What Are Your Favorite Christmas Movies?

Christmas

In our latest open discussion post regular Screen Rant reader Metallicat79 asked what folks’ favorite Christmas movie are, so I thought that a worthy topic of its own post.

If ever there was a time of year for traditions, this is it – and many people have movies they watch with friends and/or family that are part of that (yours truly included).

So in the comments below, please share your top/favorite Holiday films!

I’ll start of with my favorites:

10. Scrooged (haven’t seen this one in ages but I remember liking it a lot)

9. Home Alone (I balk every time my wife wants to watch it but I always end up liking it)

8. White Christmas (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, c’mon!)

7. Die Hard (“It’s Christmas Leo – a time of miracles.”)

6. A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version)

5. The Santa Clause (so sue me – I think it’s funny and touching)

4. Elf (the only movie in which I’ve really enjoyed Will Ferrell)

3. A Christmas Story (big time nostalgia for me)

2. Miracle on 34th Street (the original, of course)

1. It’s a Wonderful Life (Best. Christmas. Movie. EVER. We save this one for Christmas day.)

OK, now it’s YOUR turn.

And Merry Christmas from your friends at Screen Rant!

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Josh White

Without doubt the best Christmas movie ever was the original (1947) version of 'Miracle on 34th Street'. It had everything; and something for everyone. And what's more, it depended entirely on the quality of the acting/directing/ and an actual storyline. Great to the very last scene.

Wayne D

Mainly lurking, looking for Christmas Carol with George C Scott. My best Christmas movies are (no real order):
- Scrooge with Albert Finney
- Scrooged
- Scrooge with Patrick Stewart
- It's a Wonderful Life (Jimmy Stewart)
- Miracle on 34th street (1947?) version
- Miracle on 34th street (1973?) version
- Elf
- Christmas Story

Ang

Ha! What about Emit Otter's Jug Band Christmas

KEL

Almost forgot Boondocks: A Huey Freeman Christmas. :-D

Ann

It's a Wonderful Life
Holiday Affair
Bishop's Wife
The Man Who Came to Dinner
A Christmas Carol / Scrooge / Scrooged
Miracle on 34th Street
Christmas in Connecticut

Rob

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

#1 all time for me, without a doubt!

Scott

In no particular order:
Christmas Carol (1951-Alastair Sim. The DEFINITIVE version. Original b&w, not the horrifying colorized version)

It's a Wonderful Life (surprisingly dark, not the sentiment-fest everyone thinks it is)

A Christmas Story

Die Hard

Muppet Christmas Carol

Grinch (original)

Nightmare Before Christmas

Charlie Brown Christmas

And, to delve briefly into comics: The wonderful Walt Simonson New Gods Christmas tale: "A Highfather Christmas" from the "DCU HOLIDAY BASH #1." I would looove to see this in an animated form.

JessSayin

Scrooged: "They can't see her nipples, and these guys are REALLY looking!"

A Christmas Carol: George C. Scotts' version is the only version.

The Bishops Wife: Yes, I know Grant was gay but he made a terrific angel.

Grinch: NOT the embarrassing Jim Carrey remake

It's a Wonderful Life: The Perfect CHRISTmas movie.

Merry CHRISTmas, Vic and all youz' guys at Screenrant!!

KEL

Hurm....my must watch list:

"Christmas With The Joker" (Batman: TAS)
"Holiday Knights" (Batman: TAS)
"Comfort and Joy" (Justice league animated series)

I know, I know, comic book cartoons, but I always watch those no matter what lol. Onto the rest:

Scrooged
Grinch (animated....the live action movie is meh...Boris Karloff rulez!)
It's a Wonderful Life
Home Alone (1&2)
Jingle All the Way
A Christmas Story
Muppet Christmas Carol
Bad Santa
Jeff Dunham's Christmas Special (love dem puppets!)
ah...what the hell. Santa Clause (1...hate the sequels)

And on the flip side, I admit to enjoying a few South Park x-mas episodes, the Family Guy x-mas episode, and of course, Robot Chicken's "Half assed Christmas Special". God help the classics of the future..... ;)

"A look Back at 'It's a Wonderful Life'", anyone see this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efjant1RGvw&...

Anyhoo...

MERRY CHRISTMAS, SCREENRANT! :-D

--Your loyal fan,
Kel (KEL :-p....surprise!)

Doug C

Wow, a lot of good choices. I want to like Polar Express, but I actually think Hanks ruins it for me. It seems so indulgent of him to fill all those roles. I would've liked a wider range of actors and their body motion capture rather than just Hanks and some kid (or did Hanks do the kid, too?)

Random Herm

Hello.
Merry Christmas. : )

I like Walt Disney/Jim Henson's "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (with music by Paul Williams).

Greets.

High Kalibur

Die Hard
Home Alone
Batman Returns
Nightmare Before Christmas
Charlie Brown
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Edward Scissor Hands

Wow... uh good job Tim Burton, never realized you made the majority of my favorite X-mas films.

blipvert

I can't put these in any kind of order but these are my must sees for every Christmas.

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Scrooged
Elf
A Christmas Story
Polar Express
Die Hard
The Grinch That Stole Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life
Classic Disney Christmas Stuff (Mickeys Christmas Carol, Plutos Christmas Tree)
Muppets Christmas Stuff (Muppets Christmas Carol, Muppet Family Christmas)

Merry Christmas to All!

Ken

Cannot believe that nobody mentioned:
"Going My Way" with Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald, My Christmas Favorite!

