We revisit these timeless, festive classics every year.
A laugh-out-loud comedy satirizing the holiday like 1989’sNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?
A newer Yuletide-set film you may have missed recently like 2023’sThe Holdovers?
New Line/courtesy Everett Collection; Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection; RKO Radio Picture/Getty
TheHome Improvementstar accidentally kills Santa and has to take his place.
It’s notIt’s a Wonderful Life, but it has its moments.
Plus, there’sJudge Reinhold!
Tim Allen in ‘The Santa Clause’.Everett Collection
We appreciate the creativity behind the storytelling rather than falling back on easy Christmas movie tropes.
Plus, who didn’t want a cuddly little pet like Gizmo waiting under their tree on Christmas morning?
That is, assuming you didn’t feed it after midnight… C.N.
Jesper and Klaus in ‘Klaus’.netflix
“I was just blousing…uh, browsing!
It’s a bit nipply out…I mean, nippy!”
Who needs “Ho, ho, ho!”
Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan in ‘Christmas in Connecticut’.Everett Collection
when you could have “Yippee ki-yay, motherf—er”?
Who cares if the movie’s as syrupy as a Vermont maple?
The Irving Berlin songs are timeless particularly the gorgeous title tune.
Phoebe Cates in ‘Gremlins’.Everett Collection
Santa (Mickey Rooney) has a cold and decides to take a year off from his Christmas duties.
It’s up to a pair of elves (Jingle Bells and Jangle Bells) to save the day.
But first, they must get past Heat Miser and Snow Miser the best Christmas baddies since the Grinch.
Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Paul Giamatti in ‘The Holdovers’.Seacia Pavao/FOCUS FEATURES
Who do we petition to get this one aired on TV more often?
Here’s one for parents looking for something to pop on after the kids are asleep.
You could fill a stocking with all of the terrific moments in the film.
Chevy Chase in ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’.Everett Collection
Seussclassic is the one you want to watch (over and over again).
“The Grinch hated Christmas the whole Christmas season.
Now, kindly don’t ask why; no one quite knows the reason.
Bill Murray and Carol Kane in ‘Scrooged’.Everett Collection
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
Or it could be that his head wasn’t screwed on just right.
I didn’t mind a bit.
Bruce Willis in ‘Die Hard’.Everett Collection
They wrap you in a comforter of warm, cozy nostalgia.
To me, and I’m guessing a lot of you, this is that movie.
I could watch thosePeanutskids do their herky-jerky dance on an eternal loop and never get tired of it.
Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, and Maureen O’Hara in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’.Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Well, sometimes movies are considered masterpieces for a reason, and this is one of those times.
If you thinkFrank Capra’s holiday staple is feel-good hooey, watch it again.
Where to watchIt’s a Wonderful Life: Amazon Prime Video
Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, and Vera-Ellen in ‘White Christmas’.Everett Collection
Jack Skellington in ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’.Disney
Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in ‘Trading Places’.Everett Collection
Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci in ‘Home Alone’.Everett Collection
Hermey and Rudolph in ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’.Classic Media
Heat Miser in ‘The Year Without a Santa Claus’.Everett Collection
(Back, from left)Miss Piggy, Michael Caine, Fozzie Bear, (Front, from left) Rizzo, Kermit, Robin, and Gonzo in ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’.Everett Collection
Billy Bob Thornton in ‘Bad Santa’.Everett Collection
Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon in ‘Love Actually’.Peter Mountain/Universal Studios
The Grinch in ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’.Everett Collection
Will Ferrell and Ed Asner in ‘Elf’.Everett Collection
Charlie Brown and Linus Van Pelt in ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’.ABC
Peter Billingsley (Right) in ‘A Christmas Story’.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images
Larry Simms, Jimmy Hawkins, James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Karolyn Grimes in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.Everett Collection
