My Top 20 Christmas Movies

There is no better time of the year than the last two months. November and December are my favorite months of the year and a lot of that is about the festivities. But no matter how much things change, there are some constants year after year. The best of those are the festive films that are played over and over for two months. My goal is to lay out my favorite films centered around Christmas. There is no limit to the genre so anything goes as long as Christmas plays an important part. I'll talk about what I like about them and some things I don't like since I can admit none of these films are perfect. 

Before I get into my list, there are some criteria and points of clarification that I should make. First, there will be some notable omissions, like "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street". I can admit these films are old and classic Christmas films but I've never been a huge fan of movies like these. They should probably be on this list, but they won't. Next, I haven't added any 30-minute animated television specials like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" because they don't qualify as movies in my mind. There is one film on the list that stretches this idea a little, but it still counts as a movie so I'm counting it. Now that the criteria are straightened out, I can get onto my list.

20. The Family Stone

Now I'll admit, the only reason I have this on my list is that my mom and her husband really like it. It is a funny movie that has tons of charm but it isn't my cup of tea that I'll watch over and over again. The cast is absolutely star-studded with Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, and more. There are some heart-warming moments, namely the entire third act with the Christmas present from SJP's Meredith to the entire Stone family or the fast-forward to the following Christmas and how things have changed. My biggest problem is just how much I dislike SJP's character throughout the entire movie. Her gift doesn't make up for just how much she sucked. I was actively rooting for Claire Danes to show up though. Diane Keaton's performance is my favorite because she balances her dramatic and comedic performances perfectly. Luke Wilson is also good at being the family screw-up. This is good for occasional viewing, but not a Christmas staple in my mind. 

19. The Grinch

When creating this list, I didn't want to consider this movie since because of the rest of my list, which will become evident in time. My objection to it is because I think it is the worst of the three iterations of the story. This is not to say I think it is a bad watch, I just hold it to a different standard. I think Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as the titular Grinch was good. I think the one thing each new story does is give the world the Grinch lives in more character. I don't like how "childish" the film is, but I also understand that this film wasn't created with me in mind. I liked Kenan Thompson's performance, though his optimism did bother me the further into the film we got, but that says more about me than the movie as a whole. Also, small shout-out to Fred the Fat Reindeer for being my favorite addition to the film.

18. Daddy's Home 2

One of the few sequels on this list, I can fully admit this is nowhere close to being as good as the first movie. Comparable to Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in the 2000s, Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are a perfect comedic duo. It's evident from "The Other Guys" and this film's predecessor, "Daddy's Home", but this is a bit of a letdown. The introduction of John Lithgow and Mel Gibson as the fathers was good, especially the chemistry between Ferrell and Lithgow. The storyline of Dylan having the hots for a girl that turns out to be his step-sister was super weird and didn't need to happen. I know it was supposed to be a funny misunderstanding but it was a giant swing-and-miss. John Cena is a scene-stealer in his limited screen time and Roger being a total softy for "Do They Know It's Christmas?" doesn't surprise me at all. It's ok as a sequel but again not a Christmas classic. Also really didn't like Sully making a cameo at the end as Ferrell's new step-father. Nothing against Sully I just didn't like it.

17. Krampus

Christmas can cross over into any genre and this is the case here. Krampus is a demonic spirit that punishes people who are no longer in the Christmas spirit and that already is a brilliant premise for a movie. This isn't a scary movie in the sense that you'll be scared out of your mind but it is certainly weird. Is the idea of a kid Max's age still believing in Santa a little funny and jeer-worthy? Maybe a little. Does he deserve the ridicule his family gives him? Nope, not at all. There are a couple over-used cliches in the movie, like the "wealthy family that proves money doesn't money doesn't buy happiness and argues a lot" and the "everything turns out to be fine only for the camera pan to show that things didn't end well and the demonic spirit actually won". It isn't an upper-tier horror movie since the gore is downplayed and not too graphic, but the story is decent and I'm actually a small fan of the "bad guy" wins over the family we're supposed to be rooting for.

16. Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas

This is the film that toys with the runtime rule since it just over an hour long. This film is more a compilation of short stories and segments centered around our favorite collection of Disney characters. This is the follow-up film to "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas" that features three different stories in a format similar to this film. "Twice Upon a Christmas" features five different stories, three of which I really enjoyed. The two I didn't enjoy are the reasons why this film is further down on my list. The opening segment about Minnie and Daisy facing off in a skating competition and the segment about Donald being a jerk to everyone didn't fit well with their characters and shouldn't have existed. The segment with Huey, Dewey, and Louie was my favorite. It's a very heart-warming film that doesn't make you think too much, so it's appealing to that demographic of people. 

