The 40 Movies of the Christmas Holidays, Part One (40-13)

Just like eating your body weight in pumpkin pie, or realizing much too late that you’ve had one too many glasses of your favorite spiked eggnog, watching non-stop Christmas movies is an essential part of your preparation for the most wonderful time of the year. For all your festive activities, I have you covered with a blizzard of the 40 best Christmas movies to fill your holiday watchlist. Below are 40-13, with a 12 Days of Christmas viewing coming December 13.

40. Jingle All The Way (1996)

Are you a stressed-out parent? Are you desperate to get your kid the must-have toy of the season? I dare say, this story must ring true for lots of frustrated parents around Christmas time, as this film’s popularity only seems to grow. The difference between most of us however, is Arnold Schwarzenegger has the ability to take direct action and yes, sometimes violent action in pursuit of said so-hot-right-now toy while still finding the energy to quip occasionally “Put that cookie down NOW!” and most of us don’t have to compete with Sinbad to get that toy. Which, on reflection, he can just have it, is the right decision.

39. The Polar Express (2004)

The Polar Express was new territory for director Robert Zemeckis, marking his first feature-length effort in performance capture, and the film does have its problems, but overall it’s definitely a Christmas movie classic. For those of us that have had the chance to catch the film in 3D on the big screen, we were left marveling at the rather thrilling action sequences and the beauty aboard the magical train that takes children to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas. And who isn’t in awe of Tom Hanks playing six different characters?

38. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

The talent of Jim Carrey comes across loud and clear in this adaptation of the Dr. Seuss poem. Of course, this film takes a few more liberties with the story than the 1966 animated version, but its all worth it thanks to the stunning design and make-up, which won Rick Baker a much-deserved Oscar. And altogether, the film is rather funny with Carrey’s improvisations and adorable moppet Cindy Loo Hoo stealing the show.

37. The Santa Clause (1994)

An on his A-game Tim Allen is a divorced father who can’t seem to get things right for his son until the day he accidentally knocks Santa off his roof and finds himself forced to take Father Christmas’ place. Of course the set-up is a little cliche, but your heart will be warmed by the father who finally sees things a little clearer despite his growing midsection.

36. The Family Stone (2005)

This one is for those of you that spend the holidays with dysfunctional families. 2005’s The Family Stone will certainly resonate with you. The film follows Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) as he brings his uptight girlfriend home to celebrate Christmas with his boisterous family in the fictional town of Thayer, Connecticut. Featuring a star-studded ensemble cast, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Mulroney, Diane Keaton, Luke Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes and Craig T. Nelson, this underrated holiday gem is filled with family squabbles and intimate moments that will have you laughing, crying and laughing even more.

35. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Sure, this isn’t a traditional Christmas movie, but when Sandra Bullock’s Lucy joins her crush’s (Peter Gallagher) family for the holidays, a little bit of Christmas magic happens with his brother played by Bill Pullman. If that’s not enough to get you to put this on your Christmas movie calendar, I will add that their first kiss takes place under the mistletoe and they have an adorable fall-in-the-snow scene (pictured above). I think now you will agree, it 100% qualifies. While the man she thought was “The One” is in a coma and his entire family believes they’re engaged, she falls in love with his brother, bringing a whole new meaning to family being much more than blood relatives. Now, what’s more Christmas than that?

34. Four Christmases (2008)

An unconventional, stubbornly unmarried couple’s (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) plans for a tropical Christmas are thwarted, forcing them to visit all four of their divorced parents in one day, in the criminally underrated holiday romantic comedy, Four Christmases. I have always been surprised by the amazing chemistry between Witherspoon and Vaughn, the dialogue is snappy, and the supporting cast is terrific, including Kristin Chenoweth, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau and the lovely Mary Steenburgen.

33. Violent Night (2022)

The premise sounds ridiculous, right, Santa Claus gets caught in the middle of a hostage situation on Christmas Eve, but yet Violent Night is so much fun. As Santa takes down the bad guys, the movie is packed with holiday-themed pranks that are equally brutal and hilarious, delivering over-the-top gore with a wink. You get the pranks of Home Alone and the intense action of Die Hard, but with way more blood. David Harbour is an excellent choice for St. Nick, capturing the comic tone and action-star chops this cut-throat version of Yuletide fun requires.

