Culture
Top 20 Christmas Movies of All Time—Ranked
Nov 09Did your favorite flick make the list of the all-time best?
20. The Muppet Christmas Carol
Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol story endures because it’s all about the Ebenezer Scrooges of the world. (We’re looking at you, Mr. Grinch!) The Muppets version of the Scrooge tale ends up being one of the best Christmas movies because it’s so relatable. Everyone gets a little grouchy when the Christmas spirit doesn’t come easily. Scrooge is a mean old man who gets visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past and learns a few valuable lessons along the way. Out of all the remakes and adaptations, the Muppets version rises to the top. Michael Caine is perfect as Scrooge, and the beloved Muppets manage to be both witty and heartwarming in a way that both kids and adults enjoy together.
19. The Preacher’s Wife
This updated remake of the Cary Grant classic Christmas movie, The Bishop’s Wife, is even better than the original. It stars Denzel Washington as a super handsome angel who comes along to help out Whitney Houston with some family problems right around Christmas. Houston gives show-stopping gospel performances in the church choir. Meanwhile, her preacher husband, played by Courtney B. Vance, learns how to pull together his marriage and congregation with the help from the dashing Christmas angel. This is one of the sweetest Christmas movies to warm your heart with music and a little bit of angelic magic during the season when you need it most. Don’t miss another inspiring tale about Christmas.
18. Trading Places
This 1980s Christmas comedy catapulted Eddie Murphy to super-stardom. He plays the hapless man who falls victim to the schemes of two ultra-rich stockbroker bad guys, but he turns the joke on them. This zany romp is set during Christmas season with a theme involving taking down class structures and critiquing wealth. You don’t want to miss Dan Ackroyd’s scenes as a Santa who upturns all the social conventions we hold so dear—there’s a lesson in there too! And all the gags hold up over time. Look for Jamie Lee Curtis’ winning performance as a character who redefines what class is all about.
17. Arthur Christmas
One of the best recent Christmas movies is this CGI animated tale that brings a contemporary entry into the best Christmas movies. Arthur Christmas is an unexpected delight with a heartwarming story that captures audience members of every age. You’ll find the voice talents of James McAvoy and Hugh Laurie with Jim Broadbent as Santa himself. The story follows Santa’s son Arthur on his quest to deliver a lost toy before the deadline is up! Cleverness and wit elevate the familiar scenario and give it a sophisticated punch packed with the delights of sentiment done right! Check out this surprising Christmas trivia you never knew.
16. Nothing Like the Holidays
During the holiday season, nothing hits the spot like a great family Christmas movie set around the dinner table. This one seems like traditional fare, and the critics missed its essence. Its charm relies in strong emotional performances by the largely Latino ensemble cast featuring such underrated talents as Luis Guizman, John Leguizamo, Jay Hernandez, Freddy Rodriguez, and the late Elizabeth Pena, among others. The story follows a Puerto Rican family in crisis: The parents are about to divorce and the youngest son has just returned from Iraq. Sentimental and straightforward, it’s also a family melodrama that depicts strong bonds and the love that ties us together in relatable and heartfelt scenes by great performers.
15. Die Hard
All the important adventures take place on Christmas Eve—including one of the best Christmas movies to feature a heist on the Nakatomi skyscraper. Detective Jack McClane to the rescue! Who needs Santa when Bruce Willis delivers the goods on Christmas morning? Willis saves the day in epic battles with German terrorists. In the end, he gets the girl (his estranged wife), and proves that he’s a blast at office Christmas parties. Holiday seasons need a little action, and Die Hard is the best of the genre that pumps adventure into a Christmas movie.
14. Love Actually
Love Actually feels like a ridiculous and romantic trifle! And it is. Giving into its implausible plots and nutty scenarios is part of the ever-watchable charm that makes it one of the best Christmas movies. The opening sequence depicting airport reunions (in the aftermath of September 11th) captivated the hearts of audiences who needed some feel-good love to go along with heartbreak. Liam Neeson’s dad character endures loss, as do characters played by Emma Thompson and Laura Linney. Meanwhile, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant get the girl in unlikely, fantastical ways. It’s an up-and-down romp that ends with a Christmas pageant replete with lobsters, a little embarrassment, and dollops of gushy romance. Get ready for Andrew Lincoln’s card scene because “To me, you are perfect!” Merry Christmas! Here are some of the best Hallmark Christmas movies, too.
13. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Christmas lights will never be the same after you see the Griswold display. Chevy Chase plays the dad who tries to do what’s right for his family amid nonstop epic and hilarious fails. Beverly D’Angelo is perfect as his long-suffering wife. The Griswolds try to host the perfect Christmas, but what fun would it be if everything went right? Laugh your heart out at a family Christmas gone wrong and be glad your own Christmas bonus didn’t go up in flames! Somebody check the lights and make sure you’ve got the fuse box covered! Don’t miss this story about a real-life extravagant light display that may be a hazard.
12. The Charlie Brown Christmas Special
When television movies are this iconic they almost automatically make the list of the best Christmas movies ever. Nothing quite captures the spirit of Christmas like Charlie Brown’s forlorn little Christmas tree. His friends ridicule it, and Charlie’s sadness represents the fraility of the human condition—that sometimes grows during the holidays. Charlie Brown feels like a cynical failure and a social outcast. Snoopy saves the day, with some help from the ultimate wise man, Linus, plus the crowd of kids who learn the meaning of Christmas. We all could use some reminding and the Peanuts Gang never fail! This is one to watch every Christmas.
