The holiday season is full of joy, festivities, food, decorations, and movies. It is no secret that holiday movies have skyrocketed over the past decade and are on every platform possible, and each problem is making more every year. Whether it’s Hallmark, Netflix, or HBO, plenty of new holiday movies exist. Here’s a list of my top 10 favorite holiday movies, primarily around Christmas, because that is the most popular type of holiday movie. The only things that I don’t include in this list are Netflix originals, HBO, and all of those; it’s not because they’re not good, it’s just because there are too many of them, and if I were to choose, I would choose these over those, hence my top 10. I hope you enjoy this list and find new movies to watch.
1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Hands down, my favorite holiday movie. This movie is so funny and has everything you could want. It’s so light-hearted and makes you feel good watching it. It’s a great movie to watch with a family. This movie was made in 1989, so it is a classic. It is a short movie that is an hour and 37 minutes long and can be found on Hulu, Max, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video. Nationally, Christmas Vacation got a 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb and a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. This movie is full of fun laughs and relatable holiday content. If I were to recommend any movie on this list, it would be this one, no questions asked. Additionally, if you love this movie so much, they have a National Lampoon Vacation that’s not Christmas-related.
2. Die Hard
This is a holiday movie. I don’t care what your opinion is on it. This movie is always watched during the holiday season and brought up during the holiday season. This movie is a holiday movie because its core is about people coming together for the holidays. Besides this, this movie is one of my favorites again and is just action-packed. I also love how much you can root for the hero in this movie and how it has some humor tied into it. The plot line in the story is unmatched, but it comes together quite nicely. This movie was made in 1988, so again, it is an older one and is two hours and 11 minutes, which is a bit longer. This movie is described as an action thriller and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, and Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber (who played Snape in Harry Potter), as well as Reginald VelJohnson (for any of my fellow Dancing With The Star viewers, he was Emma’s partner this past season). This movie can be found on Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus. Die Hard got 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.2 out of 10 on IMDb, and 4.1 out of five on letterbox, with widespread support. This is a fun thriller movie to watch with the family. It’s more inappropriate than some of the other ones. It is rated R, but it’s a must-watch at some point in your life.
3. Elf
This movie was made out of love. This movie is so light-hearted and just radiates positivity. This is my family’s favorite movie; we watch it yearly. This one is one of those successful ones made in the past century and stars Will Ferrell, which is hard to beat. This movie is a comedy, a family movie. It’s light-hearted and even PG, so any audience can watch it. This movie gives you so much joy, and as an adult and a college student, it takes you back to when you were a little kid. This movie was made in 2003 and is an hour and 30 minutes long. This movie can be watched on Hulu, Max, Disney Plus, or Amazon Prime Video. Elf scored 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb, and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. This movie is a great watch, especially with a big group, and never gets old.
4. Home Alone
Home Alone is an excellent thriller-comedy movie; it has it all. This movie is so fun and suspenseful, and it’s just fascinating to watch because you see a kid come up with all these tricks and wonder if he will make it. This movie is a classic and is very popular. I love this movie because it’s slightly different from the other holiday movies and brings a different perspective and vibe. It’s not just about the holiday season and such, but it also has a similar meaning of love and bringing family together at the end. This movie was made in 1990 and is an hour and 43 minutes long. It is also PG so that we can watch it with the whole family. Home Alone got a 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb, and 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Home Alone can be watched on Disney Plus or Amazon Prime TV for $3.99. This movie is top-rated and has many sequels if you like it.
5. Four Christmases
Four Christmases is a fun and funny movie that follows a couple who typically go away for Christmas but get stuck in town and have to spend time with their four different families. This movie is so funny and full of laughs and relatable moments. This movie has romance, which differs from others on the list. This movie was made in 2008 and is 1 hour and 28 minutes long. This movie has a loaded cast of Vince Vaughn, Tim McGraw, Katy Mixon, and Susan Christian Chenoweth, starring Courtney and Reese Witherspoon, starring Kate Kincaid. This movie did not do well on Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb, scoring 5.7 out of 10 and 25%. Although this movie got that score, it was a watch. It is a hilarious movie that is PG-13, so it can be family-friendly. This movie can be watched on Hulu, Max, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video. If you want some laughs and want to try out a new movie that’s different from some of the other classics, give this movie a watch. Have you ever watched a bad movie by Reese Witherspoon? Exactly, so give it a try.