32. Last Holiday (2014)

Queen Latifah gives an inspiring performance in this totally brilliant holiday rom-com about a woman who decides to live life to the fullest after being diagnosed with a terminal illness just before Christmas. LL Cool J plays the co-worker who follows her across the globe to let her know he’s in love with her before it’s too late.

31. Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Married couple, Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, decide to skip Christmas, since their grown daughter is away, but of course, things go awry when she announces she is coming home after all, and with her new fiancé in tow. With a change in plans, the Kranks now have to try and throw the perfect last-minute celebration, with hilarious results.

30. A Christmas Carol (1951)

Charles Dickens’ classic tale is an essential of any list of Christmas movies. The real question is how many versions will make this list? You’ll just have to read on to know for sure. But for now, this traditional version of Scrooge’s redemption arc stars Alistair Sim as the miserly businessman in the foremost “Scrooge Classic,” where each character of the tale is a televised template that successors would adhere to or deviate from later. As such, it’s a great place to start for anyone looking to get into the bones of this particular holiday classic.

29. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

Looking for Christmas cheer? The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special delivers all the Christmas cheer, sentiment, catchy musical numbers, and laugh-out-loud moments you could ask for in a quick 43 minute runtime. The film showcases a hilarious Kevin Bacon playing himself in an insane situation, Dave Bautista’s Drax, and the real star of the story in Pom Klementieff as Mantis. Director James Gunn gives this former background character tons of layers, and Klementieff brings it all home with a charming performance. If you are a fan of the MCU, this is an essential add to your Christmas rotation. Meanwhile, there is plenty of laughs for even the casual viewer.

28. Scrooged (1988)

Scrooged is an inventive, enjoyable, dark and twisted take on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” starring Bill Murray as the reimagined Ebenezer Scrooge. The dark comedy follows Frank Cross (Murray), a successful but cynical television executive who is visited by three Christmas spirits intent on helping him rectify past mistakes. Murray’s performance as a sarcastic crank is hilarious and the film holds several other fantastic casting decisions including New York Dolls’ band member David Johansen as the cab-driving Ghost of Christmas Past and Carol Kane as the enchanting, yet volatile Ghost of Christmas Present.

27. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Home Alone 2 follows one of the most iconic Christmas movies ever and does so by creating a rare equal to the original, something of a rarity for sure. Upping the stakes from the previous film, our hero is stranded away from home rather than in his house. This idea gives him a bigger canvas to play on and, in a major New York department store, he is allotted a lot more tricks and weapons to turn against would-be thieves Pesci and Stern. Of course, this is however, grounds to arrest parents Catherine O’Hara and John Heard for negligence. To lose a child once may be a misfortune, but to lose him twice seems like carelessness to me.

26. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)

Putting a fun spin on A Christmas Carol, The Man Who Invented Christmas effectively tells the origin story of Charles Dickens’ oft-reinvented morality tale. Dan Stevens is a down-on-his-luck Dickens, visited here by Ebenezer Scrooge himself as the character manifests in the writer’s brain. As that premise implies, this plays fast-and-loose with the truth and is far from a grim-and-gritty biopic, but its ever bit worth the watch for the bickering banter between Christopher Plummer’s Scrooge and his tortured creator.

25. Bad Santa (2003)

Santa is jolly, fat, and basically decent, right? I mean, we can overlook the fact that he commits several break-and-enters every Christmas Eve night. Well, that ain’t this Santa. Here he’s a swearing, hard-drinking, bullying, self-loathing, chain-smoking, safe-cracking, store-robbing bastard. And yet, as it turns out, he’s more lovable than ever. Well, sorta. It’s the role Billy Bob Thornton was born to play, the role of a curmudgeon who’s slowly won over, not by a cute and perky child, but by the weirdest, fattest little boy in history. If he learns anything, it’s mostly by accident, and if he adopts the Christmas spirit it’s largely in self-defense, making this perfect viewing for those that consider themselves less than angels.

