Christmas is one of the most magical times a year. Itโs when a special sort of cheer and excitement fills the air. Thatโs because Christmas is filled with all sorts of fun traditions.
We decorate. We buy presents. We bake cookies. And we watch our favorite Christmas movies.
Christmas just doesnโt feel like Christmas sometimes unless we watch a few good Christmas movies. So, weโve compiled a list of our favorites. In no particular order.
Here are 60 of the best Christmas movies of all time to watch this holiday season:



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IMBd
1) Home Alone
โHome Aloneโ is packed with originality and fun. Kevin McCallister is accidentally left home alone by his family who are heading to Paris for Christmas. He ends up having to fend off two burglars on his own with the most hilarious antics, while his mother struggles to return home to her son as soon as possible. In the end, Kevin and his family learn to truly value each other.


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Wikipedia
2) All I Want Is Christmas
โAll I Want Is Christmasโ is a film from 2011 that tells the tale of Ira J. Finkelstein. Ira is obsessed with Christmas but doesnโt get to celebrate since heโs Jewish. So, he meets 11-year-old Mikey at the airport while on his way to visit his grandparents in Florida. They decided to plan a switcheroo.
Mikey goes to Florida to stay with Iraโs grandparents who havenโt seen their grandson in so long that they believe Mikey is a Finkelstein. Ira ends up in Colorado visiting with Mikeyโs aunts and cousins so he can get the total Christmas experience. The movie culminates with a heartwarming song titled โChristmas is for everyone.โ


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Rotten Tomatoes
3) A Christmas Story
This 1983 Christmas comedy is based in the 1940s. The only thing Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun. But everyone tells him, โYouโll shoot your eye out.โ Still, Ralphie tries his best to convince everyone that itโs the perfect Christmas gift for him.


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iTunes
4) Coat of Many Colors
Dolly Parton shares the story of her humble beginnings during her childhood living in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. It tells the tale of a family going through extreme hardship who make it through with faith and love. โCoat of Many Colorsโ reminds us that miracles really do happen.


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Wikipedia
5) Elf
Will Ferrell is great anytime of the year, but especially during Christmas. Buddy the elf, who grew up in the North Pole, learns that heโs actually human. So, he sets out on a trip to New York City to find his real father.


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IMDb
6) National Lampoonโs Christmas Vacation
Christmas at the Griswold house is a big affair. But when family shows up, things donโt go exactly as planned. Yule crack up while watching โNational Lampoonโs Christmas Vacationโ starring Chevy Chase.


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IMDb
7) The Santa Claus
Catastrophy strikes when Scott Calvin accidently makes Santa fall of the roof on Christmas Eve. Now itโs up to him to save Christmas. That means having to take on the role of the man in red.


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IMDb
8) Harry Potter and the Sorcererโs Stone
While this isnโt a traditional Christmas movie, it still has a lot of Christmas spirit. โHarry Potter and the Sorcererโs Stoneโ takes us through the joy of what itโs like to receive when Harry gets his very first Christmas present. Hogwarts during the holidays is enought to give you all the Christmas feels.


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IMDb
9) How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Who doesnโt love a story of a grumpy hermit having a change of heart and learning to love? Everyone! Thatโs why โHow the Grinch Stole Christmasโ is a holiday classic. I prefer the 1966 version, but you can also check out Jim Carrey in the 2000 live-action film, or 2018โs โThe Grinch.โ


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IMDb
10) Itโs a Wonderful Life
โItโs a Wonderful Lifeโ was listed as one of the 100 best American films that were ever made by the American Film Institute. The 1946 drama tells the story of an angel that helps to show a man who has lost hope that life is worth living. Itโs a beautiful reminder that our existence makes a difference in the world and to the people around us.


Source:
byrdtheatre.org
11) Scrooged
Bill Murray stars in โScrooged,โ a 1998 comedy thatโs a modern-day twist on โA Christmas Carol.โ TV executive Frank Cross is terrible to himself and everyone around him. But he gets a new outlook on life after being visited by a few ghosts on Christmas Eve.


