Summary

• The funniest Christmas movies find innovative comedic moments in the holiday season, whether through slapstick, heartwarming laughs, or family-friendly hijinks.
• These movies make use of different elements of the festive season, including Santa Claus and the chaos of family preparations, to create timeless classics that millions of households revisit year after year.
• From raunchy R-rated comedies to dark and subversive films, there are Christmas comedies for every taste, including those that tap into classic literature like A Christmas Carol.

When it comes to the funniest Christmas movies, the best and most hilarious mine the holiday season for some of the most innovative comedic moments in cinema history. Whether it's the slapstick moments of a tried-and-tested classic like Home Alone, the subtle-yet-heartwarming laughs from festive rom-coms like Love Actually, or family-friendly hijinks in animated features like Arthur Christmas, Christmas comedy movies are a staple of the season. However, some Christmas comedies are better than others, and even among the funniest Christmas movies some stand out above others.

The funniest Christmas comedies all tie into the festive season, but they make use of the most wonderful time of the year in many different ways. Many feature Santa Claus himself, while many more delve into the stress and chaos families go through as they prepare for the holidays. Some of the funniest Christmas movies have even tapped into classic literature like Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. While there are countless dozens of funny festive films available for viewers, the best Christmas comedy movies are timeless classics that millions of households revisit year after year.

15 Four Christmases (2008)

A Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon Christmas Rom-Com

In 2008, director Seth Gordon made the Christmas comedy Four Christmases. The festive 2000s rom-com sees Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon playing a couple who decide to visit all four of their divorced parents' homes on Christmas Day, and things go just as badly as one might expect. Between needy parents and dysfunctional siblings, Four Christmases paints a picture of a non-traditional Christmas where the chaos that comes with family is quadrupled. It makes it for a fun, yet at times cheesy, Christmas movie that delivers on the type of laughs romantic comedies of the era were known for.

Four Christmases is available to stream on Max.

14 Santa's Slay (2005)

A Christmas Horror-Comedy Starring Bill Goldberg As A Homicidal Santa

Santa's Slay is not a traditional Christmas movie. Instead, it's a horror-comedy movie that is perfect for the holidays. David Steiman's 2005 movie stars former WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg as a murderous Santa Claus who sets out to kill people brutally during the holiday seasons. However, Santa meets his match with a young boy and his grandfather, who know about him and his secret — that he's really a spawn of Satan and travels with a group of buffalo-sized Hell-Deer. Santa's Slay is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds and one of the funniest Christmas movies for those who enjoy horror comedies.

13 The Ice Harvest (2005)

A Dark And Unconventionally Hilarious Christmas Comedy From Harold Ramis

While it's not as often discussed as some of the other funniest Christmas movies, Harold Ramis' 2005 festive film The Ice Harvest is a hilarious dark Christmas comedy. Based on Scott Phillips's novel, this was one of the last two movies that Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters) directed before his death. The movie sees a mob lawyer and pornographer who steal $2 million from their boss and go on the run, only to get stranded on Christmas Eve. While not a huge success commercially, it has a quirky and offbeat sense of humor that makes it one of the best non-traditional Christmas comedy movies.

12 A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

A Splinoff of the Bad Moms Movie

For anyone who wants a raunchy, R-rated Christmas comedy about three moms who decide to throw in the towel and do it their way, A Bad Moms Christmas is the perfect choice. The sequel to the 2016 movie Bad Moms, seasonal follow-up A Bad Moms Christmas arrived in 2017 and sees the three moms have their mothers come over for the holidays, making the friends want to get away even more than before.

While it's undoubtedly one of the funniest Christmas movies it's also one that's for adults only, with harsh language and R-rated humor, but the way it works these elements into the seasonal festivities is hilarious. A Bad Moms Christmas was a box office success (via Box Office Mojo), although critics were lukewarm to the humor.

A Bad Moms Christmas is available to stream on Netflix.

