Top 25 Christmas Movies

What would Christmas be without watching movies? Here are twenty-five classics for the holidays, arranged chronologically. Holiday Inn (1942, NR, 100 min.) Bing Crosby croons to the tune of the Oscar-winning "White Christmas" in Irving Berlin's love triangle romantic comedy. Tired of the bright lights of showbiz, Jim Hardy (Crosby) retires to the countryside to become a farmer. He converts the farm into the Holiday Inn, open only on holidays, then competes against his pal (Fred Astaire) for a singer-dancer's (Marjorie Reynolds) affection. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB It's a Wonderful Life (1946, NR, 130 min.) Frank Capra's inverted take on A Christmas Carol stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a good man who's spent a lifetime giving up on his dreams in order to keep life in his small town humming. When a guardian angel named Clarence finds a despondent George poised to jump off a bridge, he shows George what life would've been like had he never been born. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Miracle on 34th Street (1947, NR, 96 min.) When Santa falls down drunk in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, reluctant Macy's supervisor Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) offers the job to a bearded Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) purporting to be the real Santa! During the Christmas season, he shares a flat with Doris's neighbor (John Payne), who has eyes for Doris. Kris hopes to unite the two while winning over Doris's skeptical 6-year-old daughter (Natalie Wood). (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB The Bishop's Wife (1947, NR, 109 min.) This Christmastime angelic intervention sparkles with good humor. Dudley the angel (Cary Grant) is sent to help a bishop (David Niven) and his wife (Loretta Young) survive their attempt to finance a new cathedral and the strain it's putting on their marriage. The Bishop's Wife includes complex undercurrents, especially when the bishop sees Dudley as a rival for his job and his wife. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB A Christmas Carol (1951, NR, 86 min.) Considered by many to be the classic adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel, this 1951 version stars Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, the callous miser visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. Michael Hordern plays the spirit who successfully haunts the old man. Co-starring in this seamless sketch of Dickens' England are Hermione Baddeley, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison and a young Patrick Macnee. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB White Christmas (1954, NR, 120 min.) Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play war buddies turned entertainers who fall for a pair of sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen). The boys follow the girls to a resort, which is owned by their former commanding officer, and he's in danger of losing the place. What better reason to stage a show than to keep the resort out of hock? (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964, G, 47 min.) Sam the Snowman (Burl Ives) narrates this stop-motion animated classic about little Rudolph, who yearns for a coveted spot on Santa's team of reindeer. But Rudolph's strangely glowing red nose makes him a joke to everyone at the North Pole. Feeling like a misfit, Rudolph runs away and teams with Hermey the elf and prospector Yukon Cornelius; the trio face down the dreaded Abominable Snow Monster and gain the respect of Santa and the others. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965, G, 25 min.) Lovable Charlie Brown searches for Christmas' true meaning in this animated holiday classic. Charlie directs a Christmas pageant, buys a stunted tree and learns that the yuletide means more than just presents and tinsel. All of Charles Schulz's familiar "Peanuts" characters are here—from Snoopy and Lucy to Schroeder, Linus and Pig-Pen. Great score by Vince Guaraldi. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966, NR, 26 min.) Animator Chuck Jones collaborated with Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) to bring his classic children's book to life. Embittered, green-haired hermit the Grinch (voiced by Boris Karloff) lives in the mountains above the village of Whoville. The Whos love Christmas, and the Grinch hates the Whos, so he conspires to keep Christmas from coming. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is enjoyable on every level. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Frosty the Snowman (1969, NR, 22 min.) The frozen holiday hero gets a warm reception in this enchanting double feature. In Frosty the Snowman, a magician's discarded hat gives life to a snowman, who quickly wins the hearts of all the town's children. Jimmy Durante narrates the yuletide classic. In Frosty Returns, Frosty (voiced by John Goodman) and his friends must stop an inventor's plot to go public with a diabolical creation: an aerosol spray that can melt massive amounts of snow. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970, NR, 51 min.) Hollywood legends Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney lend their voices to this holiday classic shot in charming stop-motion animation. A friendly postman (Astaire) tells the story of Kris Kringle (Rooney), an orphan taken in by a family of toymakers. Despite the grouchy protests of Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees) and the Winter Warlock (Keenan Wynn), Kringle decides to bring some yuletide joy to the children of Sombertown. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974, NR, 53 min.) This Christmas, visions of sitting by the fireside dance in Santa's head. Tired of a world where children have lost the Christmas spirit, Santa decides to sit out the Yuletide. Can Mrs. Claus and the elves convince Santa to load up his sleigh? Produced and directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer), The Year Without Santa Claus is fun for the whole family. