25 Best Christmas Movies to Watch This Holiday Season (2026)

The fastest way to ruin a December evening is spending forty minutes choosing the movie. So here's the shortcut: twenty-five Christmas movies that have earned their place, grouped by mood, each with one line on why it belongs on your list. Tree lights on, cocoa in hand, phones face-down.

Timeless Classics

The ones that defined the genre. Black-and-white or not, these are the films everything else is measured against.

• It's a Wonderful Life (1946) The rare "classic" that actually earns the label — it gets better every decade you age into it.Watch it if: you want the one Christmas movie everyone should see once.
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947) The original "is he really Santa?" courtroom charmer — warm without a hint of cynicism.Watch it if: you like your Christmas movies sincere.
• A Christmas Carol (1951) The Alastair Sim version remains the definitive Scrooge — no adaptation has topped it.Watch it if: you want the story in its purest form.
• White Christmas (1954) Irving Berlin songs, big dance numbers, and the coziest finale in film.Watch it if: your group loves old Hollywood musicals.
• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Twenty-five minutes that say more about the season than most features manage.Watch it if: you need the perfect warm-up before the main feature.
• The Bishop's Wife (1947) Cary Grant as an angel fixing a marriage — elegant, gentle, and underseen.Watch it if: you've worn out the big three classics.
• Holiday Inn (1942) Where "White Christmas" debuted — a year-round inn that only opens on holidays.Watch it if: you're a White Christmas fan who never saw the original.

Family Favorites

For the living room with kids, grandparents, or both. Crowd-pleasers with zero awkward scenes to fast-forward.

• Home Alone (1990) Still the king of kid Christmas movies — the traps hold up, the heart holds up, all of it holds up.Watch it if: it's December and you haven't yet. Required viewing.
• Elf (2003) Will Ferrell's man-child elf remains endlessly quotable twenty years on.Watch it if: your family quotes movies for weeks afterward.
• The Polar Express (2004) Divisive animation, undeniable magic — the train ride sequence is pure wonder.Watch it if: you have believers in the house.
• The Santa Clause (1994) The "becoming Santa by accident" premise every kid wishes were real.Watch it if: the kids are at the perfect Santa-believing age.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) Jim Carrey going full chaos-goblin — kids adore it, adults survive it happily.Watch it if: you want the loudest, silliest option on this list.
• Arthur Christmas (2011) The best animated Christmas movie of the modern era — funny, clever, and genuinely moving.Watch it if: your family has seen everything else here.
• Klaus (2019) A gorgeous origin story for Santa that looks like nothing else in animation.Watch it if: you want the prettiest film on this list.

Comedies

For the adults-after-bedtime slot, or the friends who want laughs with their tinsel. Some language, all fun.

• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) The Griswolds' disaster Christmas is the most relatable comedy ever filmed.Watch it if: your own family holidays are chaotic. You'll feel seen.
• Scrooged (1988) Bill Murray as a TV exec haunted on Christmas Eve — the cynic's Christmas movie.Watch it if: someone in the group "doesn't like Christmas movies."
• Trading Places (1983) A Christmas-set comedy classic that happens to be one of the funniest films ever made.Watch it if: you want laughs first, tinsel second.
• Bad Santa (2003) Crude, mean, and weirdly heartfelt — the anti-Christmas-movie Christmas movie.Watch it if: the group is all adults with thick skins.
• The Night Before (2015) Three friends, one last Christmas Eve together — raunchy with a real emotional core.Watch it if: your friend group has a standing holiday tradition.
• Die Hard (1988) Set at a Christmas party, full of Christmas music, and the debate is the tradition.Watch it if: you want to start the "is it a Christmas movie?" argument.

Romantic

Love stories with snow on them. Ideal for date night or the cozy corner of the couch.

• Love Actually (2003) Nine intertwined love stories — you'll cry at at least two of them.Watch it if: you want the ensemble romance everyone references.
• The Holiday (2006) A house swap, two romances, and the coziest English cottage ever filmed.Watch it if: you want pure comfort viewing.
• While You Were Sleeping (1995) Sandra Bullock's mistaken-identity romance — charming from the first scene.Watch it if: you like '90s rom-coms at their peak.
• The Family Stone (2005) A prickly family Christmas that earns its emotional ending.Watch it if: your group likes dramas with the comedy mixed in.
• Last Christmas (2019) London at Christmas, George Michael on the soundtrack, and a twist worth not spoiling.Watch it if: you want the newest classic-in-waiting on this list.

Movie Night, Done Right

• Let the youngest pick the category. Classics, comedy, or romance — one choice ends the scrolling.
• Start the cocoa before the movie. A slow cooker of hot chocolate on warm beats a microwave queue at halftime.
• Double-feature smart. Pair a classic with a comedy — Wonderful Life into Christmas Vacation is a perfect evening arc.
• Save the new one for Christmas Eve. Keep one unwatched film in reserve for the 24th. Our Christmas party games cover the rowdier nights.