With the Lindsay Lohan Netflix film Falling For Christmas and Disney+'s The Santa Clauses miniseries, there are many cheerful holiday movies to check out. But while many stories about this sweet, hopeful and magical time of year are happy, heartwarming and sometimes cheesy, there are also some Christmas movies that are much sadder.
From films about war to some classics that fans put in rotation every winter, Redditors are recommending Christmas movies that will make audiences tear up. These movies use the holidays as a backdrop to explore somber topics and emotional experiences.
Happy Christmas (2014)
Stream on Starz and DirecTV
Redditor BetaAlex81 suggested "Happy Christmas" as a sad Christmas movie, and since Joe Swanberg wrote and directed the film, it features his realistic style.
Kelly and Jeff are living a quiet life when Jeff's younger sister Jenny moves in, encouraging them to try to find more joy and change their routines. While Happy Christmas isn't often mentioned as one of Anna Kendrick's best movies, the actor gives a grounded and relatable performance as a young adult searching for happiness and wanting to be a positive influence in their family's life.
It's A Wonderful Life (1947)
Stream on Prime Video
Classic holiday films are often the most emotional as they tell stories about reflecting on the ups and downs of life and thinking about the people who matter the most. Writing about Christmas movies that make them cry, Redditor SpotISAGoodCat mentioned It's A Wonderful Life and wrote, "When all the people crowd into George's house… Every. Single. Time."
The main character, George Bailey, is struggling at Christmas time and Clarence Odbody, a guardian angel, shows him the positive effect that he has had on people. It's hard not to tear up when watching this story.
Love Actually (2003)
Stream on Peacock
While Love Actually is seen as a cheerful movie about how falling in love in December can feel even more magical than other times of the year, it's definitely possible to say that it has some emotional moments.
Redditor tedd0093 wrote, "Some of the stories in Love Actually are pretty sad. Such as the guy who’s in love with his best friends fiancé" and Redditor Lunac124 said "For being a holiday movie it was pretty emotional and serious."
A Christmas Tale (2008)
Stream on AMC+
Since the winter holidays are about spending quality time together and maybe seeing relatives for the first time in a while, a movie that centers around a family is always going to have some heartfelt moments.
One Redditor recommended "A Christmas Tale" for those looking for Christmas movies that are sad. In this French movie, a family gets together to celebrate December 25th, but they find out that their mother has cancer. The movie not only focuses on this terrible discovery but also highlights the differences between the siblings.
A Midnight Clear (1992)
Stream on Fubo and Tubi
Redditor DeaconLogan said "A Midnight Clear is what you want" as it's a sad story that is also about war. Adapted from a book by William Wharton, the story follows solider in December of 1944.
Any film that has a war setting is automatically going to be melancholy and adding in Christmas makes it even more full of sorrow since the soldiers miss their families back home and have a lot of time to think and reflect.
The Family Stone (2005)
Stream on Starz and DirecTV
For Redditor alwebb6560, "The Family Stone" is a sad film that sees a family celebrating the holidays and learning some awful news about their wife/mother Sybil Stone.
The Family Stone features the relatable main storyline of someone meeting their partner's family for the first time and all of the nerves and emotions that go along with that. The twist is very heartfelt as the characters come to terms with something terrible.
A Christmas Carol (1984)
Stream on Prime Video
Replying in a thread about Christmas movies that bring on the tears, Redditor knowses said A Christmas Carol and explained, "The George C. Scott film version (1984) is one of my favorites."
Based on the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens, the movie follows Ebenezer Scrooge who couldn't hate the holiday season more. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come show him how to appreciate the meaning and joy of this time of year. This story is a classic for a reason and it always feels moving.
Joyeux Noel (2005)
Stream on Tubi
One Redditor recommended "Joyeux Noel," which is based on when the German Crown Prince named Wilhelm asked an opera singer from Berlin to sing to soldiers. This is referred to as the "Christmas truce" as German and British soldiers decided to have a ceasefire.
Since this movie is based on such an emotional time in history and involves some beautiful music along with an overall feeling about the compassion of the Christmas season, it's definitely a moving story.
In The Bleak Midwinter/A Midwinter's Tale (1995)
Rent on AppleTV
With a script by Kenneth Branagh, who also directed it, In the Bleak Midwinter is called "A Mindwinter's Tale" in the United States and Redditor ForeverMozart recommended it.
Joe Harper is having a hard time finding acting jobs and he directs Hamlet at a church, which allows him to connect with others and find some hope. One of the best Christmas movie tropes is someone volunteering and finding Christmas joy because of it and that's definitely what happens here.
One Magic Christmas (1985)
Stream on Disney+
In One Magic Christmas, Ginnie Grainger is trying to make the season magical for her children, which is hard since her husband has been unemployed for a while. Redditor handle_5 shared that this is a sad film and wrote, "Harry Dean Stanton is the angel, and just by that alone, you know it's going to be grim."
While the movie begins with a family having a hard time, it becomes even sadder as it goes on, although the characters do maintain hope that they will see better days and celebrate happier Christmases in the future.