BEST FAMILY CHRISTMAS MOVIES TO WATCH
The Best Christmas Movies Of All Time to watch to put you in the holiday spirit! I have compiled a list of the Best Christmas Movies to Watch this season for good old fashioned family movie nights every weekend leading up to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day!
It’s almost Christmas! That means it is time to head straight to the sofa for family movie night or family movie week I say during the week leading up to Christmas. The kiddos are done with school and my husband always takes this week for vacation so we can just chill, hang out with the kiddos, bake, eat snacks, play board games and watch movies. Now is the perfect time to begin our favorite holiday tradition of introducing and rewatching all the fantastic seasonal movies around Christmas. I make my kid’s favorite Extra Bold, Savory homemade Chex Mix, and Christmas Cookies and we all watch our favorite holiday movies for hours since it is usually freezing here in Chicago on Christmas!
Now, obviously, this list is subjective — to me! But, I think a lot of these Christmas movies are near and dear to everyone’s hearts. There are not any Christmas Classics as I have those listed in my 15 Best Holiday Classic Christmas Movies To Watch. However, there are still newer classics like Home Alone and Elf to classics like The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Everyone has their own family traditions they grew up enjoying and then we grow up and begin making our very own traditions without our parents as we make our own little families. During this time, everyone brings in their old traditions and creates new traditions. Then, Christmas begins to represent different things to people and families. But one thing that will always bring back the flood gates of tradition and nostalgia is holiday movies!
I have included a little bit of everything for everyone. Holiday movies from our childhood that we must watch year after year that we can literally state every single word uttered in a movie verbatim, like Frosty the Snowman or Charlie Brown Christmas. Maybe How the Grinch Stole Christmas has been on repeat for a couple of days. There are also a few holiday feel-good movies like Edwards Scissorshand. There is even a predictable Christmas rom-com!
I added in a few new holiday movies from Netflix this year because they have quickly become family holiday favorites! They must be included! And NO holiday movie list would be complete without Die Hard!! Here are my recommendations for The Best Family Christmas Movie To Watch This Holiday Season.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES OF ALL TIME
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HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (Stream on TNT, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, YouTube)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas brings an impressive array of talent to bear on an adaptation that honors a classic holiday story -- and has rightfully become a yuletide tradition of its own. Chuck Jones' animated version of the classic Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas originally aired on television in.
This made-for-TV Christmas special is a classic. Based on a Dr. Seuss book, it is about a Christmas-hating Grinch who wants to make everyone as miserable on Christmas as he is. The poor, small-hearted Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas through the loving Whos in Whoville.
ELF (Stream on STARZ, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
A movie full of Yuletide cheer, Elf is a spirited, good-natured family comedy, and it benefits greatly from Will Ferrell's funny and charming performance as one of Santa's biggest helpers.
Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (Stream on Disney+, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets -- Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle -- weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases -- past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness.
National Lampoon’s CHRISTMAS CAROL (Stream on Amazon, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), and children, as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin, Eddie (Randy Quaid), and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark's employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs.
MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL (Stream on Disney+)
A 1983 animated version of the Dickens classic, with Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit and Scrooge McDuck as the miserly...
THE POLAR EXPRESS (Stream on Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube
Robert Zemeckis’ take on the classic Christmas children’s book was extremely ambitious — only problem was that motion-capture technology wasn’t quite there yet in 2004, so CGI Tom Hanks and Co. ride the titular train straight through the uncanny valley. You can’t help but appreciate what Zemeckis was trying to do, and there’s a very sweet Christmas story underneath the eerily smooth textures. In fact, there’s a case to be made that the uncanny look of the movie only adds to the surreal holiday magic that propels this mighty train’s engines. A case – but not an open-and-shut one.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Stream on Amazon Prime, Apple+)
Christmastime is here. Happiness and cheer. And for Peanuts fans everywhere, it just wouldn't be Christmas without this classic holiday delight. Christmas lights may be twinkling red and green, but Charlie Brown has the Yuletide blues. To get in the holiday spirit, he takes Lucy's advice and directs the Christmas play. And what's a Christmas play without a Christmas tree? But everyone makes fun of the short, spindly evergreen Charlie Brown brings back - until the real meaning of Christmas works its magic once again in this Remastered Deluxe Edition with Improved Picture and Audio.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Stream on Amazon Prime)
I’m adding It’s a Wonderful Life to the list of the Best Family Christmas Movies To Watch EVEN though it was already on my 15 Best Holiday Classic Christmas Movies To Watch simply because - it is the one old classic movie that MUST be watched EVERY SINGLE YEAR!
