National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

This is one of the funniest Christmas movies ever. At times heart-warming, other times hilarious, the movie does such a good job showing the frustration that can come from decorating for Christmas and trying to host a big family get together. However, it does just as good of a job showing the rewards that can come from successfully pulling off the big get together. You see people you haven't seen in a while, and you all make new memories together. Only, hopefully your memories don't involve the police!

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*Older kids and teens

Home Alone

John Hughes made so many movies, from 16 Candles to The Great Outdoors, but this one probably eclipses all of his others. The McCallister family is so big, you can almost understand how one kid could get lost in the mix. The plot of the first Home Alone did a pretty good job showing how that mistake could happen. The parents really have no defense the second time around. Either way, when Kevin gets left at home alone and has to defend himself and his home against the bungling burglars of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, it just doesn't get any funnier. When you watch, try not to think about how many times both burglars would likely have died. Then, prepare for the heart strings to be pulled when mom reunites with her son!

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*All ages

Christmas Story

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid." One of the greatest lines in celluloid history! There's a reason TBS shows this movie for 24 hours straight each Christmas, it's very rewatchable. With a grown voiceover telling the antics of his childhood that probably set the template for shows like The Wonder Years and The Goldbergs, Christmas Story tells so many funny adventures of little Ralphie, his friends, and his family. The Red Rider BB gun. The tongue stuck to the flagpole. The pink bunny suit. ... The leg lamp!  All that adds up to an eternal holiday classic.

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*All ages

Scrooged

Christmas Carol has been made and remade so many times, it's hard to pick which version is the best, but more on that shortly. What makes Scrooged different is that they updated the classic tale to a current setting with the "Ebenezer" of this movie being a TV producer who is played by Bill Murray at his jerky best! All the elements of the tale are there, the 3 ghosts, the pettiness, the redemption. It's just refreshing to see the modern take along with the always hilarious dry humor of Murray. Don't worry, Murray's patented sarcasm and dry humor get all misty when it comes time for the sappy stuff, just as you'd expect.

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*Older kids and teens

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Seriously, the Peanuts gang has the market cornered on holiday specials and, of course, Christmas is no different. Good ol' Chuck gets roped in to directing the school Christmas play. Now of course he makes decisions the rest of the kids have issues with, namely the tiny, almost needle-less Christmas tree he gets. In a great moment, surely meant to be a moral analogy to people and how we should all treat each other, the kids show the pitiful tree some love, turning it into a beautiful tree after all. 

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*All ages

A Christmas Carol (2009)

So, as mentioned earlier, there have been many renditions of Charles Dickens' classic tale. The 2009 animated version sticks extremely close to the plot and has animation so real looking, you'll question if some of it is animation at all. This type of animation has become a habit of director Robert Zemeckis, who also did Polar Express on this list. Jim Carrey stars as Ebenezer. You could also watch Mickey's Christmas Carol, which is a classic Christmas special with Mickey Mouse and the rest of the Disney gang filling the roles of this classic tale.

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*All ages

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Once again, here is a story that has been adapted to the screen a few times.  You really can't beat the 1966 original TV special, but Jim Carrey's live action version is pretty fun to watch too! The live action version expands the story a bit to try to delve into the Grinch's motivation for being so vile. Now, in 2018, there's another animated version. Again, the story attempts to explain the Grinch's motivations while at the same time adding characters and storylines that are different from the original. Personally, if I'm going animated, I'll take the original classic. 

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​*All ages

Polar Express

This movie is pure magic!  The Polar Express is a train that takes kids, who have doubts about the existence a certain big guy in red, to the North Pole on a magical journey that teaches wonder, friendship, and faith. The Zemeckis art choice again looks extremely realistic, so much so that you can really almost see Tom Hanks under the conductor's hat.

