The Top 50 Holiday Movies Of All Time
Gif via “Home Alone” / Giphy
The holiday season is here, so you bet us at Firebelly Marketing will cozy up with some good hot chocolate, snuggle our loved ones, and put on our favorite Christmas classic. In digital marketing, movies and creativity go hand-in-hand, providing us inspiration for our ideas. Here are the best flicks we will return to before the New Year:
50. Polar Express (2004)
Major points deducted for how zombie-like the animation looks.
49. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Who would have thought that Chevy Chase would grow up to be such a grinch?
48. Miracle On 34th Street (1994)
Not as good as the original, but still a classic for us ‘90s kids.
47. Love Actually (2003)
Often viewed as more of a Valentine’s Day feature, we’re putting it on here because of the time of season.
46. Home Alone 2 (1992)
A silly, albeit worthy sequel to one of the best Xmas films of all time.
45. Four Christmases (2008)
Nothing wrong with a little Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon for the holidays.
44. Last Christmas (2019)
Based around Wham!’s stellar single of the same name, this romantic comedy is sure to bring the waterworks.
43. About A Boy (2002)
An early look into the eventual greatness of actor Nicholas Hoult.
42. Black Christmas (1974)
More for an alternative Xmas viewing, this horror holiday film was the first ever slasher feature. It’s also directed by A Christmas Story filmmaker Bob Clark.
41. Jack Frost (1979)
The fifth best Rankin/Bass film on this list.
40. Die Hard (1988)
Yes, Die Hard is a Xmas movie. End of discussion.
39. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
The ninth best A Christmas Carol adaptation on this list.
38. Joyeux Noel (2005)
Why can’t a war movie be Christmasy?
37. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976)
The fourth best Rankin/Bass film on this list.
36. The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
Nothing wrong with wanting more Tim Allen for our Christmas.
35. A Christmas Carol (1938)
The eighth best A Christmas Carol adaptation on this list.
34. Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
The seventh best A Christmas Carol adaptation on this list.
33. Little Women (1994)
This is the definitive take on Louisa May Alcott’s classic.
32. Rare Exports (2010)
The only movie you need on Krampus.
31. The Holiday (2006)
If you have a wife, this is her favorite December offering.
30. A Christmas Carol (1984)
The sixth best A Christmas Carol adaptation on this list.
29. Arthur Christmas (2011)
A refreshing, British take on the Santa mythos.
28. Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas (1999)
An entertaining anthology of Disney shorts, especially beloved by the kiddos.
27. Guardians Of The Galaxy Christmas Special (2022)
Since we can’t put the Star Wars Holiday Special on here, we’ll settle with this latest Marvel offering.
26. Jingle All The Way (1996)
Schwarzenegger + Christmas = A holiday tradition
25. Bad Santa (2003)
Do yourself a favor, and get some laughs this holiday season Pt. 1/2.
24. The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974)
The third best Rankin/Bass film on this list.
23. A Christmas Carol (2009)
The fifth best A Christmas Carol adaptation on this list.
22. The Nutcracker (1993)
Gotta love Macaulay Culkin in anything Christmas related.
21. The Night Before (2015)
Do yourself a favor, and get some laughs this holiday season Pt. 2/2.
20. A Christmas Tale (2008)
Xmas, but in French.
19. Miracle On 34th Street (1947)
We love a good black and white holiday classic.
18. A Christmas Carol (1999)
The fourth best A Christmas Carol adaptation on this list.
17. Gremlins (1984)
Have a little touch of ‘80s nostalgia to go with your spiked eggnog.
16. Scrooged (1988)
The third best A Christmas Carol adaptation on this list.
15. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (1970)
The second best Rankin/Bass movie on this list.
14. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The second best A Christmas Carol adaptation on this list.
13. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
It also has one of the best Christmas soundtracks of all time.
12. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
The animated classic may be horror stalwart Boris Karloff’s best work, outside of Frankenstein.
11. Klaus (2019)
A newer addition on this list is one of the best.
10. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
An emotional winter offering from the late, great Satoshi Kon.
9. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
The first ever released Rankin/Bass movie was their very best.
8. The Santa Clause (1994)
With this and Buzz Lightyear, Tim Allen will always be a Disney legend.
7. Home Alone (1990)
Somewhere in the shenanigans, there’s a Christmas message. It’s still just as fun now as it was 32 years ago.
6. A Christmas Carol (1951)
The very best A Christmas Carol adaptation ever created. Alastair Sim is the definitive Ebenezer Scrooge.
5. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Jim Carrey stars as the titular character, giving one of the most iconic comedy performances of all time.
4. Elf (2003)
For whatever reason, a franchise didn’t follow. Still, we still have this hilariously original feature — an homage to the stop motion Rankin/Bass Christmas specials we all grew up with and loved.
3. A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Yes, it’s a Christmas movie. It’s also the best stop motion film in history.
2. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”
1. A Christmas Story (1983)
Pretty sure we have most of the movie memorized. Not to mention the leg lamp that joins the rest of our holiday decor.