Frank Capra’s perennial holiday classic is one of the most beloved films of all time and the quintessential "Capraesque" comedy/drama. James Stewart is Bedford Falls banker George Bailey, who is driven by circumstances one Christmas Eve to consider suicide, only to be shown by neophyte angel Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) what a difference his life has made. The tremendous supporting cast includes Donna Reed, Thomas Mitchell, Lionel Barrymore, Ward Bond, Beulah Bondi.
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (Stream on STARZ, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
Aardman Animations broadens their humor a bit for Arthur Christmas, a clever and earnest holiday film with surprising emotional strength. Everyone knows that each Christmas, Santa Claus delivers presents to every last child on Earth. What everyone doesn't know is that Santa accomplishes the feat with a very high-tech operation beneath the North Pole. But when the unthinkable happens, and Santa misses one child out of hundreds of millions, someone has to save the day. It's up to Arthur (James McAvoy), Santa's youngest son, to deliver a present to the forgotten tyke before Christmas morning dawns.
A CHRISTMAS STORY (stream on Amazon Prime, TNT)
I’m adding A Christmas Story to this list as well, even though it was on my 15 Best Holiday Classic Christmas Movies To Watch too. This is one of my husband’s favorite holiday movies to watch and he tortures our kiddos each year rewatching this every single time it is on the tellie!
Peace. Harmony. Comfort and Joy...Maybe Next Year. The Christmas spirit isn't served up with more heartfelt warmth or observant hilarity than in this beloved adaptation of Jean Shepherd's holiday story. In 1940s Indiana, nine-year-old Ralphie dreams of his ideal Christmas gift: a genuine Red Ryder 200-shot Carbine Action Air Rifle. But when his gruff dad and doting mom regularly respond with "You'll shoot your eye out!" Ralphie mounts a full-scale, hint-dropping, Santa-begging campaign. In this tale, you'll be caught up in all kinds of childhood calamities from snowsuit paralysis to the yellow-eyed Scotty Farkus affair to the dreaded tongue-on-a-frozen-flagpole gambit. We triple-dog-dare you to unwrap a more comical Yuletide classic!
HOME ALONE (stream on Disney+, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
Home Alone is the highly successful and beloved family comedy about a young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) who is.. Home Alone uneven but frequently funny premise stretched unreasonably thin is buoyed by Macaulay Culkin's cute performance and strong supporting stars.
When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O'Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) plan to rob the McCallister residence and that he alone must protect the family home.
HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK (stream on Disney+, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube
There’s something charmingly old-school about Kevin McCallister’s second adventure. He travels to New York by mistake thanks to lax airport security regulations, enjoys a New York City that feels bygone for some vague nostalgic reason, and Donald Trump makes a cameo (that was cute, rather than controversial, at the time). But, if remembering Christmases of yesteryear isn’t enough for you, Home Alone 2 is worth it if only because it’s a hoot to see young Kevin inflict a possibly fatal amount of damage to the hapless Wet Bandits, once again.
THE SANTA CLAUSE (Stream on Disney+, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
The Santa Clause is utterly undemanding, but it's firmly rooted in the sort of good old-fashioned holiday spirit missing from too many modern yuletide films. Television sitcom star Tim Allen made his big-screen debut with this light, family-friendly holiday comedy. Allen stars as Scott.
Divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen) has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa's place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he's dreaming, but over the next several months he gains weight and grows an inexplicably white beard. Maybe that night at the North Pole wasn't a dream after all -- and maybe Scott has a lot of work to do.
THE BEST Rankin/Bass CHRISTMAS MOVIES
If you grew up anytime between the 1960s and the 1980s, then you are no doubt familiar with the extensive and peculiar world of Rankin/Bass. The production company dominated the holiday special genre for over 20 years, churning out a dozen animated adventures for the Christmas season alone.
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (Stream on CBS AllAccess, Peacock, iTunes, VUDU, Sling, FREEFORM)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a yule-tide gem that bursts with eye-popping iconography, a spirited soundtrack, and a heart-warming celebration of difference. This stop-motion ani-magic version of the classic Christmas tale adds a bit of a twist when Rudolph encounters an abominable
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN (Stream on CBS AllAccess, Peacock, iTunes, VUDU, Sling, FREEFORM)
Based on the beloved Christmas carol, this animated story tells the story of Santa Claus and some of our favorite holiday traditions. With an all-star cast — including Fred Astaire as the narrator — and plenty of catchy songs, you’ll find yourself watching this over and over again.
