from David Hemingson, the film is an Yuletide gem that is sure to stand the test of time.

The Holdovers contains all the elements of a great Christmas movie, from a warm and inviting soundtrack to a sweet (but not too sweet) tone that will affect the entire family. 

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29. Bad Santa (2003)

Bad Santa takes Christmas movie genre tropes and flips them on their head with a deconstructionist plot and raunchy characters. Billy Bob Thornton stars in the film as the titular “bad Santa,” Willie, who is more interested in drinking himself to death than he is in saving Christmas. Bad Santa wasn’t a revolutionary Christmas movie by any means, but it was a more-than-memorable romp through a unique Christmas setting.

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28. The Snowman (1982)

Watching The Snowman feels like entering a dreamscape. Its intricate, pencil-drawn animation and gorgeous score by Howard Blake combine for a transcendent experience. By the time it reaches its now-iconic song, “Walking in the Air,” you’ll feel fully enveloped in its winter wonderland.

Based on the children’s book by Raymond Briggs, the twenty-six-minute film premiered on the British Channel 4. It has since become a yuletide staple in England, playing on the Channel 4 each Christmas Eve. 

Best Christmas Movies of All Time: Timeless Classics

27. A Christmas Carol (1951)

Brian Desmond Hurst’s Scrooge, or as it’s known to American audiences A Christmas Carol, is widely regarded as the best pure cinematic adaptation of Dickens’ novel of the same name.

Alastair Sim delivers a great performance in the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge, channeling the character’s signature misanthropy with believable precision. Scrooge may have been better suited for the stage than the screen but the latter result still impresses.

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26. The Holiday (2006)

There are hundreds if not thousands of Christmas rom-coms, but few are better than The Holiday. Nancy Meyers’ contemporary Christmas classic is a breezy double love story, aided by some great performances from Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black.

If you’re looking for a story about winter romance, then The Holiday may be the movie for you – followed closely behind by Ron Underwood’s Holiday in Handcuffs.

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25. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Ernst Lubitsch was one of the finest directors of classical Hollywood, and The Shop Around the Corner shows him at the top of his game. Featuring James Stewart (yes, there’s another Christmas movie with James Stewart) and Margaret Sullavan as two employees at a general store in Budapest, Shop Around the Corner boasts two incredible lead performances with a whole lot of chemistry.

The script by Samson Raphaelson is hilarious and heartfelt, and has an all-timer ending. This may be one of the lesser-discussed Christmas movies from this period, but it shouldn’t be missed.

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24. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Who doesn’t love a good Charlie Brown holiday special? For many, it’s impossible to look back on Charlie Brown cartoons without feeling a strong sense of nostalgia.

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23. Holiday Inn (1942)

No doubt Holiday Inn is most famous for introducing the world to “White Christmas” (though, notably, the producers of the film thought “Be Careful, It’s My Heart” would be the hit song from the film). And while that duet by Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynold that ends the movie is undeniably powerful, Holiday Inn has much more to offer.

First, there’s Fred Astaire, who performs some of his finest dance numbers in the film. Second, the film’s love story is heartwarming and compelling, a conventional but affecting Christmas-y narrative. Of course, this is all elevated by a stellar score by Irving Berlin, who in 1942 was at the peak of his powers.

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22. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas takes on the challenge of representing two holidays: Halloween and Christmas, contrasting the dark themes of Halloween Town with the magic of the North Pole. The story follows the appropriately named skeletal king Jack Skellington as he seeks to bring Christmas to his boring Halloween Town. 

Tim Burton developed the story for The Nightmare Before Christmas for years before it was picked up by Disney and later released through Touchstone Pictures.

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21. Love Actually (2003)

At 2 ½ hours long, you might think that audiences would turn away from Love Actually. But due to some serious sentimentality and a great ensemble cast, Love Actually has developed a cult following.

Love Actually boasts an all-star cast that features heavy hitters like Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, and Bill Nighy. As Nighy’s character sings, “Christmas is all around us.”

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20. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

If you have any interest in becoming a production designer, then you have to watch Ron Howard’s live action rendition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Every facet of the production from wardrobing to set design is wildly expressive.

Jim Carrey stars in Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and gives one of the best performances of his storied career. If there's any actor who could embody the surreal silliness of Dr. Seuss, it's Carrey.

Must-Watch Classic Christmas Movies for the Season

19. Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone brought Christmas movies back into the limelight when it was released in 1990. This John Hughes-written, Chris Columbus-directed Christmas classic grossed more than 25x its budget at the box office and inspired countless remakes and sequels.

