Amid the endless line of formulaic festive streaming titles, my top 10 Christmas movies stand out as the gold standard, capturing the season’s core themes and proving thoroughly entertaining to boot.
Christmas: a period for celebration, spending time with loved ones and, for avid cinephiles, sitting down to watch the best that Christmas movies have to offer. In recent years, however, we’ve seen a growing trend of Christmas movies being produced and released in conveyor-belt fashion on streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video. Sure, they might be brief shots of serotonin, but whether it’s A Castle For Christmas or Our Little Secret, they start to collectively become a bland hegemony after a while – with the worst ones fitting the infamous “Netflix Slop” branding like a glove.
It’s easy to forget that Christmas movies as a genre can be funny, insightful, and life-affirming all at once. Whether watched once a year or at any given moment, Christmas movies can be an art form in themselves. Thus, I decided to dedicate this feature to ten Christmas, or Christmas-adjacent, films that I find myself going back to whenever the season to be jolly rolls around, with some noted classics and a few more contemporary titles in the mix. Amid the endless line of formulaic Christmas streaming titles, these films stand out as gold standard fare that capture the season’s core themes and prove thoroughly entertaining.
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1. A Christmas Story (1983)
Presented through a series of vignettes, this Bob Clark directorial effort is genius in its plainness. A young child, Ralphie, wants a specific Christmas present and so goes through a series of youthful hijinks to obtain it. The premise is cheerfully amusing, showcased through playful editing, witty writing and an eccentric score that captures just the right tonal balance between silly and heartfelt. It’s often daft, albeit the kind of goofiness played completely straight, but it’s also chock-full of tenderness, with a loving nostalgia for the best, most turbulent parts of childhood. An especially moving scene sees Ralphie’s mother treating him with kindness after he gets into a fight – a small but sweet mother-son moment that still feels rare in movies today. It’s an alluring, funny and unexpectedly compassionate little gem.
Watch on Prime Video
2. Die Hard (1988)
We can debate whether this film meets the criteria for Christmas movie material (it does), but its status as a Christmas favourite, whether genuine or ironic, is thoroughly earned. It follows the blueprint of the best action pictures down to a tee, with a flawed but relatable hero, set pieces that drip with stakes through the protagonist’s improvisation, and a memorable script that juggles one-liners and tropes dexterously. Alan Rickman is one of the all-time great movie baddies as Hans Gruber, and the way the film plays with Christmas motifs for adrenaline-fuelled fun shows a well of creativity in its filmmaking. Its chosen themes of vengeance, masculinity and duty make it somewhat idiosyncratic compared to other Christmas films, but any excuse to rewatch this exhilarating thriller is always a good one.
Watch on Channel 4 and Disney+.
3. The Holdovers (2023)
The most contemporary film on this list is also one of the best comedies of the past few years. In detailing the shenanigans that a curmudgeon teacher, an unruly student and a grieving school chef get up to over a Christmas break, this picture finds solace in unlikely connections and the ways people can be positive influences on each other in times of crisis. Despite the clashing personalities and razor-sharp writing (the characters trade some of the best and funniest insults put to film), the film boasts a surprising gentleness, with the snowy landscapes and cinematography emphasising palpable loneliness and the opportunity for change waiting in the wings. As enamoured in the Christmas spirit of togetherness as any other genre classic, this touchingly directed and relentlessly humorous film harbours heavy themes but consistent empathy, as well as career-best performances from Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Watch now on Netflix.
4. Home Alone (1990)
Booby traps, as hilarious as they are borderline sadistic, and an abundance of familial sentimentality are just a few things that make this a beloved classic. The picture that propelled Macaulay Culkin to stardom, its simple conflict is lightning-in-a-bottle inspired. It demonstrates a tense but skilful juggling act of both heartwarming and mean-spirited moments, concocting an atmosphere and character dynamics that feel simultaneously exaggerated and authentic, emboldening its themes and emotional weight. Its slapstick antics, clever wordplay and childishly repetitive humour wouldn’t be out of place in a Looney Tunes cartoon. Yet its morals about facing one’s fears, family ties, and the importance of reconciliation are iconic Christmas tropes wholeheartedly embraced. Terrific performances as charismatic as they are hammy, plus a sublime John Williams score, are just the cherries on top.
Watch now on Channel 4 and Disney+.
5. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
No Christmas movie list is complete without this Frank Capra classic. Often called the greatest of all Christmas films, and for good reason, this timeless masterpiece revels in the lasting impact that acts of selflessness can have on others. Radiant cinematography and one of James Stewart’s finest performances (his first since returning from World War II) make this a visual spectacle whose poignancy shines from every frame. Without shying away from the darkness of growing despair and resentment, this film uses gorgeous imagery, remarkable production design, and characters as subtly complex as they are unforgettable to remind us of the value of humanity. No matter how big or small, every life matters in its own way, a sentiment that’s as relevant today as it was in 1946.