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB A Christmas Story (1983, PG, 94 min.) This humorous, nostalgic look at Christmas in 1940s Indiana is a holiday classic concerning 9-year-old Ralphie's (Peter Billingsley) desperate wish for a "Red Ryder carbine-action, 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and a thing which tells time." As Ralphie wages an all-out campaign to convince his parents (Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon) the toy is safe, his dad wins a major award—and displays it in the window. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB The Dead (1987, PG, 83 min.) An all-Irish cast (including Donal McCann, Rachael Dowling and Colm Meaney) lends authenticity and gravitas to director John Huston's final film, an elegiac take on a short story by James Joyce (from The Dubliners ). After a convivial holiday dinner party (circa 1904), things begin to unravel when a husband and wife address some prickly issues concerning their marriage. The movie stars Huston's daughter, Anjelica, and was scripted by his son, Tony. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Scrooged (1988, PG-13, 100 min.) Cold-hearted TV exec Bill Murray is about to discover the true meaning of Christmas—the hard way. Director Richard Donner's wild, woolly spin on Dickens's A Christmas Carol sees Murray visited by three high-spirited spirits. And while there are laughs aplenty, Murray's reformation and redemption are immensely powerful. With support from John Forsythe, Karen Allen and Carol Kane, Scrooged has evolved into a modern Christmas classic. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989, PG-13, 97 min.) Deck the halls with boughs of laughter—the Griswolds are back! Hapless Clark (Chevy Chase), exasperated Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and their ever-changing kids (Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki) gear up for Christmas in this Vacation installment that became a holiday classic. As usual, all the good intentions in the world can't save them from disaster... or Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), whose unannounced visit throws the house into further disarray. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Home Alone (1990, PG, 103 min.) Eight-year-old Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on vacation. But when a pair of bungling burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) set their sights on Kevin's house, the plucky kid stands ready to defend his territory. By planting booby traps galore, adorably mischievous Kevin stands his ground as his frantic mother (Catherine O'Hara) attempts to race home. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, G, 85 min.) Brian Henson directs his late father's creations in the Charles Dickens classic. Michael Caine plays the old miser Scrooge with Kermit as his long-suffering but ever-hopeful employee Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as Cratchit's wife, and a host of Muppets (including the Great Gonzo as an unlikely Charles Dickens) taking other primary roles in this bright, playful adaptation of the somber tale. Caine makes a wonderful Scrooge, delightfully rediscovering the meaning of life as fantastic creations from Henson's Creature Shop (developed specially for this film) take the reins as the three ghosts. (Amazon) Amazon | Netflix (NA) | IMDB The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, PG, 76 min.) Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans. This music-filled, stop motion-animated delight springs from the gleefully twisted mind of Tim Burton. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB The Santa Clause (1994, PG, 97 min.) This Christmas, the snow hits the fan. When Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) accidentally kills Santa, he suddenly finds himself saddled with the job of jolly Saint Nick. With clever forays into the mysteries of Santa and Allen's hilarious transformation from Scrooge into a true believer, The Santa Clause will delight kids as well as grown-ups, any time of the year. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Love Actually (2003, R, 135 min.) Writer-director Richard Curtis's charming treatise on romance and relationships is an all-star ensemble comedy that tells 10 separate (but intertwining) London love stories, leading up to a spirited climax on Christmas Eve. One of the threads follows the newly installed Prime Minister (Hugh Grant), who, on his first day in 10 Downing Street, falls in love with the luminous girl (Martine McCutcheon) who brings him his tea. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Elf (2003, PG, 97 min.) When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Will Ferrell stars as the towering Buddy, who vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic publisher (James Caan). Ed Asner, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel and Mary Steenburgen co-star. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB The Polar Express (2004, G, 100 min.) A young boy's faith in the holiday spirit is revived after he makes his way by train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve in this warm-hearted computer-animated tale inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's award-winning children's book. Co-executive producer Tom Hanks also lends his talents to the role of the kindly railroad conductor, who helps the boy find a reason to believe in others—and himself. Robert Zemeckis directs. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB Joyeux Noel (2005, PG-13, 116 min.) As the French, Scottish and German soldiers prepare to open their presents on Christmas Eve, 1914, a momentous event occurs that changes the destinies of four people: an Anglican priest, a French lieutenant, a world-class tenor and his soprano lover. Diane Kruger, Benno Furmann, Guillaume Canet, Gary Lewis, Dany Boon and Daniel Bruhl co-star in this heartwarming World War I-era tale inspired by a true story. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB The Nativity Story (2006, PG, 101 min.) Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) make the hard journey to Bethlehem for a blessed event in this meticulously researched and visually lush adaptation of the biblical tale of the Nativity from director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen). The film follows the pair on their arduous path to their arrival in a small village, where they find shelter in an innkeeper's stable and deliver baby Jesus to the world. (Netflix) Amazon | Netflix | IMDB