Christmas movies are the best way to spend your winter break curled up with some hot chocolate, a blanket, and your loved ones. The classic movies and some of the lesser known ones make the Christmas season even better. These movies are packed with nostalgia, Christmas spirit, and important lessons, as well as funny one-liners and silly jokes. Here’s a checklist of movies for you to spend your days and nights until Christmas watching over and over.
1. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) – This Christmas classic is set in Whoville, a town where its citizens display much happiness and joy throughout their Christmas celebrations. The town is obsessed with gift giving and Christmas decorations. Cindy Lou, the postman’s daughter, believes that the town has got the wrong idea about the meaning of Christmas. Meanwhile, the only person in town who despises Christmas is none other than the Grinch. When the Grinch tries to destroy Christmas, find out how Cindy Lou convinces the Grinch about the joyousness of Christmas and teaches Whoville about the true meaning of Christmas.
2. Home Alone (1990) – When a family oversleeps their alarms to get up for their family Christmas vacation in Paris, they leave hurriedly without waking their son Kevin. His parents do not realize Kevin is not with them until they are already in Paris and try to book a flight back home, but all flights are booked for the next two days. In the meantime, Kevin wakes to find his house empty and then finds his hand full fooling two burglars into thinking that the house is still inhabited. Kevin’s mother, Kate, eventually gets a flight to the US, but winds up in Pennsylvania, needing some way to get to Chicago. Kevin overhears the two burglars making a plan to break into his house on Christmas Eve, so he sets up booby traps. When they break in and almost get close to him, he calls the cops and flees to an abandoned house. When Christmas day arrives, Kevin is disappointed that his family has not come back for him. Watch this hilarious classic to see if his family makes it home in time to spend Christmas with him.
3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) – Somehow, being left home alone happened a second time for Kevin McCallister. You’d think the family would have learned the first time. But instead of being actually left at home, Kevin accidentally boards a plane to New York City instead of Miami where his family is heading. Incidentally, Kevin also has his father’s bag which contains his wallet and lots of cash. Once again, the family is not aware Kevin is missing until they already reached their destination. Meanwhile, Kevin is living it up in his hotel room which he bought with his father’s credit card. He ends up touring New York City on Christmas Eve and ends up running into the two burglars from the previous movie. They make a plot to kill Kevin because of the injuries they sustained from his booby traps the previous year. Find out what happens to Kevin in this action packed sequel.
4. The Polar Express (2004) – On the night of Christmas Eve, a little boy find a train called the Polar Express which travels to the North Pole. After contemplating whether to board, the boy finally decides after the train is already in motion, having to run to jump onto the platform. After boarding, the little boy meets a girl and a boy who comes off as a know-it-all. Soon, the train stops again to pick up another passenger, Billy, but takes his time to decide whether to board and ends up running after it like the first little boy. However, Billy is too far behind so the first little boy applies the emergency break. The conductor becomes fed up with this little boy, and goes to help Billy get on the train. Hot chocolate is served for the guests and tickets are checked. When the conductor and the girl go missing because her ticket is lost, the little boy searches for them. Many obstacles get in the train’s path to the North Pole. Watch this heart-felt film to find out whether the children make it to the North Pole to see Santa and see who gets the first present of Christmas.
5. Miracle on 34th Street (1994) – The Santa Claus for the Cole’s Thanksgiving parade gets drunk before the parade begins, so a replacement must be found. The Cole’s director finds an old man who claims he is Kris Kringle and asks him to play the part of Santa for the parade. Because he does so well, the director, Dorey, hires Kris to be the Cole’s main Santa for the holiday period. All the kids in New York City believe he is the real Santa except for Dorey’s daughter, Susan. Dorey’s boyfriend, Bryan does his best to convince Susan to believe. One night Kris babysits Susan for Dorey and Susan shares her Christmas wish with him: she would like a dad, a house, and a baby brother. Susan says that she would believe in Santa if he could get her just that. When Kris gets arrested for assaulting the old Santa Cole’s had, Bryan realizes the only way for Kris to be set free would be to convince the jury that not only does Santa exist, but Kris is the real one. Find out if Bryan can get Kris set free and if Susan gets her Christmas wish in this heart-warming classic Christmas Movie.
6. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) – This Christmas film starts with Charlie Brown claiming that he is depressed with the over-commercialization of Christmas and admits he cannot grasp what Christmas is all about. Lucy asks Charlie to direct a Christmas play. On his way to the auditorium, Charlie runs into his sister, Sally, who wants him to write a letter to Santa Claus and tells him to put in a request for money, which further makes Charlie more depressed. When Charlie realizes he cannot control the kids in the play because they are too busy wanting to dance, Charlie decides they need a Christmas tree to get into the proper mood, in which Lucy requests that Charlie get a big shiny aluminum tree. But Charlie finds a small sapling which is the only real tree in the lot, convinced that decorating the tree will make it just right for the play. But the children made fun of the tree Charlie picked out and in his desperation Charlie calls out if anyone knew what Christmas is all about. Find out in this classic movie if the children learn the true meaning of Christmas.
7. Elf (2003) – The beginning of this hilarious movie starts out with an orphan baby boy who crawls into Santa’s sack of gifts while he is delivering toys on Christmas Eve and ends up unknowingly taking the boy back to the North Pole where Papa Elf volunteers to raise him. He is named Buddy. Buddy grows up into a full grown adult but he is unaware of his humanness. But soon Buddy learns that he’s human and Papa Elf reveals that Buddy was born to Walter Hobbs and Susan Wells and put up for adoption, but that Walter never knew about him. So Buddy sets out on an adventure to find Walter. This funny movie is filled with heart-felt undertones. Find out what happens when Buddy tries to create a connection with his biological father while dressed as a giant elf and convinced he knows the real Santa.
8. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (1998) – This cute film tells the story about the well-known reindeer, Rudolph. In this film, Rudolph’s parents, Blitzen and Mitzi, realize that with his abnormally shiny, red nose, Rudolph will be made fun of because of it. When they meet up with Rudolph’s three uncles – Dasher, Comet, and Cupid – and Rudolph is introduced to them. Rudolph’s nose begins to glow, which draws attention. Find out what happens to Rudolph after this by watching this adorable film.
9. Frosty the Snowman (1969) – The tale about Frosty, much like the tale about Rudolph, is widely known. In this film about the catchy and popular Christmas song, a teacher hires an inept magician to perform for her class on the day before Christmas. However, when he fails to keep the students’ attention, he throws his top hat. Soon the schoolday ends and the children rush to play outside, deciding to build a snowman, which they name Frosty. When they place the magician’s top hat on Frosty’s head, he came to life. Soon the temperature begins to rise and Frosty must leave for someplace colder. Find out if the children can help Frost get to someplace cold before he melts away.
10. ‘Twas the Night before Christmas (1974) – In this cute animated film that starts with the familiar poem’s beginning. Shortly into the film, the townspeople discover that Santa is angry at them because he’s received a letter from the town saying they do not believe in him signed “from all of us”. After Father Mouse reads the anonymous letting printed in the newspaper he suspects is brainy son, Albert, as its author. Father Mouse devises a way to appease Santa by a singing clock tower for him with a special recording to play a song. Watch this adorable short film and find out if the town gets a visit from Santa after all.