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IMBd
12) Love Actually
Eight couples deal with their love lives and the holiday during the hectic Christmas season in London, England. โLove Actuallyโ features a heartwarming story and phenomenal cast. Itโs one of my personal favorite Christmas moviesโฆ and Iโm not even that into romantic comedies. Itโs that good! Another one full of Christmas feels.


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Amazon
13) White Christmas
You know the song. Well, this is the movie behind the song. A song and dance duo team up with a sister act to save a Vermont Inn during Christmas.


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IMDb
14) The Nightmare Before Christmas
โThe Nightmare Before Christmasโ is a Tim Burton masterpiece that brings us to Halloween Town. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, grows weary of his spooky haunts and stumbles across Christmas Town. Chaos ensues when he decides that Halloween Town should take over for Santa in making Christmas.


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IMBd
15) A Charlie Brown Christmas
You canโt do a Christmas movie marathon without Charlie Brown and the Peanuts. This beloved Christmas story finds Charlie Brown fed up with the commercialism of Christmas. Thankfully, his friend Linus helps us to remember what Christmas is all about and restores Charlieโs Christmas spirit.



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IMBd
16) Miracle on 34th Street
Kris Kringle, the Macyโs Santa, starts proclaiming to be the real Santa and ends up in an institution. A young lawyer decides to help defend him in court. You can check out the 1947 version here and the 1994 version here.


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IMDb
17) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
โRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeerโ is the longest running Christmas TV special and airs several times on TV each holiday season. Itโs been playing since 1964. Itโs the a bio pic of our favorite Red-Nosed reindeer who saves Christmas and shows up his haters.


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IMDb
18) The Muppet Christmas Carol
โThe Muppet Christmas Carolโ is A Christmas Carol but Muppets-style. The Muppets give their take on Charles Dickensโ Christmas classic. Itโs a family favorite.


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IMDb
19) Gremlins
โGremlinsโ is a family horror comedy thatโs also a Christmas movie. Thatโs a lot of things in one movie. A teenager totally blows it when he is in charge of looking after a strange creature. Murder and mayhem ensues when his failures leads to little monsters taking over the town during Christmas.


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IMDb
20) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
โHome Alone 2: Lost in New Yorkโ is a sequal that was actually good. The McCallisters attempt to take a Christmas vacation once again. This time Kevin gets on the wrong plane and ends up in New York City where he runs into the same burlgars who tried to rob his house when he was left home alone.


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IMDb
21) The Polar Express
โThe Polar Expressโ is a tale of the ultimate Christmas adventure. A little boy finds a mysterious train pulling up in front of his home on Christmas Eve to take him to the North Pole. He learns about the magic of Christmas for those who believe.


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IMDb
22) Frosty the Snowman
A snowman comes to life thanks to a magic hat. The snowman makes some friends while trying to thwart a magician who wants his hat. โFrosty the Snowmanโ is based on the song written by Walter E. Rollins and Steve Nelson.


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IMDb
23) Bad Santa
Two conmen set out to rob a department store on Christmas Eve by posing as Santa and his elf. But the conman Santa meets a troubled kid. Thatโs when he goes from Grinch to Christmas hero.


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IMDb
24) Die Hard
โDie Hardโ is another unofficial Christmas movie that we love. German terrorists take hostages during a Christmas party in LA. Thatโs leaves a NYPD officer to have to save his wife and the rest of the hostages.


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IMDb
25) Christmas with the Kranks
The Kranks decide that they arenโt doing Christmas this year. But when their daughter announces that sheโs coming home for Christmas, they have to rush to put a holiday together. Luther Krank ends up realizing that trying to skip Christmas was the wrong way to go.


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IMDb
26) The Preacherโs Wife
Whitney Houston and Denzel Washingtonโฆ need I say more? โThe Preacherโs Wifeโ is a remake of โThe Bishopโs Wifeโ starring Cary Grant. Itโs the story of an angel who helps a reverend get his life back on track at Christmas.


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IMDb
27) Santa Claus is Coming to Town
This is another childhood Christmas classic. โSanta Claus is Cominโ To Townโ tells us how Santa Claus came to be, along with the origin stories for other holiday traditions. Itโs also chock full of happy Christmas songs.