15. Disney's A Christmas Carol

"A Christmas Carol" is one of the greatest Christma stories ever told and this is not the only iteration of the story on this list. Jim Carrey will also make another appearance on this list, but he tackles not only the main character but each of the ghosts that haunt him as well. Carrey is quite literally the star of the entire movie. I love the dark feeling this film gives off. The subject matter is not light but many different iterations try to make this a little but brighter and happier. Scrooge is a jerk and I don't want to root for him, but his is a good redemption story. One of my favorite parts about this story is how hard it works to humanize a horrible man. Usually, that doesn't work on me, but it did in this case. 

14. The Muppet Christmas Carol

Speaking of "A Christmas Carol", this might be my favorite re-telling of the story because it is done in a way that only The Muppets could do it. Michael Caine was also a perfect human counter-part to play alongside the crew. Since this is supposed to be more of a kid-friendly version of the story, I enjoy the comedy that comes with Caine and the Muppets. Gonzo and Rizzo as the two narrators for the story were also funny since they pair well together. Every telling of the story goes over the same points and follows the plot the same way each time, so this didn't break any ground but I really like it.

13. Klaus

I just watched this movie for the first time and I thought it was a wonderful re-telling of Santa Claus' origin story. It's only this far down because I've only watched it once, but this is definitely worth watching more than once. The animation style is gorgeous and it was worthy of being nominated for Best Animated Picture and frankly should have won over "Toy Story 4". There were a lot of unique things about the film as a whole, The premise of a town being built on rivalry and never wanting that to end is funny to me. This reminded me a lot of the animated special "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" since it involves a postman and "Santa" but it also felt like a story all its own. Sami is still my favorite character in the film, though J.K. Simmons really made me like Klaus. 

12. A Madea Christmas

This might be a controversial take but "A Madea Christmas" is my second favorite Madea vehicle, only behind "Madea Goes to Jail", though "Madea's Family Reunion" is a close one as well. There is a ton of social commentary in the film that isn't so subtle throughout and there are some legitimately funny moments. Tyler Perry is good at what he does and the supporting cast is also surprisingly good. I particularly liked Chad Michael Murray as a bad guy or the comedic pairing of Kathy Najimy and Larry the Cable Guy. The plot is a little "paint-by-numbers" and the outcome is pretty clear, but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment. My only knock on the film is no Uncle Joe. I think Joe and Madea with Conner's parents would have been hilarious.

11. A Christmas Story

This is another classic movie, so classic that it gets aired for 24 straight hours on Christmas Day on both TNT and TBS. I personally don't see all of the hype and think it is a tad over-hyped, but I still think it's a good movie. Ralphie is one of my favorite characters from any Christmas movie and the "shoot your eye out" bit is a good one, especially since there is an actual payoff. The scene where Ralphie fights off the bullies is another of my favorites. The names of some of these characters are hilarious. The names of the bullies, for example, are Scut Farkus and Grover Dill. What kind of a name is Scut? It's probably a nickname, but still, they call him Scut. I don't think it's as good as we've told ourselves it is, but it's still very good.

10. The Santa Clause 2

This is the best Christmas sequel on my list, but I do think there is a massive gap between the films in this series. I think "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" is an abysmal film. It is so bad in my opinion. I think the second film is a good movie, but it is nowhere near as good as the original. Tim Allen is good in his return to being Santa Clause, no matter how awkward I think his image is as he's transforming back into Scott Calvin. Also wasn't a huge fan of Spencer Breslin as the new elf that gets a lot of screen time behind David Krumholtz. I'd be all for the premise of Santa losing his powers if he hadn't just gotten them. I know time is supposed to have passed since Scott became Santa but for it to all be based on whether he gets married seems like a cheap loophole. Plus, the Toy Santa that takes his place was the thing of nightmares when I was younger. 

9. Arthur Christmas

This pick is one of the more unconventional ones on my list. I haven't seen this one all the way through in a while, but it's still good from what I remember. I like the story of the little guy stepping up and doing the job others can't and this movie does it well. Having an entire family that the lineage of Santa stays in is an interesting concept. The amount of intelligence that goes into the new operation for how Santa operates is also something that'd be cool to see happen if he were real. The old school message of "doing things the new way doesn't mean it's the best way" is an over-used lesson, but it's still a good lesson to learn. Arthur is a loveable loser and to see him succeed and care so much about the little girl makes for a heart-warming film.