24. The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

In 2018, Netflix unleashed their Christmas secret weapon, Kurt Russell as Santa Claus in The Christmas Chronicles. That’s right, Snake Plissken is now Father Christmas in the Chris Columbus-produced adventure. The premise is simple and fun, after two kids accidentally crash Santa’s sleigh, it’s up to the pair of them, and the big man, of course, to get things back on track on the busiest night of the year.

23. The Holiday (2006)

The Holiday is a wonderful holiday-adjacent film, the film concerned with relationships, has not one, but two great romantic stories in its runtime, not to mention all the wonderful aspects of friendship that run throughout as well. Romantic comedies, not your thing, I get it… But don’t sleep on this film. Because as much fun as it is watching Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Graham (Jude Law) fall for each other, or Jack Black’s Miles sweeping Kate Winslet’s Iris off her feet, the real winning moments are watching Iris bond with Arthur played by Eli Wallach. The Hanukkah party with all of Arthur’s friends may be one of my favorite moments of the entire film. And the settings in the film are just about as stunning as the cast and plot, moving seamlessly from Surrey to Los Angeles and back again. The film’s primary focus on relationships makes it a perfect addition to your Christmas rotation.

22. Arthur Christmas (2011)

Arthur Christmas is non-stop-animation at its finest. The film has its own explanation for how St. Nick delivers all those presents in one night, his set up is ultra-high-tech, with a tooled-up spaceship-style sleigh, gadgets galore, and an entire army of elves at his disposal. He’s also got an entire family in on the job, among them the titular Arthur, a clumsy misfit who hasn’t found his role in the family business. But when a young girl gets missed by Santa one year, Arthur makes it his mission to deliver her present and keep her believing. The film is a heartfelt Christmas action movie, complete with narwhals.

21. Elf (2003)

For households all over the world, Elf is essential Christmas viewing. Post 9/11, director Jon Favreau set about the task of making a cynicism-free festive fancy celebrating New York in all its glory. The goal as Favreau says, was to be on TV every year. Will Ferrell is so perfect as Buddy, a human raised as an elf in the North Pole who travels to NYC to find his biological father, it’s easy to forget the project started with Jim Carrey attached. Offsetting his ever-cheesy man child nicely is Zooey Deschanel’s snarky shop assistant and James Caan’s grinchy dad. So beloved it demands its own dedicated network every year, Elf more than stands up to annual revisits. You will be singing loud for all to hear.

20. Rise of the GuardIans (2012)

What if Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and the Sandman assembled to protect the children of the world from darkness, with the help of Jack Frost? Fantasy film, Rise of the Guardians introduces reimagined versions of these legendary figures, known collectively as the Guardians, in an ingenious approach to a classic holiday movie. Hugh Jackman is an Australian Easter Bunny and Alec Baldwin dons a husky Russian accent for Santa, alongside stellar voice acting performances from Chris Pine, Isla Fisher and Jude Law.

19. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

In some ways Christmas is not complete without a black-and-white holiday film, specifically one that includes a mixture of romance, drama and hilarious hijinks. Christmas in Connecticut sees Barbara Stanwyck portraying city magazine writer Elizabeth Lane, who writes a column about her fictitious Connecticut farm, husband and child. When Elizabeth’s publisher, who’s unaware of the charade, asks her to host a Christmas dinner for returning war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan), she devises an elaborate scheme to cover her deception. Stanwyck delivers one of her best performances in this charming screwball comedy that takes a subversive approach to conventional gender roles.

18. Holiday Inn (1942)

Bing Crosby croons and Fred Astaire hoofs in Holiday Inn, a classic musical romance set in a supper club that only opens during the holidays. Featuring more than a dozen timeless tunes written by Irving Berlin, including the Oscar-winning and timeless classic “White Christmas,” the film celebrates everything from Easter to the 4th of July to Thanksgiving. But it’s the Christmas scenes that leave the lasting impression. Crosby is the broken-hearted singer who opens a seasonal inn when he’s spurned by the object of his affection. But when Astaire tries to sweep Crosby’s new love interest off her feet, their rivalry sets the stage for a dazzling song and dance showdown. Viewers who haven’t seen the film yet should know beforehand that some versions of Holiday Inn still include a controversial musical number performed in Blackface, while others have this scene removed.

