Watching Christmas movies has become almost a tradition for many families. Some of you watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” each year, for my family it is “A Christmas Story.” There are all different types of Christmas movies from funny, to heartwarming, to movies that aren’t even supposed to be about Christmas. And while there are hundreds of holiday films out there, only a few of them are really good. Here is my list of the best Christmas movies of all-time. Vote here on which Christmas movie is your favorite.
Bad Santa (2003)
Bad Santa is probably the best adult Christmas movie ever. It really checks all the boxes. Billy Bob Thornton as a drunk, foul-mouthed con man disguised as a department store Santa, check. A woman who has a Santa fetish, check. A midget sidekick, check. Thurman the chubby, naive 8 year old contributes a lot to the movie and makes bad Santa seem much worse.
A Christmas Story (1983)
“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” There is a reason why TBS plays this movie for 24 hours straight on Christmas. Everyone can relate being a kid and the possibility of getting a Christmas gift idea shot down by their parents. There are hardly any scenes in this movie that are not considered classics. From the leg lamp to Ralphie getting his mouth washed with soap and of course the flagpole.
Die Hard (1988)
Sure many may not consider Die Hard a Christmas movie. Ignore the fact that it was set in one of the least likely spots for a Christmas movie: Los Angeles. And it was released in July. But just because a movie is not about Christmas doesn’t mean it is not a Christmas movie. It is set on Christmas Eve and that is all you need in my book. Yippee-ki-yay _____ _____!
Elf (2003)
If you like Will Ferrell, you will love Elf. Will Ferrell does an amazing job and hitting both the comedic and sentimental notes in this story about an over-sized elf (who literally cannot fit in the North Pole) with an identity crisis. He goes to New York to find his father which leads to a ton of laughs. This movie was a huge box office success and one of the main reasons Jon Favreau was able to make a little movie called Iron Man.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Oddly enough this movie did horribly in the movie theaters and was ignored by critics, but thanks to annual showings it has become a holiday classic. This Frank Capra film stars Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed as the Baileys. Funny enough, the most memorable moment in the movie doesn’t happen until 90 minutes in.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Chevy Chase stays home in this holiday classic, but that doesn’t stop the laughs. Whether he is shopping, putting up Christmas lights, or even just carving the Christmas goose the classic lines and quirkiness keeps coming. Cousin Eddie is a huge bonus too!
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
A holiday classic that, in my opinion is a little overrated, but still remains a holiday classic. Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for his performance as Kris Kringle. The film follows Kringle and his Christmas dealings outside the North Pole, where he encounters cynicism and disbelief. While the film may be a bit contrived, it still remains a must watch holiday film.
The Polar Express (2004)
Sure it is very “Christmas-y”, but that aside it is a great Christmas movie that the whole family can enjoy. Robert Zemeckis really does a great job with this film by capturing the hypnotic and sometimes eerie essence of Christmas right down to the sounds of Christmas music playing on the radio. Tom Hanks pulls an “Eddie Murphy” and plays just about every character in the movie. He pulls it off without making his presence feel excessive.