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*All ages

It's a Wonderful Life

This quite possibly is THE Christmas movie. Being a classic from 1946 and arguably maintaining its popularity through the years even more so than Miracle on 34th Street, Meet Me in St. Louis, or White Christmas, you'd be hard pressed to believe this movie was a "bomb" when it hit theaters! Luckily, people caught on to how good the movie is as it tells the ultimate "what if" story of what your friends and family would be like if they'd never met you. While that premise sounds sad, it proves to be sweet, heart-warming, and, luckily, life-affirming to George, played by James Stewart.

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*All ages

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

You ever notice a difference between watching something as a kid, then rewatching it as an adult? If you haven't, this movie will make you notice... The reindeer and even Santa are incredibly mean to Rudolph. I understand it shows how far his bravery...and glowing nose...goes to get their acceptance and admiration, but why try that hard for the characters that didn't appreciate him at all at first. That's where Rudolph is different than me, I guess, he did care and became the best red-nosed reindeer he could be, helping every character that came across his path, from the elf that wanted to be a dentist to the misfit toys and even the abominable snowman himself!

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​*All ages

Elf

If you ever want to see a perfect depiction of unbridled Christmas joy, this movie is for you! Will Ferrell plays a normal human sized adult being raised by small elves, and he's a tall guy! The best scenes of the movie are with giant Will sitting on tiny elf-sized Bob Newhart's lap. Newhart plays his adoptive elf father, but when Buddy (Will) figures out he's not an elf, he embarks on a quest to NYC to find his real dad. The only issue is Buddy has never left Santa's Utopian village before and has no idea what's in store for him in the real world. 

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*All ages

Miracle on 34th Street

Here's another Christmas movie with a decent remake. Both are good, the black and white original, of course, is the classic. Sometimes, though, you get more buy-in from the kiddos if the movie's in color...  Either way, it's such a good plot. When a man that looks an awful lot like the real Santa claims he IS the real Santa, people naturally go nuts and think he's crazy and try to institutionalize him. The proceeding court case brings up the question of belief, faith, and hope for ideals and dreams. The ending of the court case, similar apparently to Santa, has to be seen to be believed. 

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*All ages

The Santa Clause

I'm torn on this one. It's a classic, hilarious take on Christmas with Tim Allen becoming Santa. Why torn? Essentially Allen becomes Santa because he accidentally kills Santa by scaring him into falling off his roof. I feel like it's a bit wink-wink, he's not really dead...but I don't think that's ever said. Either way, skipping right on past the death of Santa Claus, you THEN have a hilarious and heart-warming movie where Tim Allen becomes the big guy and manages to also fix his personal life with his ex-wife and young son. Santa Clause 2 is a decent sequel, though part 3 goes a bit downhill.

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*All ages

Gremlins

Gremlins, as if you haven't already seen it, is a fun movie that takes on the feel of a 50's creature feature but keeps it all wrapped up in a comedy. When a dad brings home a special gift for his son, a weird, cute little critter called a mogwai, bad things begin to happen when that mogwai gets water on it, creating more mogwais which then eventually turn into hilariously devilish little monsters called Gremlins. The gremlins proceed to try to take over the whole town!

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​*Older kids and teens

Christmas with the Kranks

Tim Allen's 2nd entry into the list has him wanting to skip Christmas this time! Adapted from John Grisham's "Skipping Christmas", Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis' characters try to get out of town for a holiday cruise since their daughter won't be in town. That goal is easier said that done, however, and the whole town seems to come after them for trying to get out of Christmas. After the duo get news that the daughter is coming home after all, though, the whole town comes together to help. While fun and funny, the teamwork, camaraderie, and selflessness shown everyone coming together to make the perfect Christmas is very heart-warming...especially when Tim pays a visit to his ornery neighbor...but telling about that would be spoilers and hurt what should otherwise be a happily sappy, tear-jerky moment.

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*All ages

Nightmare Before Christmas

What a weird movie, but it's weird in such a good way! It makes both the Halloween list and the Christmas list, and you have to watch it for both occasions in my house. Jack the Pumpkin King of Halloween has grown tired of the yearly traditions of his holiday and yearns for something more, something different. Naturally, he decides to take over Santa's role as the bringer of Christmas. Unfortunately, his take on the holiday is decidedly dark. Meanwhile, with his post as the head of Halloween abandoned, Oogie Boogie decides to make a bid for Halloween Town. All out claymation action and comedy result before everybody tries to reset everything back to normal.