8. Home Alone

I file this in with "A Christmas Story" as a beloved film that is vastly overhyped. I don't think this belongs in the discussion for the best Christmas movie of all-time, but it is certainly in the upper-tier. Macaulay Culkin is the obvious star of the show and the combination of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern is the heartbeat. Without their comedic timing, the movie isn't the icon people claim it to be. I think the McCallister family as a whole are all awful. They are the reason this film doesn't work for me. The idea that everyone hates him before they leave and are so worried about him the minute they forget him is laughable. I don't doubt they care about him but I find it super hard to believe they'd forget he existed and leave him at home. The final act is iconic and Kevin outsmarting the two robbers is the best part of the movie. The sequels are all worth skipping since this is the only "Home Alone" film that matters.

7. Love Actually 

I've talked at length about how much I love the ensemble cast of the film and how great I think this movie is. I will continue to do so in the next few sentences. There are about a million different storylines and all of them connect in some way. Some of them are good, some of them aren't so good. On the bad end of the spectrum, both love triangles and the foreign traveller to the U.S. are all super boring and a waste of time. On the other side of the coin, I really love the porn stand-in couple, Jamie and Aurelia, and the Billy Mack story arc are all spectacular and funny. This is a wonderful film and deserves to be seen as one of the best Christmas films ever. 

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas

An argument could be made as to whether this is a Halloween movie or Christmas movie and I'd argue it's both. But the plot centers around the members of Halloween Town trying to take over Christmas, making this a Christmas movie in my mind. The songs are all good and I especially love the performance of Ken Page as Oogie Boogie, regardless of how little screentime he gets. There are hints of decent comedy and a good story, no matter how infuriating it is that people from Halloween Town think they can take over Christmas. They are blind to how bad it could go, with the exception of Sally, who seems to the only one who gets it. Lock, Shock, and Barrel are also underrated parts of the movie.

5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

I don't consider myself to be a huge fan of Chevy Chase, but this is a classic in every sense of the word. It's super quotable, extremely funny, and deserves all the praise it has gotten. I really like Chevy Chase's performance as the unhinged patriarch and I also liked Beverly D'Angelo as his supportive wife. The kids didn't get too much to do in the movie but the real star is Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie. Just the scene when he first shows up is enough to get me to laugh. There are so many iconic scenes, from the house lighting to the tree burning to the blow-up at his boss, this film is one-of-a-kind. 

4. Elf

I have no clue why, but this is one of the more divisive modern Christmas films. Either people really like it or they really hate it. I happen to be in the population of people who really like it. Another super quotable movie, I could probably do the dialogue for 90% of the film. Will Ferrell is at his absolute best in this movie. The supporting cast is also amazing. My biggest qualm with the film is how Zooey Deschanel's character goes from wanting nothing to do with Buddy to falling in love with him? It just seems like it happens out of nowhere, but I could easily have missed something. I don't get why people dislike this movie. It does get overplayed just a little bit, but it is an absolute classic.

3. The Polar Express

I think "The Polar Express" is one of the most underrated Christmas films ever. People really railed on this movie for its animated style and just how bad it looked. If that's the only knock on it then it isn't all that bad. Tom Hanks really carries the load of the work as its star, wearing multiple hats as Santa, the drifter, and the conductor, among others. The story is sweet, the characters are easy to root for, and it really makes you question what you've seen by the end of it. I'm a big fan of movies that make you think. I don't mind the animation at all and actually enjoy it. This truly is a classic that I wish was on television a lot more often at Christmas time.

2. The Santa Clause

I talked at length about the sequel and how I don't think it comes anywhere close to being as good as the original and I stand by that. "The Santa Clause" is absolutely amazing and is truly a Christmas standard. Watching Tim Allen go from sleazy, ungrateful toy distributor to a fat, loveable toy distributor is an easy sell for a Christmas movie. You can't help but feel bad for Charlie since no one believes him. This movie manages to take a serious subject and sprinkle into a heartfelt Christmas vehicle. I honestly wish they hadn't made a sequel or a third film and left this on its own. The next two don't tarnish the original's legacy, but it certainly doesn't help. 

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This, to me, is the perfect holiday movie. It's an unconventional Christmas film, but it has one of the best singular performances of any Christmas film. Jim Carrey as the Grinch was perfect casting and you couldn't tell it was him at all physically. The character's delivery had all the staples Carrey brings to his performances. The Grinch is also a character that is easy to root for, even if he is portrayed as the villain throughout. I've always said he isn't even close to being a villain and is really the ultimate hero. This is another quotable movie that I could probably do better than "Elf". Taylor Momsen is an adorable version of Cindy Lou Who, who I'm glad they decided to make a little bit older than two since that'd have made for a less exciting film. I don't think there is a better Christmas film than this and there will be no convincing me otherwise.