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (Stream on CBS AllAccess, Peacock, iTunes, VUDU, Sling, FREEFORM)
Frosty the Snowman is a jolly, happy sing-along that will delight children with its crisp animation and affable title character, who makes an indelible impression with his corncob pipe, button nose, and eyes made out of coal. This special release celebrates the 45th anniversary of an animated Christmas classic, Frosty the Snowman. First airing on CBS, the
A discarded magic top hat brings to life the snowman that a group of children made, until a magician, professor Hinkle, wants it back, and the temperature starts to rise. Frosty will melt or no longer be a jolly soul if the kids cannot get him away from Hinkle and warm weather, so he hops a train to the North Pole with young Karen.
THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS (Stream on CBS AllAccess, Peacock, iTunes, VUDU, Sling, FREEFORM)
It's up to Mrs. Claus and Santa's elves to save Christmas when Santa decides to skip delivering presents for a year in this stop-motion classic. Mickey Rooney provides the voice for a despondent Santa Claus, who boycotts Christmas to protest unappreciative children. He is roused from his bed to save Vixen and elves Jingle and Jangle from the clutches of Heat Miser, Snow Miser, and the Small Town USA authorities. On his way, he finds the greatest gift of all: a generous family full of holiday love. Also featuring the voices of Shirley Booth and Dick Shawn.
BEST FAMILY CHRISTMAS MOVIES TO WATCH
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Stream on Disney+, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stunningly original and visually delightful work of stop-motion animation. Despite having recently presided over a very successful Halloween, Jack Skellington, aka the Pumpkin King, is bored with his job.
The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown's beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the "real world." When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life -- he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
Jack Frost joins forces with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and more on their mission to save the children of the world from the evil spirit Pitch. When the evil spirit Pitch launches an assault on Earth, the Immortal Guardians team up to protect the innocence of children all around the world.
JINGLE JANGLE (Stream on Netflix)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey celebrates the yuletide season with a holiday adventure whose exuberant spirit is matched by its uplifting message. Decades after his apprentice betrays him, a once joyful toymaker finds new hope when his bright young granddaughter appears on his doorstep.
THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES 1 and 2 (Stream on Netflix)
THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES, a holiday adventure from producer Chris Columbus ("Home Alone", "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"). Viewers seeking a fresh holiday viewing option -- or those simply in the mood for Santa Kurt Russell -- should find The Christmas Chronicles well worth a yuletide stream. Siblings Kate and Teddy Pierce hatch a scheme to capture Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When the plan goes awry, the kids join forces with a somewhat jolly Saint Nick and his loyal elves to save the holiday before it's too late.
Teenager Kate Pierce is reunited with Santa Claus when a troublemaker threatens to cancel Christmas -- forever.
KLAUS (stream on Netflix)
A simple act of kindness always sparks another, even in a frozen, faraway place. When Smeerensburg's new postman, Jesper, befriends toymaker Klaus, their gifts melt an age-old feud and deliver a sleigh full of holiday traditions.
THE HOLIDAY (Stream on Amazon Prime)
It’s fair (if a little reductive) to say that The Holiday is what Love Actually would be if it only focused on two couples instead of, like, 25. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet star as two women who swap homes for the holidays and fall in love with Jude Law and Jack Black, respectively. A little predictable, sure, but in that special way that’s warm and reassuring — the Christmas rom-com equivalent of chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (Stream on Amazon Prime, HULU< iTunes, VUDU, YouTube)
Disgusted by the commercialization of the holidays, married couple Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis decide to skip the Yuletide season and take a cruise instead-much to the disapproval of nosy neighbor Dan Aykroyd. But when they learn that their daughter will be returning from the Peace Corps to spend Christmas with them, the jaded pair frantically races to prepare the perfect celebration. Heartwarming farce, based on a novel by John Grisham
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (Stream on Disney+)
All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key -- a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer's (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key--which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It's there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara's key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney's new holiday feature film THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS is directed by Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann's classic tale.
FOUR CHRISTMASES (Stream on Netflix)
Four Christmases understands that the holidays can be rough, especially if you’re dealing with multiple families who may or may not all like each other and/or you and your partner. This 2008 film – which has developed a following over the past decade – adds some hilarious big-name actors (Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon) to that reality in order to create a movie experience that’s a relatable escape. Look out for a very funny turn by Katy Mixon, who would go on to star in American Housewife.
