Christmas Day is fast approaching and it won't be long before the holiday season has once again come and gone. But while the holly-jolly times are still upon us, audiences everywhere are soaking up the Christmas spirit by binging on as many holiday movies as they can.
Even though it's conventional for Christmas movies to be upbeat and positive, there are a few holiday icons that certainly deserve a little bit of coal in their stockings when it comes to their lack of Christmas spirit. Take a look at our list of 10 Christmas movie protagonists ranked from the jolliest to the scroogiest.
Santa Claus (Miracle on 34th Street)
The man who is literally described as jolly had to take the jolliest spot on our list, but there have been a million Santa Claus' portrayed in a million different films and the one in Miracle on 34th Street puts them all to shame. The entire premise behind the movie is that the actual Santa Claus isn't doing anything other than being his wonderful, magical self and ends up in the middle of a court case to decide if he genuinely is the real Santa Claus.
Not only does Mr. Kringle keep a pleasant demeanor throughout the entirety of the trial, but he was perfectly willing to accept his sentence despite knowing he was for real.
Buddy the Elf (Elf)
"Hi, I'm Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" It's hard to believe that a comedian as obscene and vulgar as Will Ferrell gave the world one of the sweetest, whole-hearted characters that they had ever seen in the Christmas comedy Elf.
There's hardly any need to describe him (everybody has seen this film) but Buddy is seemingly incapable of having a single negative thought about a person. Even when his father chastised and humiliated him, he wasn't the slightest bit angry and was simply just down on himself. Buddy is easily one of the most wholesome Christmas characters ever created (maybe it's just all that sugar he eats).
Rudolph (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)
The most famous deer in history (besides maybe Bambi) is unsurprisingly one of the jolliest Christmas movie protagonists thanks to his many selfless achievements. He may have gotten a little bit of help from Hermey and Cornelius, but ultimately Rudolph knew from the very beginning that there was nothing wrong with being a little different.
Taking off and leaving without telling anybody wasn't the jolliest move, but the fact that he returned and was able to stop the Abominable Snowman and save Christmas more than made up for it. Everybody shout with glee!
Hero Boy (The Polar Express)
Not quite the jolliest protagonist, but not he bah-humbuggiest one either. Hero Boy, the kid with no-name, leans further toward the jolly side simply because of the last line of the movie: "though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me."
The fact that the boy who grew up into Tom Hanks could still hear the bell into adulthood is the reason why he's considered a more jolly character, especially since the other kids who went to the North Pole with him ended up reaching a point where they couldn't hear it. But come on, kid - you were on a magic train to the North Pole and it still took you the entire movie to believe? This was a close one.
George Bailey (It's A Wonderful Life)
We're getting into the not-so-jolly members of our list since the only time George Bailey was really jolly was during the last five minutes of the movie - but what a glorious five minutes it was. In one of the sweetest, most heart-warming scenes in cinema history, George Bailey and his family showed audiences everywhere just how magical family and friendship can be.
However, up until that glorious scene, Mr. Bailey could've earned himself a spot on this list much closer to the Scrooge side for wanting to toss himself over a bridge on Christmas.
Kevin McCallister (Home Alone)
"You guys give up or are you thirsty for more?" Make no mistake that 8-year-old Kevin McCallister was completely in the right by turning his home into an active battlefield and protecting his turf from the would-be burglars, but he was also a total bad-ass for doing so.
He could've just as easily gone to a neighbors house or kept calling the cops until somebody showed up, but then what would he have done for the rest of the film? Nothing but respect for the prepubescent who held down the fort while his parents left him behind, but his tactics were slightly less than jolly.
Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
What else would you expect from the man who's pumpkin king of Halloweentown? The Nightmare Before Christmas was an incredibly creative idea from the imaginative mind of Tim Burton, but the movie's protagonist, Jack Skellington, would certainly find himself on the naughty list come Christmas Day.
He may have been trying to bring Christmas spirit to the spooky Halloween Town, but his methods of doing so ended up doing much more harm than good. Also, sending children to abduct Santa Claus so that you can take his space is most definitely a no-no. Maybe stick to Halloween, Jack.
Willie (Bad Santa)
It's literally in the title: this man was a bad Santa and he deservedly sits on the scroogy side of our list. Being a professional thief would unquestionably earn anybody a spot on the naughty list (and hopefully in jail) but adding the insult of dressing up as the jolliest person on the planet and then using that persona to do the thieving is just plain overkill.
Combine that with the copious amounts of drinking and smoking and the man's complete and utter hatred for children and you've got yourself a man who could give Scrooge a run for his money (although he'd probably just steal it).
The Grinch (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)
"Hate, hate, hate; hate, hate, hate - loathe entirely!" The Who, or creature, whose heart was two sizes too small was one of the crankiest Christmas movie protagonists to ever grace the big screen. Whether it's the half-hour animated version or the Jim Carrey portrayal, this character's name has become synonymous with being a grouch or cold-hearted and for good reason.
Up until the furry green, Christmas-hating creature understood that Christmas spirit can't be bought in a store, his stocking should've been filled to the brim with coal. You got off lucky, Mr. Grinch, sorry wouldn't have cut it in our books.
Scrooge (A Christmas Carol)
Bah humbug! He was always going to be the scroogiest Christmas protagonist because he is Scrooge. This Christmas tale has become more famous than nearly any other with Scrooge being one of the most recognizable holiday characters in history, seemingly only losing out to Santa Claus himself.
You all know the tale, but Scrooge is met by several ghosts on the night of Christmas Eve who take him on separate spiritual journies to help him understand that he shouldn't work himself to death, nor try to distance himself from the magic of the holiday spirit. For the sake of Tiny Tim, don't be a Scrooge.