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*All ages

Shrek the Halls

Not only have the characters from Shrek made some great movies, they also have 2 of the best holiday specials out there, Scared Shrekless for Halloween and Shrek the Halls for Christmas. In this one, Shrek sets out to make the perfect Christmas holiday for his wife and kids, only he's clueless how to do it. What's worse is Donkey intends to help him with or without Shrek wanting that help. Along the way, the special shows that family doesn't always have to be blood related. Instead, family is all those you love and that love you in return.

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*All ages

Surviving Christmas

This movie caught a bad rap when it was released because it was released during a time when Ben Affleck's name had become toxic in Hollywood.  Also, though, it was a Christmas movie that was released the week before Halloween... So, the movie deserves a re-watch. Ben is a lonely, rich guy with no friends or family during the holidays. During a visit to his childhood home, he decides to ask the family that lives there now if he can pay them to let him stay there through Christmas. This of course turns the holiday proceedings upside down for everyone involved. James Gandolfini also stars, playing the grumpy dad of the rented family perfectly!

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*Older kids and teens

Frosty the Snowman

A yearly must-see holiday special that brings wonder, imagination, and...well...magic to all who watch! Matching the lyrics of the famous Frosty song, the story of the snowman brought to life by a magical hat comes to animated life itself on your TV.

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*All ages

Die Hard

Surely you've seen one of the best action movies of all time, starring Bruce Willis? If not, "welcome to the party, pal," you're in for a treat! Set with a Christmas party backdrop and an amazing Christmas soundtrack, Willis gets stuck alone in a skyscraper taken over by terrorists. Iconic, edge-of-your-seat action ensues. 

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*Older kids and teens

Rise of the Guardians

There's a team of guardians that protect the Earth. You know them by name already, Santa (or "North" in this movie), the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy. When Pitch, an evil creature determined to ruin the innocence of all children, decides to attack, the Guardians team up with potential new member Jack Frost to stop him once and for all.

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*All ages

Arthur Christmas

Santa has two sons in this movie. The first is being trained to be the next Santa, he's bold, commanding, and ready to lead. The other son is Arthur. Arthur's clumsy and timid, but has a love for all things Christmas that surpasses everyone else. So, when one present accidentally doesn't get delivered but there's only 2 hours left to do so, only Arthur presses to get it done.

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*All ages

The Christmas Chronicles

Kurt Russell takes a turn as Santa continuing his extremely long tradition of family films. There's no fat suit for Kurt, though, which brings on a number of jokes since he doesn't look like the fat Santa with which everyone is familiar. A brother and sister trying to get a picture of Santa get the plot rolling as they disrupt Santa's Christmas Eve delivery plans!

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*All ages

Muppet Christmas Carol

Here's another rendition of the Dickens' classic. What makes this one stand out? Muppets of course!  Also, Michael Caine is at his amazing best (as usual) as Ebenezer Scrooge. Aside from Caine, all other characters are played by your favorite Muppets characters. Unfortunately, though, you sadly don't get to see Scooter in the movie. Rizzo the Rat was given a prominent role while Scooter wasn't seen at all!

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*All ages

Jingle All the Way

You ever think Christmas is all about presents and commercialism? This movie isn't going to change your mind since it is all about Arnold Schwarzenegger's character trying to get that one perfect gift for his son to comedic effect as anything and everything that could go wrong in his pursuit does go wrong. However, what the movie does emphasize, as does the holiday, is family. Schwarzenegger's character hadn't been putting his family first due to his job, so he took on this one responsibility to show his son and his wife that he cared. Unfortunately, that isn't so easy, as his one task was to get the most popular toy of Christmas...and he waited till last minute. 

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*All ages