LOVE ACTUALLY (Stream on Amazon Prime, iTunes)
A roundelay of lump-in-your-throat London love during the holiday season from the confectioners behind Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral. You could fill a stocking with all of the terrific moments in the film. But none is better than when a group of kids brings down the house with their rendition of Mariah Carey's ''All I Want For Christmas Is You.''
BAD SANTA (Stream on Amazon Prime, iTunes)
Billy Bob Thornton spikes the egg nog in this bruise-black comedy about a disgusting, drunk department store Santa/con man who's out to rob stores on Christmas Eve with his little person elf sidekick, Marcus (Tony Cox). Here's one for parents looking for something to pop on after the kids are asleep.
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (Stream on STARZ, Amazon Prime)
The first collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is a magical modern fairy tale with gothic overtones and a sweet center. Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands opens as an eccentric inventor (Vincent Price) lovingly assembles a synthetic youth named Edward (Johnny Depp)
A scientist (Vincent Price) builds an animated human being -- the gentle Edward (Johnny Depp). The scientist dies before he can finish assembling Edward, though, leaving the young man with a freakish appearance accentuated by the scissor blades he has instead of hands. Loving suburban saleswoman Peg (Dianne Wiest) discovers Edward and takes him home, where he falls for Peg's teen daughter (Winona Ryder). However, despite his kindness and artistic talent, Edward's hands make him an outcast.
JINGLE ALL THE WAY (Stream on TNT, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, YouTube)
Jingle All the Way is not just an unfairly maligned Christmas movie — it’s also a pretty good Power Rangers movie in disguise. Turbo-Man is a hero for our time, as are dads like Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Myron Larabee (Sinbad) who, in the true spirit of Christmas (read: capitalism), will brave crowded malls to make sure their kids get the perfect present under the tree on Christmas morn.
A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR CHRISTMAS (Stream on Hulu, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, YouTube)
Following years of growing apart, Harold Lee (Cho) and Kumar Patel (Penn) have replaced each other with new friends. Six years after their last adventure, stoner pals Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) have grown apart and found new friends. As each is busy making holiday preparations, a mysterious package mistakenly arrives on Kumar's doorstep. Unfortunately, Kumar's attempt to redirect the package to Harold goes up in smoke -- along with a prize Christmas tree belonging to Harold's father-in-law. The pair's journey across New York City to find a replacement tree threatens to blow Christmas Eve sky-high.
SCROOGED (Stream on AMC+, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
Scrooged gets by with Bill Murray and a dash of holiday spirit, although it's hampered by a markedly conflicted tone and an undercurrent of mean-spiritedness. A darkly comic and surreal contemporization of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, this effects-heavy Bill Murray holiday vehicle from 1988
In this modern take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). But after firing a staff member, Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.
TRADING PLACES (Stream on Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
Featuring a deft interplay between Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, Trading Places is an immensely appealing social satire. The "nature-nurture" theory that motivated so many Three Stooges comedies is the basis of John Landis's hit comedy. The fabulously
Upper-crust executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and down-and-out hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) are the subjects of a bet by successful brokers Mortimer (Don Ameche) and Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy). An employee of the Dukes, Winthorpe is framed by the brothers for a crime he didn't commit, with the siblings then installing the street-smart Valentine in his position. When Winthorpe and Valentine uncover the scheme, they set out to turn the tables on the Dukes.
DIE HARD (Stream on HBOMax, Hulu, Amazon Prime, VUDU, YouTube)
Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic. It's Christmas time in L.A., and there's an employee party in progress on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Corporation.
New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there's no one to save the hostages -- but him.
GREMLINS (Stream on Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube)
Whether you choose to see it as a statement on consumer culture or simply a special effects-heavy popcorn flick, Gremlins is a minor classic. "Don't expose him to bright light. Don't ever get him wet. And don't ever, ever feed him after midnight."
A gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for his son and finds one at a store in Chinatown. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the "mogwai" but sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light, water, or to feed him after midnight. All of this happens and the result is a gang of gremlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve.
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (Stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, VUDU, YouTube)
In this live-action adaptation of the beloved children's tale by Dr. Seuss, the reclusive green Grinch (Jim Carrey) decides to ruin Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville. Reluctantly joined by his hapless dog, Max, the Grinch comes down from his mountaintop home and sneaks into town to swipe everything holiday-related from the Whos. However, the bitter grump finds a hitch in his plans when he encounters the endearing Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen).