17. Gremlins (1984)

The self-aware horror-comedy classic, Gremlins, was written by Harry Potter director Chris Columbus and produced by Steven Spielberg. When a struggling inventor visits a mysterious store in Chinatown to buy a present for his son, he receives a cute, furry creature called a mogwai and is given three crucial pieces of information: don’t expose it to bright light, don’t let it get wet, and never feed it after midnight. The rest of the movie is a lesson in what happens when we don’t follow the directions that come with our Christmas presents, as naturally, these rules are broken, spawning several more mogwai that transform into the grotesque, mischievous gremlins. The creatures were designed by FX veteran Chris Walas, who is also responsible for the equally gruesome effects in Cronenberg’s The Fly. Though it is a surprisingly dark film, which drew some criticism at the time, Gremlins is ultimately a light-hearted comedy with a festive setting, and along with Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice, they represent the best of the supernatural comedies of the ‘80s.

16. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Made while War World II was ongoing, Meet Me in St. Louis tells a story of a simpler time when there were no foes threatening our way of life. The movie is a story about the Smith family eagerly awaiting the World’s Fair in St. Louis. Judy Garland shines with her acting prowess here as second daughter born into the family and also performs three of her most identifiable songs The Boy Next Door, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, and The Trolley Song. The Trolley Song would go onto receive an Oscar nomination for best original song that year. Overall the picture is a non-stop delight, highlighting the things that really matter, especially around the holidays; family ties and the glue that bonds them together. And logically, it displays beautifully that there is “no place like home” and sometimes we don’t cherish enough the place we call home.

15. Love Actually (2003)

Richard Curtis’ 2003 film brings together an all-star cast that includes Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and Keira Knightley in a Christmas rom-com that sets out to prove that love really is all you need. Set in London during the holiday season, Love Actually tells 10 separate stories that eventually all weave together into one really nice Christmas present, cue cards and all.

14. Trading Places (1983)

Fresh from his horror-comedy Halloween classic An American Werewolf in London, director John Landis tackles another holiday and delivered what remains one of the most endearing comedies of the ‘80s, a stock-market satire and one of the best Christmas movies ever made as Eddie Murphy’s hustler and Dan Aykroyd’s broker unwittingly see their lives swapped by two fat-cat brothers who place a $1 bet on their nature vs. nurture experiment. Playing out like a modern day take on Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, the result is an eminently quotable, though R-rated, gem with a script full of top-level swearing (“I’ll rip out your eyes and piss on your brain”), comedy disguises and bizarre pay-offs (the randy gorilla,…). An interesting bit of Wall Street trivia, in 2010 as part of a Wall Street reform act, it became illegal to use non-public information in the commodities market; something that links back to this film and became known as “the Eddie Murphy Rule.”

13. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Another ‘80s laugh-fest delivered from the genius of a John Hughes script, hits the list at 13. This film sees family man Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase) try his darnedest to provide the perfect family Christmas and continually and hilariously fall foul of his own expectations, his nasty neighbors, his tightfisted boss and his rowdy relations; top honors, of course, going to Randy Quaid’s none-more-redneck cousin. (Sidebar: now I want some Hamburger Helper). The plot is essentially a demonstration of Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong, does go wrong. What’s the moral of the story? Quite honestly, that’s a head-scratcher, so I’ll do my best here. I think it’s that one should have the right to kidnap the boss if you’re bonus isn’t up to par, and that squirrels and Christmas trees should not mix.

So with the Christmas season here, now is the time for cozying up around the TV. If you’re in colder climates, enjoy the gentle snow falling outside and fireplace crackling. Here in Texas, it’s finally gotten a little bit colder. I hope that Part One of the 40 Movies of Christmas finds you well and I’ll see you December 13 for the 12 Days of Christmas viewing, counting down the top twelve. Until then, Happy Holidays to you and yours.