11. The Santa Clause trilogy (1994, 2004, 2006) – This set of three movies takes its watchers on an adventure when Santa falls off Scott and Charlie Calvin’s rooftop on Christmas Eve. Because Scott puts on Santa’s robes, he becomes the new Santa. The trilogy follows Scott and his son Charlie through their lives as problems arrive. In the first movie, the main problem is that Charlie’s mom, Laura, and his stepdad, Neal, believe that Scott has kidnapped Charlie, even though they’ve just gone to the North Pole. Neal and Laura struggle with accepting the fact that Scott is actually Santa. Watch this first installment to find out if they can come to terms with this new realization. In the second film, Scott is told by his head elves, Bernard and Curtis, about the Santa Clause—Santa must find a Mrs. Claus. In addition to this news, Scott learns that his son, now 16, is on the naughty list. Scott returns home to find a wife and put his son on the right track while also getting to spend some time with his niece, Lucy. Watch this second installment of the trilogy to find out if Scott succeeds. In the third film, Carol, Scott’s wife, is pregnant with twins and continuously goes into false labor. Scott finds a way to bring Carol’s parents up to the North Pole for the holiday season, changing the decorations so they think they live in Canada. Mother Nature calls a meeting with all of the Legendary Figures: Father Time, the Easter Bunny, Cupid, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman. Jack Frost arrives to the meeting, upset that he doesn’t have a holiday or special occasion. Jack Frost tries to take over the North Pole and turn it into a resort but tricking Scott into using the escape clause which will send him back to 1994 and change the future. Find out what happens when Jack Frost succeeds and Scott is in his future with no one remembering that he was Santa.
12. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – This film is an adaptation of the Christmas Carol narrated by Charles Dickens. The merriment of the Christmas season is not shared by Ebenezer Scrooge who works as a money-lender. His bookkeeping staff, including Bob Cratchit (played by Kermit the Frog), have to plead him to let them have Christmas day off because they would not have customers anyway. Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, arrives to invite his uncle to dinner. Two gentlemen (Bunsen and Beaker) come to Scrooge’s offices collecting money for a Christmas dinner for the poor. When Scrooge refuses to donate, his nephew is shocked at his uncle’s cold nature. Later that evening, Scrooge is visited by ghosts of Christmas past, present, and yet to come. Find out if these ghosts can change Scrooge into a happier person.
13. Eloise at Christmastime (2003) – The beginning of the movie finds a giant pink box who is leaning on the display table in the middle of the Hotel Lobby. The package is taken to the package room where it opens and Eloise crawls out. She is on a mission to search for any presents from her mother who has taken a trip to Paris. She does not find any packages from her mother, so she skips toward the lobby and interrupts the hotel manager, Mr. Salamone, and two people checking into the hotel. Eloise asks Mr. Salamone if there had been any packages from her mother in Paris and he tells her that there hasn’t been. Eloise then learns about the impending marriage between the hotel owner’s daughter, Rachel, and her fiancé, Brooks Oliver, who was chosen by Rachel’s family to be her husband. But Eloise learns that Oliver is into doing something suspicious. And to top it off, Rachel fell in love with Bill, a room service waiter. Finds out what happens when the hotel owner not only finds out about this, but learns that somehow Eloise is involved; also see if Eloise’s mother sends her any Christmas gifts.
14. A Christmas Story (1983) – All Ralphie Parker wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle, but his wish is rejected by his mother, his teacher, and even the store Santa who all tell him “you’ll shoot your eye out.” When Christmas morning comes, Ralphie is upset to find out that he did not get the one gift he wanted. After it appears that all presents are opened, Ralphie’s father then points to one that was hidden for him to open. Tearing off the paper, Ralphie reveals that he got his wish after all. When Ralphie takes the gun outside to shoot it, the BB ricochet’s back and knocks off his glasses. Watch this classic movie to find out if the warning he was given turned out to be true.
15. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – Christmas being only a couple weeks away, Clark Griswold decides it is time to get a Christmas tree. He brings his wife, Ellen, his daughter, Audrey, and his son, Rusty, to the country where they pick out a huge tree. After they get the tree home, both Clark’s and Ellen’s parents come for Christmas and the bickering annoys the family. But Clark wants this to be a “good old-fashioned family Christmas”. They decorate the outside of the house with sparkling lights. As Christmas approaches, Clark starts to wonder why his boss has not given him his yearly bonus. After their Christmas Eve dinner is a disaster, Clark finally receives an envelope from the company manager, thinking it was going to be his bonus, but it turns out to be a free year’s membership for the Jelly of the Month Club. Find out what happens when Clark confronts his boss and learn if his family gets the Christmas they wish to have.