With an off-the-wall cast that includes Joe Pesci, Catherine O’Hara, and John Candy, it’s no surprise that Home Alone is zany fun. Oh, and of course Home Alone is the film that helped launch the careers of Macaulay and Kieran Culkin.

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18. Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas may not be a Christmas movie you watch every year, but it’s one of the most influential Christmas movies ever made. You’d be hard-pressed to find many slasher film directors who weren’t heavily influenced by Black Christmas.

Black Christmas follows a group of sorority girls who are picked off one-by-one by a psychopathic killer on – you guessed it – Christmas. A fascinating bit of trivia is that this is not director Bob Clark's only classic Christmas movie. He also directed the perennial favorite A Christmas Story, which we'll see later in this list.

Famous Christmas Movies That Shaped Holiday Entertainment

17. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Perhaps it’s best to look back at Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer through rose-colored glasses. There’s no doubt that revisiting Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer made me realize it was much more strange than I remembered.

Rudolph is a story about a social outcast reindeer who’s exiled to the Island of Misfit Toys. Whew, that doesn’t sound good. But hey, at least he’s brought back into the fold when they need him to guide Santa’s sled through a storm!

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16. Trading Places (1983)

Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy star in Trading Places as two men at opposite ends of the economic ladder who are swapped out into each other’s lives as part of a nefarious social experiment. Trading Places takes place during the Christmas season and the exorbitant displays of Holiday commercialization are on full display.

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15. The Santa Clause (1994)

What would happen if an ordinary man accidentally killed Santa Claus and was forced to inherit his responsibilities? Well, as it turns out, a whole lot of Yuletide hi-jinks and interpersonal turmoil.

The Santa Clause, yes, the ‘clause’ as in “binding agreement,” is about a man who becomes the patron saint of giving after indirectly killing Santa. The Santa Clause performed well at the box office and inspired two direct sequels, making it one of the most beloved Santa-themed films, alongside classics like Year Without a Santa Claus.

Classic Christmas Movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age

14. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

It’s hard to go wrong with a movie that features Cary Grant and Loretta Young, so it should come as no surprise that their Christmas movie The Bishop’s Wife was great. 

The Bishop’s Wife was remade by Penny Marshall in 1996, with Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston taking up Grant and Loretta’s roles respectively. Marshall’s remake was well-received but it didn’t hold a candle to the original. 

Popular Christmas Movies That Put a Fun Spin on Tradition

13. Scrooged (1988)

Richard Donner’s remake of A Christmas Carol, Scrooged, is a nightmarish reimagining of Dickens’ original. I suppose the original was pretty nightmarish as well, but Donner turned the gothic filter up to 11 with some freaky visuals in Scrooged.

Scrooged marked Bill Murray’s return to Hollywood after a four-year hiatus in the mid-'80s – ultimately reigniting a career that’s dominated the box office for decades.

Top Christmas Movies That Celebrate the True Meaning of Christmas

12. Joyeux Noel (2006)

Many historians argue that World War I was the most preventable war of the 20th century. It wasn’t uncommon for soldiers on both sides to ask: “What exactly are we fighting for?” So it’s easy to understand that in 1914, at the onset of the Great War, opposing armies laid down their weapons to celebrate Christmas Eve together.

The incredible true story of “The Christmas Truce” lies at the heart of Joyeux Noel – a 2006 film that’s bursting to the seams with Christmas spirit.

Holiday Movies That Explore Family, Love, and Second Chances

11. A Christmas Tale (2008)

Renowned French filmmaker Arnaud Desplechin’s A Christmas Tale is a moving portrait of a family united by tragic circumstances in the Christmas season, much like the performances seen in The Holdovers starring Paul Giamatti.

The film received rave reviews upon its 2008 release, with Roger Ebert praising it poetically: “A Christmas Tale skates on thin ice across a crowded lake, arrives safely on the far shore, and shares a cup of hot cocoa and marshmallows with Death.” Ebert’s evocative words capture the film’s delicate balance of warmth, melancholy, and holiday spirit.

Best Christmas Movies That Take You on a Holiday Adventure

10. Gremlins (1984)

One of the strongest non-Speilberg movies to come out of the Amblin stable, Gremlins is an off-beat Christmas movie, sure, but it’s also sure to be a crowd pleaser. The film’s got all the warm and fuzzy Christmas visuals from the 80s that we know and love, but it’s also got some horror/sci-fi madness to spice things up.