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IMDb
28) Santa Who?
Leslie Nielsen stars as Santa in โSanta Who?โ Santa develops a case of amnesia when he falls out of his sleigh. A TV reporter is Santaโs only hope when it comes to regaining his memory and saving Christmas.


29) Jingle All the Way
โJingle All the Wayโ shows the ugly side of the Christmas toy craze. When his son wants the popular Turbo Man action figure for Christmas, a father goes to incredible lengths to get him one. He has to face off against other parents who are also last minute shopping on Christmas Eve.


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IMDb
30) Mickeyโs Christmas Carol
Mickey Mouse and the Disney gang have their own take on the Charles Dickenโs Christmas masterpiece. โMickeyโs Christmas Carolโ first came out in 1983. It was the first time Mickey Mouse had appeared in an original film on the silver screen in in more than 30 years.


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IMBd
31) Arthur Christmas
โArthur Christmasโ tells the story of the Christmas family. Arthur Christmas, Father Christmasโ son, discovers that Santaโs ship has forgot one little girl on Santaโs list. So, Arthur enlists his grandfather, an elf, and some reindeer to help bring Christmas to the forgotten little girl.


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IMDb
32) The Holiday
Nothing is worse than relationship problems during the holidays. Thatโs why the two women in โThe Holidayโ decide to swap homes in each othersโ countries. Itโs there that they find the love they were looking for.


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IMDb
33) Office Christmas Party
Weโve all seen an office Christmas party or two that might have gotten a little out of hand. But not as out-of-hand as this office party. A branch manager throws the most epic Christmas party of all time after his CEO sister threatens to shut down his branch.


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IMDb
34) Four Christmases
Divorce can make Christmas complicated. The couple in โFour Christmasesโ planned to go on a tropical vacation. But fog canceled their plans so they were left to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas.


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IMDb
35) Twas the Night Before Christmas
Youโd have to be pretty naughty to make Santa not want to deliver toys on Christmas. But thatโs what happened to one town in โTwas the Night Before Christmas.โ Santa gets an insulting letter and the townsfolk have to figure out how they are going to change his mind.


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IMBd
36) The Night Before
A trio of buddies are in New York City looking for a good time. Not just any good time, the Nutcracka Ball. Itโs the Holy Grail of Christmas parties. But getting their foot in the door isnโt that easy.


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IMDb
37) Christmas in Connecticut
Her ruse as the perfect homemaker is put to the test when a food writerโs boss invites himself and a returning war hero to dinner. Theyโre expecting a traditional family Christmas in Connecticut. How will she protect her career when she doesnโt actually live on a farm with her husband and baby like her articles says she does? Sheโll have to enlist some people to help her fake it.


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IMDb
38) A Bad Moms Christmas
Christmas is like the Super Bowl for moms. And these Bad Moms are over it. They have to figure out how to take back Christmas when theyโre own mothers unexpectedly drop in.


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IMDb
39) Iโll Be Home For Christmas
This college students is promised his dadโs car if he can make it home for Christmas. The only problem is that he ends up stranded in the desert with no money. He has to figure out how heโs going to make it back home to Westchester, New York in time for Christmas.


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IMDb
40) The Christmas Chronicles
Brother and sister Kate and Teddy Pierce decided theyโre going to catch Santa on camera. But they end up accidentally crashing Santaโs sleigh instead. Now itโs up to them to help save Christmas.


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IMDb
41) Holiday Inn
Two men fight for the affections of a performer at an inn that is only open during the holidays. โHoliday Innโ won an Academy Award for Best Original song in 1943. It also wont for Best Original Story and Best Score.


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IMDb
42) This Christmas
The Whitfieldโs decide to spend their first holiday together in four years. And the familyโs siblings brought about four years worth of drama with them. Their bonds are tested as they uncover the true meaning of family.


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IMDb
43) Prancer
A little girl finds a wounded reindeer believing itโs Santaโs Prancer. She helps the reindeer regain its strength so she can return him to Santa in time for Christmas. Her dedication to Christmas inspires those around her, especially her father.


