With the most wonderful time of the year fastly approaching, I am reminded of what made Christmas feel so special to me as a child – sitting on the couch with my family to watch a Christmas film. My dad would make the hot cocoa, my mom would make the popcorn, and all of us kids would be wrapped in blankets with the fireplace roaring waiting for the movie to start. Here are 10 Christmas films that my family always turned to during the holidays that I think yours will love as well.
10. The Polar Express
Although The Polar Express is a bit of a controversial pick – I had plenty of friends growing up who could not stand this film – I had to put it on here simply because it was my dad’s favorite. I will say, my siblings and I do have fond memories of poking fun at the kid with the glasses with every comment, and how can you not be in the mood for a nice hot chocolate with Tom Hanks repeating it over and over again. Moreover, the film does a nice job at teaching kids lessons like having faith and believing, as well as showing courage and kindness to others.
9. Elf
Why is Elf at Number 9, you might ask? It’s one of those movies that I’ve seen a hundred times and just feels overplayed. It’s on the list because it is absolutely a classic, and worth the watch especially if you’ve somehow managed to never see it before, but you have to like Will Ferrell to enjoy this one. Don’t get me wrong, I love Elf, and I love Will Ferrell even more, I just think that there are better Christmas films that deserve more of a spotlight than this one.
8. A Christmas Story
This one was another one of my dad’s favorites. Although I didn’t have the same love for this film as he did, I can acknowledge that it is one of the best Christmas films ever made. A total coming-of-age film set during Christmas time, A Christmas Story delivers plenty of laughs while also dealing with the topic of the struggles of growing up and facing disappointments.
7. The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause is another film that you just can’t go without seeing during the holiday season. Tim Allen delivers a great performance as Scott Calvin and Santa Claus, and the film is filled with plenty of laughs. I have great memories watching this film with my siblings and we always wanted to try that hot cocoa that the elf made for Scott upon his first visit. I’m also a little embarrassed to admit that I never realized that the film was “Clause,” and not “Claus” as it’s dealing with the rule of becoming Santa.
6. The Muppet Christmas Carol
There are tons of Christmas Carol renditions, and even a new one on the way starring Willem Dafoe. However, if we’re talking about movies to watch with the family, you have to go with The Muppet Christmas Carol. It keeps all of the same great themes of the original, but muppet-ifies it to make it a little more child friendly. I was on the fence between this one and the one from 2009 with Jim Carrey, but I decided that one had a couple of scary scenes that I remember us being a little freaked out by as kids.
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas, or any Charlie Brown film for that matter, will always hold a special place in my heart. The Charlie Brown holiday specials were an event in my house. My dad would warn us weeks in advance about when Channel 5 was going to be playing them. He would come home early from work, we would eat dinner, and then all sit on the couch to watch. Even though I can’t call it my favorite Christmas movie, it definitely holds my favorite memories.
4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The stop motion Christmas films were definitely my favorite; they were, and still are, fascinating to me. This film holds a special place in my heart because I think it teaches a great lesson to kids that transcends the holidays. Hermey is stuck in a world where he has to build toys because he’s an elf, even though he’d rather be a dentist, and Rudolph literally saves Christmas because of his difference. It shows kids the harms of bullying, but also that it’s okay to be different and sometimes our differences are what makes us special.
3. The Year Without a Santa Claus
Another heavy hitter in the stop motion category, The Year Without a Santa Claus features my favorite characters the Heat Miser and Snow Miser. The film deals with what we all eventually deal with in growing up, beginning to not believe in Santa Claus. Watching as a kid, you begin to feel that Christmas spirit come back as Santa is finally convinced to deliver presents.
2. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
The last stop motion film on the list, but definitely a family favorite, is Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. Not only is “Put One Foot in Front of the Other” an absolute Christmas banger, but this film answered the question we all had as kids, “How did Santa become Santa?” Getting to watch Kris Kringle grow into the role of Santa Claus always felt special.
Honorable Mention. Christmas Vacation
Christmas Vacation is my all time favorite Christmas movie and I wouldn’t be able to live myself if it wasn’t somewhere on this list. While it is definitely not a movie for the whole family, my fondest memories are watching this movie with my siblings. Yes, there is some adult content in this, but it’s all very light hearted and nothing too much. If I could only pick one Christmas film to watch for the rest of my life, it would be Christmas Vacation.
1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
This is the one, the live action How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a film that my siblings quote year round. It is the most memorable, most nostalgic, and hands down funniest Christmas movie on this list. I could even make the argument that this is Jim Carrey’s best role, but I think Ace Ventura edges it out just a little. Regardless, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is certainly the best film on this list.
There it is, these movies all hold special memories for me and my siblings. I hope that you and your family can form these same memories as you gather together to watch any of these great Christmas films!