Gremlins is one of Joe Dante’s finest films– equal parts funny, scary, and heartwarming. It may not be the first movie that comes to mind when you hear Christmas, but it’s a certified classic that fits just great in the holiday season.

Famous Christmas Movies That Left a Lasting Impact

9. Klaus (2019)

Klaus is one of the most beautifully animated films ever made. The video above expertly shows how the animators used lighting techniques to enrich the depth of images and create the facade of a third-dimension.

Classic Christmas Movies with a Modern Appeal

8. Die Hard (1988)

If you ask 100 people who just watched Die Hard whether they think it’s a Christmas movie or not, you’d probably get an even split. Die Hard may not be a prototypical Christmas movie but it does take place in the Christmas season, and it is structured around the events of the holiday.

If you ask me, Die Hard is a Christmas movie; and it’s a dang good one at that. The late Alan Rickman gives one of the best performances of his career in the film as the maniacal Hans Gruber.

Most Popular Christmas Movies of the Last 50 Years

7. Elf (2003)

As the years go by and Christmas turns from a holiday of gift-receiving to gift-giving, some start to resent the economic and social burden of the yuletide season – for James Caan’s character, Walter, in Elf, that’s exactly what happens.

But when Walter’s long-lost son (Will Ferrell) arrives and proclaims that he’s an elf, the whole concept of “Christmas” is put on trial. In the end, Elf proves to be a Christmas classic for audiences of all ages.

Christmas Movie Classics That Never Get Old

6. Little Women (2019)

Leave it to Greta Gerwig to make a certified Christmas classic with just her second movie. The story of Little Women has already proven to be a timeless tale, and Gerwig more than does it justice with her adaptation, which is both inventive and faithful.

The Christmas scenes in the film are fantastic, encapsulating the familial warmth of the holiday. The wintery New England vistas are a cherry on top. The movie may not revolve around Christmas, but its themes and aesthetic are perfect for a December rewatch.

Good Christmas Movies for a Laugh-Out-Loud Holiday

5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

John Hughes took the screenwriting maxim “take a typical situation and muck it up” to heart with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Just about everything that could go wrong in Christmas Vacation, does – which makes the 100-minute film blaze by.

Christmas Vacation isn’t just regarded as one of the best Christmas movies, it’s considered one of best comedies of all-time. Jump into the car with the Griswolds and enjoy the ride (just don’t ask too many questions).

Favorite Christmas Movies That Retell a Holiday Classic

4. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Call me crazy, but I think The Muppets deserve a feature-length movie for every holiday. There’s certainly no shortage of Muppets movies, but it’s hard to think there shouldn’t be more.

The Muppet Christmas Carol takes Charles Dickens’ classic story and injects new life into it with characters like Kermit the Frog and sharp writing from Jerry Juhl.

Best Christmas Movies for Nostalgic Holiday Feels

3. A Christmas Story (1983)

It seems just about every Christmas season you can flip through a dozen channels on TV and always see A Christmas Story. Jean Shepherd’s semi-autobiographical A Christmas Story paved the way for unconventional stories about the unglamourous side of Christmas.

A Christmas Story has solidified itself as more than just a great Christmas movie though, it’s an essential piece of American cinema; evident by its inclusion in the Library of Congress for “cultural, historical or aesthetic significance.”

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2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

I don’t know what’s more of a miracle: screenwriter George Seaton taking a Macy’s ad and turning it into a feature-length movie or the fact that a Macy’s ad was able to become one of the best Christmas movies of all time.

I know Macy’s didn’t directly finance Miracle on 34th Street but for all intents and purposes, the film plays out like an ad for the department store. That’s not to say that it’s a bad movie by any means. Quite the contrary, Miracle on 34th Street is a Christmas classic due to some sharp writing and great lead performances – just don’t be fooled by its marketing motives.

Christmas Movie Masterpiece: The Ultimate Holiday Film

1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Perhaps it’s trite to say It’s a Wonderful Life is the very best Christmas movie, but few would argue otherwise. We don’t often get holiday-centric films from the world’s best directors, so the fact that the incomparable Frank Capra directed It’s a Wonderful Life makes it all the more special.

It’s a Wonderful Life combines all of the best aspects of storytelling and filmmaking with an abundance of Christmas spirit. But perhaps its most enduring aspect is humanity at its core; as Clarence says “Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives.”