6. A Christmas Story
What a classic. This one is so low on my list because it was never one my family watched every Christmas, but it is a good movie and a fan favorite among many people. This classic A Christmas Story is a fun comedy family and is so nostalgic. This is the classic Christmas, and if you have yet to watch this movie, you have to give it a watch at least so you can get lots of references that come around Christmas time. This movie is a lot of fun and is a classic for many households, so “OMG, you’ve never seen A Christmas Story?” give it a watch and invite your friends and family over. A Christmas Story is the oldest of all of them and was made in 1983. It is an hour and 34 minutes long and is PG, so all the family can watch. This movie can be watched on Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime video. A Christmas Story got a 7.9 out of 10 on IMDb, and 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. As I said before, this is a classic, and I’ll keep saying: You must give it a watch. This movie has so many fun references and is such a classic Christmas.
7. The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause, again like some of these other movies, is a different take on a fun holiday time. As a divorced dad prepares for Christmas, he suddenly becomes Santa Clause and has to run the whole workshop. This movie is so funny and heartwarming. It’s fun to see Santa come alive and see the main character have to work through the challenges to make a magical Christmas for kids. This is again another one that would be good to watch with the family and one that I watched when I was younger. Also, this movie has many sequels, so the storyline just continues. This movie was made in 1994 and is an hour and 37 minutes long. This movie can be found on Disney Plus. Santa Claus scored 6.6 out of 10 on IMDb and 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. Tim Allen as Santa Clause. The fun never stops with this movie; I recommend it, especially for younger kids and families.
8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
This is a family classic. My family watches this every Christmas Eve, without a doubt. I love this one over all the others just because it’s so special to me and something I’ve watched every year. It is heartfelt, endearing, and inspiring. This one shows the real meaning of the Grinch story and the meaning of Christmas. It’s OK to watch the other ones, but it’s a must-watch if you’ve never seen this one. The other remakes are excellent, and I cannot complain about them except for the creepy live actions. This is my favorite. This movie was made in 1966 and is a whopping 26 minutes long. This movie can be watched on Hulu or, like my family does, on YouTube in clips. This movie is 8.3 out of 10 on IMDb and has no Rotten Tomato rating. If you have yet to see this movie, you must watch it. I 100% recommend it. It’s a requirement.
9. A Charlie Brown Christmas
Classic, classic, classic. This movie is hands down one of the most well-known classic movies out there. I love the Charlie Brown movies, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and all of the Peanuts characters, and this one is just as great. Again, this one is a requirement to watch, as it’s so fun, heartwarming, and nostalgic. This movie was made in 1965 and again, surprisingly, is even shorter than How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) at 25 minutes. This movie can only be watched on Apple TV, but it can also be watched on YouTube, similar to The Grinch cartoon. This movie got an 8.3 out of 10 on IMDb and does not have a Rotten Tomatoes rating. I love this one. I love everything about the Peanuts, and it’s just so fun and cute. Watching with family or with people with little ones is fun.
10. Christmas at the Kranks
This movie has not been heard of much but is so funny. This movie might be a bit niche and was something I had never heard of, but once you see it, you’ll just keep watching it. This movie is about a family trying to escape from the holidays and their traditions and go on a Caribbean cruise instead. But boy, do they fail as this family has to hide from the Neighbors because they are ruining Christmas. This movie is a comedy full of fun and relatable moments. It’s not much about actual Christmas or love, unlike some of these other movies, but just about the funniest and having to go through this challenge as a couple together. This movie was made in 2004 and is an hour and 34 minutes long. You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney Plus. This movie is very niche and only got a 5.5 out of 10 on IMDb, and 5% are Rotten Tomatoes, which is very low. Nevertheless, I would support this movie, and even though it got low ratings, those do not mean everything. A lot of times, some of my favorite films have low ratings. Again, it’s not at the top of my list, but if you’re looking for a fun and funny movie to watch with the family, I would give this one a watch. Additionally, the lead roles are Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, which is hard to argue with and is at least worth a watch just for them.
These are some of my favorite movies, hands down, of all time. As you can tell, many of them are all different, with all other plots and stories. Still, they have the same meaning of love, caring for your family, and being with the people you love. There are many more movies out there, and there are more that I love. These are some of the films that are great to watch, and I have enjoyed watching them. Now go out and watch some movies, feel the holiday joy, and make yourself a nice cup of hot cocoa while at it. I hope you enjoy all these movies and that they make you happier at the end of the day.