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IMDb
44) Christmas, Again
Itโs Christmas, again, which means that a heartbroken Christmas-tree salesman will return to New York City for the season. He attempts to put the past behind him while living in a trailer and working the night shift. Thanks to a mysterious woman and some loving customers, he begins to get his life back on track.


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Amazon
45) Deck the Halls
Thereโs always that one house on the block that over does it with lights during Christmas. In โDeck the Hallsโ two neighbors come to blows over how Christmas should be done. But what would you do if your neighborโs house can be seen from space?


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IMDb
46) A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas
Yes, Harold and Kumar have a Christmas movie. Itโs the third installment in the series that shows the smoked up duo together after six years of being apart. A wrong package brings the two together for an adventure searching for the perfect Christmas tree in โA Very Harold & Kumar Christmasโ


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Amazon
47) The Man Who Invented Christmas
No, it wasnโt Santa. โThe Man Who Invented Christmasโ is about what lead Charles Dickens to writing โA Christmas Carol. A story that redefined Christmas.


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IMDb
48) The Spirit of Christmas
Kate must race to get a haunted bed and breakfast sold by the end of the year or risk losing a promotion. But the establishmentโs manager explained that the ghost wonโt allow it. So, she decides to try haggle with the Christmas spirit.


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IMDb
49) Holiday Affair
A poor young window is courted by a sales clerk she accidentally got fired. But sheโs torn. She had to decide between a boring but highly successful businessman or a romantic neโer-do-well.


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Amazon
50) While You Were Sleeping
A transit worker is mistaken for the fiancรฉe of a coma patient after she saves his life. She decides to go along with it after being smitten by the coma patient before he was knocked out. Then she falls in love with his family, especially his brother, during the holidays making it even harder for her to tell the truth.


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IMDb
51) Mixed Nuts
The holidays can get pretty crazy. And the phone lines at a suicide hotline are all aglow on Christmas. The bumbling manager has to save lives, the hotlines from being shut down, and his love life during a single holiday.


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IMDb
52) The Lemon Drop Kid
A New York City con man made a bad bet. Now he has to come up with $1o,000 by Christmas. It causes him to ramp up his swindling efforts.


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Amazon
53) The Santa Clause 2
This is another Christmas sequel that was good. The new Santa is settled into his new role eight years after taking over when he knocked the original Santa off the roof. Heโs becoming known as one of the best Santaโs yet. But now he has to find a Mrs. Claus by Christmas Eve or else heโll stop being Santa forever.
54) It Happened on 5th Avenue
A homeless man decides to squat in a New York mansion while the family is away on Christmas. He decides to invite his friends too. But the homeowners soon show up and comedy ensues.


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Amazon
55) Babes in Toyland
Tom the Piperโs Son is in love with Mary Quite Contrary but Mister Barnabyโs evil plot forces Mary to marry him in order to save her family. Tom and his friends have to escape, save Mary, and put an end to Mister Barnabyโs nefarious plans. You can check out the 1934 version, or the 1960s verision, but I prefer the 1986 version with Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore. Itโs super 80s!


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IMDb
56) Last Holiday
A cookware sales clerk is told she only has a few weeks to live. So, she sells all her possessions and goes to enjoy her final days on a fancy vacation at a European hotel. She spends her last dime on a dream holidy.


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IMBDb
57) Edward Scissorhands
An Avon lady knocks on the door of an old mansion and finds a scientist constructed man with scissors for hands. The woman decides to bring him out of solitary confinement for the holidays. The neighborhood falls in loves with him, except for some who see him as dangerous.


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IMDb
58) The Family Stone
A conservative New York City businesswoman heads to New England to spend the holidays with her boyfriendโs family. A culture clash ensues when she learns of their eccentric ways. Among the awkwardness, relationships change and secrets are revealed.


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IMDb
59) The Best Man Holiday
College friends get together again after 15 years to celebrate the holidays. They didnโt realize that their old rivalries and romances would be ignited once again. This holiday movie is a sequel to โThe Best Man.โ


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IMDb
60) Batman Returns
This Batman sequel is a holiday classic without the Christmas cheer and a whole lot of Christmas action. The Cape Crusader is up against three foes during the holidays. He must battle Penguin, Catwoman, and capitalist Max Shreck.

