50 Classic Christmas Movies of All Time

A heartfelt Christmas story for all ages, Prancer is a timeless film about a young girl who discovers an injured reindeer that she believes is part of Santa’s team. Even though her father is skeptical, she nurses the reindeer back to health—and her unwavering faith and holiday spirit inspires the entire town.

Another classic Christmas movie that transcends time and generations is Jack Frost, a family comedy about a musician who dies in a car crash and is brought back to life the following year as a snowman. It’s a powerful tale of redemption, and the bittersweet ending will give you all the feels.

Even though this classic Christmas movie features the fantastical wonders of the season, this story about a young reindeer who’s ostracized for his red nose is so relatable. After dealing with this lifelong insecurity, Santa comes to recognize the significance of his glowing nose, which helps change his self-perception.

Desperate to please his son and wife, a workaholic tries to buy his kid the most popular action figure, even though it’s sold out almost everywhere. During his quest, he vies with another father who has the same goal, and he ends up learning what Christmas is really about.

Filled with laughs and lessons, this beloved flick focuses on a college student’s journey back to his estranged father, who lures his son with the gift of a classic Porsche. But his trek is tested when the football team leaves him stranded in the desert, which has him realizing the whole point of going home for the holidays.

This animated classic is a definite crowd pleaser. After thinking that no one believes in him anymore, Santa decides to take a hiatus, but Mrs. Claus and two elves set out to find proof that the Christmas spirit is still alive and well. What follows is a journey of faith, kindness, and holiday cheer.

If you’re looking for an adults-only Christmas movie that’s widely regarded as a classic, give Trading Places a watch. Set during the holidays, this comedy drama centers on a broker and a hustler who switch lives after two brothers place a bet. But the tables turn when they team up with one another to seek revenge.

Although there are many different adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, this 1951 iteration is largely seen as the most noteworthy, thanks to its stellar performances and its accurate period details. Like every other variation, though, this one still highlights Ebenezer Scrooge’s inner transformation.

Over 50 years later, this old-school holiday film is still considered a classic, and it’s easy to see why: It narrates the upbringing and life of Kris Kingle and his evolution as Santa! You’ll learn how he came to deliver toys, meet Mrs. Claus, and spread the holiday spirit.

This silly, spirited Christmas movie centers on two siblings who successfully scheme their way into reuniting their divorced parents. Before Christmas arrives, the brother and sister lock their mother’s fiancé in an ice cream truck, and when she thinks she’s been stood up, she finds her ex-husband waiting.

Memory loss is a common theme in cinema, but this movie gives the topic a Christmas-inspired twist. After a transit worker saves her crush from an oncoming train, he falls into a coma before his family mistakes her for his fiancée. When she’s welcomed inside their home, things take a turn when she starts falling for his brother.

If you’re looking for a family-friendly holiday classic that has a spooky edge, The Nightmare Before Christmas will not disappoint. After the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who’s grown tired of scaring people, finds Christmas Town, he plots to overthrow Santa—but his scheme doesn’t go according to plan.

The mischievous-yet-lovable Eloise, who lives in New York’s Plaza hotel, returns to the big screen with a holiday-themed plot. During Christmastime, Eloise believes that the hotel owner’s daughter is getting married for the wrong reasons, so she takes matters into her own hands.

All Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants is a “fun old-fashioned family Christmas.” Unfortunately, his boss, his family, and the universe seem determined to work against him. Prepare to laugh out loud at Clark’s misadventures!

This Christmas classic tells the story of an old man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) who fills in for Santa in Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade. He claims to be the real thing, and everyone swears he’s insane—until a young lawyer decides to defend Kris in court with miraculous results.

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals! When eight-year-old Kevin McCallister’s (Macaulay Culkin) family accidentally leaves him home alone while they go away for the holidays, he’s left to defend his house from a couple of amateur burglars.

George Bailey (James Stewart) is having a tough time around the holidays until an angel arrives to show him what life would have been like if he never existed. Break out the tissues for this one!

You’ll shoot your eye out! Join Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) as he tries to convince the adults in his life—and Santa himself—that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect Christmas gift for a young boy.