11. Black Nativity
Don’t miss Mary J. Blige as the Christmas angel in this musical drama based on Langston Hughes’ famous play. Jennifer Hudson stars (and sings!) as a single mom whose son (Jacob Latimore) makes his way home to her parents, played by Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett. The movie comes alive during the musical numbers which are both lyrical and sometimes ultra-realistic. Quick: can you name the classic Christmas movie based on one-liners?
10. The Family Stone
Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson hold court as the supportive parents of your dreams in this family dramedy about going home for the holidays. Sarah Jessica Parker and Claire Danes play visiting sisters having criss-crossed romantic hijinks with the Stone brothers. Things go haywire on Christmas Day right during crucial food prep. Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, and Luke Wilson round out the charming cast. Get ready for slapstick comedy mixed with tragic heartbreak. The Family Stone is the kind of Christmas movie you can rely on for laughs, tears, and watching again and again each Christmas.
9. Elf
Elf sits in the top 10 list of best Christmas movies because it offers the kind of feel-good hilarity the whole family can enjoy. Will Ferrell stars as a human raised among Santa’s elves since infancy in a Tarzan-style plot. Ferrell’s Dad (James Caan) happens to be on the naughty list, so his grown elf son is dispatched to redeem him. Prepare for tender moments that depict loneliness and the need to fit in interspersed with Ferrell’s brand of madcap comedy. In the end, the Christmas spirit prevails and that keeps audiences watching again and again every Christmas. Here are more fun movies the whole family will enjoy.
8. Meet Me in St. Louis
Judy Garland’s iconic rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” bumps Meet Me in St. Louis onto any list of best Christmas movies. Garland plays big sister Esther who sings to little sis Tootie. The famous tune comes out somber and nostalgic and ends with a harrowing knockdown of snow people in the family’s front yard. All because there’s no place like home—and it really is hard to move forward. That’s why Garland’s tune continues to pull your heartstrings every Christmas. Here are the best practices for building the perfect snowman.
7. Home Alone
John Hughes hit all the right notes in this Christmas movie hit that dramatizes every parent’s worst nightmare and every kid’s best fantasy. Macaulay Culkin beat out hundreds of other child actors to score the iconic role. The 1990 comedy was a powerhouse at the box office, spawning a franchise based on the premise of a kid on his own. Culkin’s charm steals the show as he fights off bungling burglars while Mom and Dad (Catherine O’Hara and John Heard) freak out from afar. Christmas Day brings a happy ending that makes this one of the epic the feel-good holiday movies audiences enjoy year after year.
6. White Christmas
What are you dreaming of during December? If it’s a white Christmas, Bing Crosby’s decadent widescreen crooning should do just the trick! The plot of this 1950s classic musical Christmas movie concerns army vets who also sing and dance and of course, everyone needs to put on a show! Crosby’s joined by Danny Kaye and they each fall for sisters (also performers) at a remote lodge that desperately needs some snowfall and showbiz. Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen play the sisters with technicolor charm. Get ready for lush costumes and rollicking numbers and some white Christmas snowfall by the finale. Check out the best Christmas songs—ranked.
5. It’s a Wonderful Life
The Jimmy Stewart Christmas movie classic is a television staple during Christmas season. Play it in the background during last-minute wrapping sessions or while you trim the tree. Donna Reed stars in Frank Capra’s timeless take on the Christmas Carol scenario. What happens when an angel shows you an alternate timeline of events? In Jimmy Stewart’s case, it brings happiness for all. Have a hankie handy for the happy reunion at the end with a decked-out Christmas tree set, a crowded party, cute kids, and your favorite line, “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
One of the best Christmas movies has a little bit of Halloween in it. Holiday traditions are weird (admit it!), and the way time flies between putting away your Halloween costume and pulling out the Christmas decor means festive mash-ups make their own kind of sense. That must be why Jake Skellington, the Halloween Pumpkin King, is such a fetching hero when he makes it through the portal to Christmas Town and wreaks a little good-natured mayhem. The stop-motion animation looks charming and eccentric while the songs make you tap your foot and sing along. And Santa ends up safe and sound too!
3. Miracle on 34th Street
The young Natalie Wood stole everyone’s heart in this drama about the power of belief. Maureen O’Hara stars as Wood’s mom, a no-nonsense career woman who doesn’t believe in fairy tales and assorted nonsense. Just the kind of woman who needs a little romance and magic from a department store Santa who just might be the real thing! The 1994 remake is also winning, but for legit Christmas movie magic check out the first film—it’s the real thing! Here are 8 gentle ways to talk to your kids about Santa.
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Jim Carrey starred in the 2000 live-action movie, but nothing beats the animated TV movie from 1966. Boris Karloff (who starred as Frankenstein and the Mummy) voices the Grinch and the narrator. Karloff was a talent at turning a monster into a sympathetic human. And that’s the prime lesson at the heart of Dr. Seuss tale. The TV classic boasts terrific animation based on Seuss’s iconic and bizarro illustrations. And it contains the added tune “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” with its genius lyrics that roast any scrooge-like meanie. But the madcap tale captures the essence of the holiday in the forgiving spirit of little Cindy Lou Who who still believes in goodness even if the Grinches out there don’t.
1. A Christmas Story
The best Christmas movie of all time was a sleeper when it was released in 1983 without much fanfare. Great art isn’t always recognized in its own time, but it ages well. A Christmas Story hits the mark because it’s got something for everyone watching—no matter their age. Most of us can relate to being totally misunderstood by our parents. Or aching for a present they just don’t want us to have—while being forced to be thankful for a dud gift. Like bunny footie pajamas. A Christmas Story is where most of us learn to never touch our tongue to a frozen flagpole. It’s always playing round the clock on TV right around Christmas because you can catch any scene and still enjoy. At times, it’s dark and cynical and then gives way to nostalgia and sentiment. Next up: the best Christmas movies for kids.
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