A staple of the Hollywood Golden Age, It’s a Wonderful Life lambasts greed and selfishness in favour of solidarity and humanism, championing everything that is beautiful about Christmas and life itself in the process.
Watch now on Sky Movies.
6. Klaus (2019)
Sergio Pablos’s joyful reimagining of Santa’s origins was Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Feature, yet it still feels relatively overlooked. The intricate details in the animation – using shadows and contrasts so stunningly that the 2D style looks 3D – make this a brilliantly picturesque work where every frame is a painting. Yet similar beauty can be found in its emotional depth. It deftly repackages the Christmas legends of Santa Claus and the lore surrounding him to sell soulful notions on the value of altruism and, more importantly, having an open mind. Amplifying these sage sentiments are a cacophony of charming voice performances, a healthy mix of humour and drama, and an engaging narrative that plays with its tropes freely. It’s a breezy ode to Christmas mythology, while also being an uplifting story on the power of imagination.
Watch now on Netflix.
7. Little Women (2019)
One of the best scripts of the 21st century from the mind of the incomparable Greta Gerwig. Louisa May Alcott’s novel has been adapted numerous times. Yet Gerwig’s version captures the enduring affection for the material and elevates its strengths through the simple yet ingenious choice to tell the story out of order. In pairing past and present timelines thematically, Gerwig powerfully showcases character growth, the tribulations of womanhood, and the difficulty, but vitality, of staying true to oneself.
Virtually every corner of this production oozes with caring detail, from the intricate costume designs to the gentle score and the top-tier performances from the entire cast, playing equally complex characters. Its depictions of the chaos but homeliness of family allow the picture to fit in alongside Christmas classics, celebrating love, kindness, and togetherness as proudly as any of its counterparts. Funny, poignant, masterful and thoroughly sincere, Gerwig’s take on Little Women is one of those rare perfect films; a cinematic marvel that just gets better with time.
Watch now on Netflix.
8. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Unironically, this might be the greatest cinematic adaptation of Dickens’ classic story. Gorgeously recreating the Victorian-era aesthetic, the cinematography, writing and production design bask in the cutting-edge puppetry and light-hearted humour that have made the Muppets beloved for decades. It’s a giddy homage that lovingly blends its two different source materials. In stark contrast to the usual Muppet antics, Michael Caine as Scrooge delivers a performance so stone-cold sombre that the surrounding goofiness strangely heightens its impact. The core themes of social injustice, redemption and the power of generosity are only enhanced through this contrast. It’s a delightful riff, yet it profoundly understands what makes the source material so enduring as a work of fiction, immortalising it as a spellbinding adaptation of a classic and one of the best Muppet movies.
Watch now on Disney+.
9. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Admittedly, the last time I watched this Chevy Chase misadventure, its flaws stuck out to me more than usual. Its episodic narrative and stubborn reliance on slapstick and innuendo, often delivered in a loutish manner, is a hard sell at times. But there’s also such earnestness at its core that it’s rather endearing, too. Underneath the uncouth setpieces and characterisations is an authentic, and strangely nostalgic, portrayal of the pandemonium of the festive season, as the Griswold family patriarch, despite his inadequacies, desperately tries to give his family the perfect Christmas. In depicting hijinks gone wrong and the finer details of forced coexistence that are universally appreciated among most families, the movie ultimately becomes a celebration of the memories the season creates, even when our plans blow up in our faces. It’s not perfect, but it’s nonetheless funny, creative and charming in abundance.
Watch now on Sky Movies.
10. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
I’m technically cheating with this one, as this John Hughes picture is set during Thanksgiving, a month before Christmas for non-American readers. However, its themes of family, friendship and solidarity during the holiday season mean it slots right in with the best of its Christmas movie counterparts. With two titanic performances from Steve Martin and John Candy, both playing characters as infectiously engaging as they are deceptively compelling, it’s a bottomless barrel of laughs that benefits from the relatable frustration its premise sparks. The editing, cinematography, and script all heighten the story’s emotion and laughter, creating many a side-splitting set piece and punchline. A buddy road trip comedy that earns its enemies-to-friends storyline through the dignity of its sentiments and the inventiveness of its humour, it’s a playfully constructed and deeply touching tale of appreciating what you have in life. Frankly, it’s one of the greatest comedies ever made.
Watch now on BBC iPlayer.
Honourable Mentions:
The Apartment (1960), director Billy Wilder
Arthur Christmas (2011), director Sarah Smith
Elf (2003), director Jon Favreau
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1960), director Chuck Jones
In Bruges (2008), director Martin McDonagh
Little Women (1994), director Gillian Armstrong
Meet Me in St Louis (1944), director Vincent Minetti
Miracle on 34th Street (1947), director George Seaton
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), director Henry Selick
The Snowman (1982), director Dianne Jackson
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