Andy W

Now trust me when I say this is hard thought out because I have a thing for Christmas movies. The ultimate top ten is as follows(for a kid born in the eighties).
1. Home Alone... Keep the change you filthy animal
2. Home Alone 2...Get outta here you nosey little pervet, or I'm gonna slap you silly!
3. Christmas Vacation... Every time Catherine would turn on the microwave, I'd piss my pants and forget who I was for about half an hour.
4. Jingle All the Way... I'll know if you move 'cause I have the ears of a snake!
5. Elf...Santa, I know Him
6. Bad Santa...Good night, Santa. Good night, Mrs. Santa's sister.
7. A christmas Story...Fa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra.
8. The Grinch(cartoon)
9. Die Hard... Yippee-ki-yay, motherf-er.
10. All the ones in black and white that don't creep me out

jcathey

Left out Lethal Weapon.

S.Matt

I really don't have a favorite. I love Die Hard, Nightmare Before Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Honestly, I absolutely hate A Christmas Story, mostly due to being called Ralphie for a resemblence that apparently only my aunt and sister can see. 10 years of being told I'll shoot my eye out kind of ruined it for me.

steven the git

Glad to see a lot of love for Scrooged. One of Murray's best.

Also Nightmare before Christmas I watch at Halloween and then again before Christmas each year
Muppets Christmas Carol I watched tonight and love it. I'm a sucker for the Muppets, but they do a proper telling and even recommend you read the book at the end. Not many movies do that!

Could never decide a top ten, but my movies would be Nightmare, Scrooged, Muppets, Gremlins, Ps Ts and Automobiles (John Candy is brilliant in that) and oh! how about Trading Places? Always remember Ackroyd as drunk Santa with a gun. :D
Wonderful Life is great too, and the Thing is fantastic at any time of year.

Jess H.

1)How the Grinch Stole Christmas-I watch the cartoon one religiously every year but the other version is good too
2) Polar Express
3)Fred Clause-New favorite
4)Santa Clause-all of them except the 3rd
5)Nightmare Before Christmas
6)Home Alone
7)A Christmas Story
8)Charlie Brown's Christmas

Some of my personal favorites :)

kimmay!

1. Polar Express... My 4 year old has watched this movie so many times i've had to buy it three times!

2. Christmas Vacation... Still freakin funny.

3. Rudolph
4. The Santa Clause
5. Christmas Story
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas... both versions
7. Home Alone
8. A Christmas Carol
9. Nightmare Before Christmas
10. What's that one with the mouse and the clock? I cant remember the name for the life of me but its a great story.

Steven

Here it's always one of these:

The Nightmare Before Christmas
Home Alone 1 or 2
Gremlins
or Mr Bean (not the movie, but some episodes always do the trick)

KJ

1. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation!
2. Scrooged
3. Home Alone
4. Rudolph,Santa,Baby New Year cartoons
5. Grinch
6. Die Hard
7. A Christmas Carol
8. Mickey's Christmas Carol
9. Bad Santa
10. Lethal Weapon

greenknight333

My favs are:

1. A Christmas Carol/Scrooge with Alastair Sim, although I enjoy the George C Scott version from 1984 and the Reginald Owen Version from 1938, I actually enjoy every version of this movie I have and we have over 10 different versions.

2. It's A Wonderful Life Jimmy STewart is awesome in everything he has done..

3. Christmas Vaction- When Cousin Eddy is explaining to Clark about why he had to have the metal plate in his head changed to a piece of government plastic (everytime his wife revved up the microwave he would PI$$ his pants and forget who he was for a half an hour or so)...Hilarious!!

4. Mickey's Christmas Carol

5. Miracle on 34th Street- The Original not the remake from a few years back.

6. Home ALone - Kinda reminds me of a live action Looney Tunes with Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern doing the part of the Wil E. Coyote.

7. The Polar Express

8. Scrooged - The scenes with the Ghost of CHristmas Present are some of the funniest in any movie I have ever seen..

9. Jack Frost with Michael Keaton

Merry CHristmas Everybody...I hope you and yours have a great holiday and Happy New Year.

Cheers

Jon

A christmas story, Nightmare before Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas. Those are all great Christmas films.

What about Bad Santa? Am I the only one who likes that movie. I watch it every year

Jessica

My family watches "Night Shift" and "The Ref" every Christmas. Strange, but true!

Tiny

10.One Magic Christmas.(Mary Steenburgen,Harry Dean Stanton)
9.The Santa Clause.
8.Charlie Brown Christmas.
7.It A Wonderful Life.
6.Christmas Vacation.
5.How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
4.Planes,Trains,and Automobiles(More about thanksgiving but hey there is plenty of snow in the movie, and its a classic).
3.Elf.
2.Nightmare Before Christmas.
1.A Christmas Carol(George C. Scott)

These are the ten I always fit in to my holiday schedule.

Ross Miller

I second that, Vic. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Carpenter's The Thing. I actually didn't see it until about a year ago but it instantly became a firm favourite.

Also good call whoever said Batman Returns. And I just remembered a movie I watch religiously every year (probably the only one) - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Ross Miller

@Vic,

I just got back not 3 hours ago from seeing It's A Wonderful Life for the first time. I think I was about one of 14 people on the planet who hadn't seen that film:P And I got to see it for the FIRST TIME on the big-screen:):) And it was A-MA-ZING. Can't wait to join the club and watch it 1000 times more! It's one of thsoe "classics" that really does warrant that description. I think it's a new favourite of mine.

Vic Holtreman

@zombie_elvis

Oh, man... LOVE "The Thing." If it's not under my tree tomorrow I think I may have to use a Best Buy gift card and pick up the Blu-Ray.

Only problem is I have to watch it by myself because my wife HATES scary movies and my daughter's only 12. :-P

Vic