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Christmas Movies Guaranteed to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

Cue the DVD player and cozy up to these holiday classics.

By Jill Krasny from Reader's Digest
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A Christmas Story (1983)

All nine-year-old Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB Gun. Problem is, everyone thinks he’ll shoot his eye out.
 

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© New Line/courtesy Everett Collection
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Elf (2003)

Mayhem ensues when a lovable, but misguided, elf (Will Ferrell) tracks down his cranky father (James Caan) in New York.
 

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© Everett Collection
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Holiday Inn (1942)

Jim (Bing Crosby) flees the city to open a rustic inn with his pal (Fred Astaire). Plot (or lack of) aside, Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Astaire’s fancy footwork are dreamy.
 

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It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Faced with bankruptcy, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) laments the day he was born. A guardian angel changes his mind.
 

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© 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection
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Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Kris Kringle lands the ultimate day job at Macy’s. With the help of a flatmate, he wins over his supervisor (Maureen O’Hara) and her skeptical toddler (Natalie Wood).
 

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© Everett Collection
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National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Pushy relatives, manic squirrels, and a very oversized tree-it could only be Christmas at the Griswolds.
 

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© Everett Collection
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The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Tim Burton’s animated fantasy about what happens when Halloween usurps Christmas is a delightfully spooky treat.
 

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© 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection
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Home Alone (1990)

Eight-year-old Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is thrilled to spend Christmas away from his family. That is, until two bumbling burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) crash the party.
 

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The Santa Clause (1994)

Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) morphs from corporate Scrooge to Santa when he accidentally kills Saint Nick.
 

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Scrooged (1988)

An egomaniacal TV programmer (Bill Murray) learns the errors of his ways in this funny spin on Dickens’ novella.
 

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© Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
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The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Looking for a more puppet-centric approach to the Scrooge story? Try this version, in which Ebenezer and the gang are acted out by everyone's favorite felt-covered friends.

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The Bishop's Wife (1947)

Cary Grant plays Dudley, an angel summoned to Earth by a cash-strapped bishop, whose gentle charm helps a whole community learn what really matters in life. For a more au courant take on the tale, check out the Denzel-Washington-and-Whitney-Houston 1996 remake, The Preacher's Wife.

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The Polar Express

Some people may find the motion-capture animation a tad, well, creepy, but it's hard to deny the story's appeal. Based on a beloved kids' book, the movie follows the adventures of a boy as he heads to the North Pole to meet Santa.

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Your Comments

  • Beckiejg

    I always had to watch It’s a Wonderful Life before Christmas, and I still do, but I added another to my list. Polar Express isn’t just for kids! I found it by taking my kids to see it in the theatre, but it is quickly becoming my favorite.  All the other movies I can do without, but these two really get to my heart and my soul. Got to love Jimmy Stewart and Tom Hanks!

  • HarryW

    Shouldn’t at least one of them be the REAL CHRISTmas story?

  • Linda Mitchell

    Other good ones—Meet John Doe (Gary Cooper), Christmas in Connecticut (Barbara Stanwyck), The Nativity Story (2006),  White Christmas (Bing Crosby), The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Henry Winkler, Hallmark Channel), and of course, the classic A Christmas Carol (my favorite is with Reginald Owens, 1938).

  • LydiaP

    Don’t forget Prancer!

  • EmJayZee

    As weird as this might sound…I’ve added Die Hard and Die Hard 2 to my list of Christmas movies. Watching a man fight to protect and save his wife and other innocents on Christmas always makes me melt!

  • Barbara

    The “Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” Cartoon and Jim Carey versions go ahead of  several of your choices.    Christmas Story” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Polar Express” very nigh on the list plus some old favorites.  Prefer older “Scrooge” versions with George C. Scott, and we need more on the real meaning of Christmas.  Daughter loves” Chevy Chase “Christmas Vacation”  Lifetime TV often plays some nice Christmas TV shows old and new. 

  • Marinoj112

    Truly a calssic collection of Christmas movies. One should own a copy of each one.  I suggest A CHRISTMAS CAROL, the 1950 versionAs well as the starring George C Scott as Scrooge be added to the list.

  • Kevin

    I like The Gospel According to Scrooge. A video of the play as performed years ago is available on DVD if you go to the scroogeplay website, or you can watch it on youtube.

  • Amit Bhatia

    there is 1 more film called ” oh god”

  • Michael

    The Grinch is second ti IAWL in my top films

  • Allen

    I just loved “National Lampoon Christmas Vacation”–the people next door, and the power company having to increase there generating capacity were a hoot!

  • Cdpflanzer

    I love the 1951 British version film of “A Christmas Carol” with Alistar Sims!