A Charlie Brown Christmas
Ah, yes. The classic!! Chances are you've watched this many a time as a kid, and it still evokes major ~feelings~ as an adult. (If you're more familiar with the '90s TV special, they have that too.) I know it sounds silly, but sometimes a dash of Charlie Brown's endearing melancholy is what the holiday needs.
2Die Hard
Just about everyone has a take on the "Is this a Christmas movie?" question, but the general consensus these days is—it's fun to watch around the holidays, so yes. Eat a bunch of pie and laugh at Bruce Willis running around doing cardio. It's basically the perfect holiday evening!
3Frosty the Snowman
Another one you probably watched 10,000 times as a kid, you might be surprised how timely this one still feels. It's still relevant that you'd absolutely rather goof off with a living snowman than do anything resembling work, TBH. Make it a weeknight watch and pretend you're 10 again.
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4The Night Before
A more modern "classic," the story of three buddies who get together to drink and party on Christmas Eve is actually quite...sweet, at the end of the day? But there's plenty of jokes about drugs and sex and puking and other holiday movies, in case you were worried.
5A Christmas Story
Now that there's a sequel out, refamiliarize yourself with the film that's still meme-worthy four decades later. Revisit the tongue-stuck-to-a-pole, "You'll shoot your eye out" classic (or, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out what life was like back in the '40s! It was a weird time!)
6Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas
There are definitely funnier Madea movies out there in the world, but this one has a fun "oh yea, it's hard to be around annoying family members for Christmas" vibe to it. Plus, you'll absolutely chuckle at the delivery of "Little baby Jesus was born to the virgin Mary…J. Blige."
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7Little Women
Obviously, this isn't just a holiday movie, since it span several years of the March girls' lives, but the family holiday celebrations (that honestly look picture-perfect) are some of the best moments in the movie. I dare you to watch this classic from your childhood and not tear up when the girls are finally together again.
8Serendipity
This is kind of a silly movie, sure, but this film really sold all of us on falling in love in New York City. Maybe less so on the "find your perfect partner then leave it up to *chance* on whether you'll see each other again," but the movie somehow makes a ridiculous premise work.
9Scrooged
A remake of the classic Christmas Carol concept (which is also on here, don't worry), Bill Murray is a regular grinch who has to learn some *important* life lessons. Only this time, Scrooge is a TV exec who steals cabs from old ladies and has to learn lessons from the likes of Carol Kane. It was ahead of its time!
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10The Preacher's Wife
Part love triangle, part springboard for Whitney Houston's gorgeous voice, part morality tale about focusing on family—all cheesy Christmas sweetness. Plus, watching Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance act alongside each other is the Christmas present you always needed.
11The Holiday
The ultimate holiday rom-com—thanks, Nancy Meyers! Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) are both tired of love (same, TBH), and with the holidays coming around, they’re in need of a change in scenery. They find each other online and decide to swap homes for the holiday. Iris goes to L.A. and Amanda goes to London, both hoping to enjoy some relaxing alone time. Neither one of them planned on falling in love.
12Polar Express
You’ve read the book a million times, but how many have you watched the movie? On Christmas Eve, a young boy boards a mysterious train set for the North Pole called the Polar Express. On the ride, he and the other children discover magic, friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas. The CGI is wild but the story's cool! Promise!
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13Home Alone
Just in case you haven’t seen this movie one billion times, let’s recap: 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) accidentally gets left at home when his family heads to the airport to spend Christmas in Paris. Now he’s got to figure out how to survive Christmas alone, especially since their house caught the eye of the “sticky bandits.”
14Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
This time around, the McCallisters are going to Florida for the holidays. Everything’s set, and Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) makes it to the airport with his family without a hitch. He gets on a plane and settles into his seat comfortably. Only problem is, he lands in New York. Luckily, he has his dad’s personal bag with him and cleverly uses his credit card to survive while they look for him. But then, as it turns out, the sticky bandits are also in New York (bc of course) and looking for some payback.
15Elf
How does this one still make us LOL every year? Buddy (Will Ferrell) was an orphan who accidentally made his way onto Santa’s sled on Christmas night. He winds up in the North Pole, and they decide to raise him as an elf. But when he grows up, he realizes he doesn’t exactly fit in. So he decides to go off to New York and find his real parents in the hopes of learning his true destiny. But not everything is candy canes and Christmas trees in the big city.
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16Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Everyone’s favorite Christmas #mood. The grumpy green Grinch (Jim Carrey) lives in a cave on Mount Crumpet with his dog, Max, completely unbothered. But as Christmas Day draws near, he grows increasingly annoyed by the citizens of Whoville, so he hatches a plan to steal the holiday joy away from the citizens by taking their presents. But his plan gets ruined when he meets little Cindy Lou (Taylor Momsen). Also, Amazon Prime has the original, if you wanna go all in on Grinchiness.
17Rise of the Guardians
In this underrated animated movie, Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) are known as the immortal Guardians. It’s their duty to protect the world’s children by spreading love and magic. But a dark force named Pitch Black (Jude Law) has gained strength by making children lose their belief in the Guardians. It’s up to a sprite named Jack Frost (Chris Pine) to help save them and the kids.
18It’s a Wonderful Life
The most classic Christmas movie of them all. George Bailey (James Stewart) is struggling with life, especially since it’s Christmas and he’s finding it hard to keep up with bills and provide for his family. On Christmas Eve, he decides he wants to end it all and jump off a bridge. But an angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) comes to his rescue and shows him what the town he lives in would be like if he hadn’t been around to do all the good deeds he’s done.
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19Miracle on 34th Street
In this equally memorable classic, Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) fills in for the role of Santa Claus at the Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. He becomes so good at his job that he becomes a regular at the department store on 34th Street. But when he tells customers and his boss that he actually is Santa, they start to think he’s crazy, and he winds up having to defend his mental health and credentials in court.
20Disney’s A Christmas Carol
This animated movie is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’s 1843 classic about a selfish and greedy old man named Ebenezer Scrooge. You prob know the story, but: He's treated everyone around him poorly and doesn't really have a sense of compassion, even during the holidays. So on Christmas Eve, three spirits pay him a visit to try to teach him a lesson.
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