When I think of the holidays, I think of time off, kids out of school, and spending time with family. There’s a lot of hustle and bustle, and it can feel really busy. But one of my favorite holiday traditions growing up was cozying up on the couch with my sister and parents to watch a Christmas movie . . . or three.
Watch many of these movies on Freeform 25 Days of Christmas or your favorite streaming service.
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1. A Charlie Brown Christmas (TV-G)
Make sure your kids watch A Charlie Brown Christmas at least once. Let’s not let the term “Charlie Brown Christmas tree” lose its meaning for the next generation! Saddened by the commercialism of Christmas, Charlie Brown tries to find a deeper meaning of Christmas.
2. A Christmas Story (PG)
A beloved Christmas classic narrated by adult Ralphie, who recounts the memory of the Christmas he was nine years old when all he wanted in the whole world was a Red Ryder BB gun.
3. Elf (PG)
Who doesn’t love Elf? This is a fun Christmas movie starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf. Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised among Santa’s elves. Feeling like he doesn’t quite fit in, he sets out to search for his biological father in New York City.
4. Frosty the Snowman (TV-G)
Based on the Gene Autry song of the same name, it’s the story of Frosty, the snowman who comes to life with the help of a magician’s hat.
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5. Home Alone (PG)
A Christmas classic. Home Alone continues to be a favorite movie of mine. Young Kevin McAllister’s family accidentally leaves him home alone for days, and he finds himself outwitting two burglars. Make it a holiday movie marathon with its five sequals.
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The 1966 version gives instant nostalgia when it comes to the Grinch. You can literally recite the book as the animation unfolds. There have been two subsequent movie updates: a live-action version in 2000 with Jim Carrey as the Grinch, and an animated version in 2018 from the studio that brought us The Minions.
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966, TV-G)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000, PG)
- The Grinch (2018, PG)
7. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (PG)
If you missed Jingle Jangle, be sure to add it to your list. It tells the story of a toymaker whose creation is stolen by his apprentice, and his granddaughter sets out on an adventure to get it back. It’s beautiful, colorful, fun, and features a great soundtrack.
8. Mickey’s Christmas Carol (G)
In this telling of A Christmas Carol, Mickey Mouse is Bob Cratchit and Scrooge McDuck is Ebenezer Scrooge. It’s a cute version of a classic tale that’s digestible for littles.
9. Miracle on 34th Street (1994, PG)
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never seen the original 1947 version in its entirety. However, I love the 1994 version. It’s one of my top 10 Christmas movies. A lawyer and a little girl must prove that a man named Kris Kringle claiming to be Santa Claus is, in fact, the man himself.
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10. Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (TV-G)
A 1970s stop-motion animation classic. It tells the origin story of Santa Claus as a baby named Kris, who was left on the doorstep of the Kringle family.
11. The Christmas Chronicles (PG)
This Netflix original is about two kids who accidentally crash Santa’s sleigh and then must save Christmas. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are charming as Santa and Mrs. Claus. It’s a fun Christmas adventure for the whole family.
12. The Muppet Christmas Carol (G)
This is probably my favorite version of A Christmas Carol. It’s classic, quirky, and takes a melancholy tale and makes it a lively Christmas musical comedy. It’s a fun take on the Charles Dickens story with Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit and Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge.
13. The Polar Express (G)
Based on the children’s book of the same name, it’s the story of a young boy who sees a mysterious train stop outside his window on Christmas Eve. He’s invited aboard by the conductor (Tom Hanks) and embarks on a journey with other children to visit Santa at the North Pole.
14. The Santa Clause (PG)
It’s weird when Christmas movies from your childhood can now be considered “classic,” but that’s what I’d call The Santa Clause. Tim Allen plays a divorced dad who finds himself becoming the next Santa Claus, and adventure ensues.
15. The Year Without a Santa Claus (TV-G)
This is one of my favorite old-school Christmas classics. I can still hum the Cold Miser and Heat Miser songs (if you know, you know). It’s another stop motion animation production about the year Santa decides to take Christmas off. Mrs. Claus enlists two elves to find proof that people still believe in Santa Claus.
What are your must-watch Christmas movies?