11 The Night Before (2015)

The R-Rated Christmas Movie From Seth Rogen And Evan Goldberg

The Night Before is a rather subversive Christmas comedy. It stars Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie as two lifelong friends who attempt to get into a prestigious party. It has all the typical trappings of a Seth Rogen comedy (vulgar language, drug use, raunchy sex jokes), but it also has an undeniable heart and a wholesome message about growing up. It's the perfect Christmas comedy for those who enjoy Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's brand of humor. While not huge at the box office (via Box Office Mojo), critics appreciated the humor more than most Seth Rogen productions.

10 Krampus (2015)

A Definitive Christmas Horror That Never Takes Itself Seriously

While it is first and foremost an evil Christmas movie, Krampus is also a very funny dark comedy Christmas movie from Michael Dougherty, who previously directed the Halloween masterpiece, Trick R Treat. This movie deals with the European myth of the antithesis of Santa Claus — Krampus. The creature punishes bad children who don't have the spirit of Christmas. In this movie, when one child tears up his Santa letter and throws it away when his parents won't stop fighting, Krampus comes for the entire family. Krampus has since become a cult classic and is easily the best movie based on the myth.

Krampus is available to stream on Peacock.

9 Arthur Christmas (2011)

The Quirky Animated Christmas Comedy From Aardman Studios

Aardman Studios, the production company behind stop-motion masterpieces involving Wallace and Gromit, turned to computer animation and brought the world Arthur Christmas. While not stop-motion like its other movies, Aardman still brought the heart to this tale. The movie follows Arthur, one of Santa's sons, and the one least likely to take over the old man's business one day. However, when everything goes wrong in the high-tech world of delivering presents, it is up to Arthur to save Christmas. Arthur Christmas remains one of the best animated Christmas movies and is definitely among the funniest — especially when it comes to comedy the whole family can enjoy.

Arthur Christmas is available to stream on Max.

8 Love Actually (2003)

The Timeless British Ensemble Rom-Com

Since its release in 2003, Love Actually has developed quite a legacy. The Love Actually cast is stacked with A-list talent, and many of them have remained household names nearly 20 years later. Its structure was also incredibly unique for the time, offering several individual storylines that interconnect through various creative means. It launched many clones, but none of them could ever re-capture the warmth, magic, and laughs of this holiday movie staple. The movie picked up two Golden Globe nominations and remains mentioned as one of the best Christmas romantic comedies of all time.

Love Actually is available to stream on Netflix.

7 Bad Santa (2003)

Billy Bob Thornton's Troubled Mall Santa Leads A Gross-Out Holiday Comedy

2003's Bad Santa is one of the raunchier Christmas comedies, starring Billy Bob Thornton as an alcoholic mall Santa who plans to rob a department store. The humor is wickedly grim and crude throughout, and Thornton proves a very interesting anti-hero. The movie is certainly not for everyone, as it is incredibly vulgar and inappropriate, but it's among the funniest Christmas movies that caters when it comes to gross-out humor. But those looking for a raunchy, non-traditional Christmas comedy will find lots to love here. It has since become a cult classic for fans and critics alike and spawned a sequel that didn't quite match up to the humor of the first.

Bad Santa is available to stream on Paramount+.

6 The Ref (1994)

Denis Leary As A Burglar At Christmas

The Ref is a different sort of Christmas comedy. It's very dark, and it stars Denis Leary as a criminal and burglar. While the movie didn't perform well at the box office, it nevertheless received strong reviews for its script and the performance by Leary. Directed by Ted Demme, the Christmas movie shows the darkness of Christmas with a family who can't stop fighting and a son who would rather live a life of crime with the man who took his family hostage than remain at home for the holidays. It has become a cult classic and features Leary's best movie performance of his career.

5 Scrooged (1988)

Bill Murray's Hilarious Take On A Christmas Carol

Scrooged is certainly an inventive take on the classic Charles Dickens story of A Christmas Carol, and Bill Murray's excellent lead performance is one of the near-perfect movie versions of Ebenezer Scrooge. Murray plays a TV executive who forces his staff to work on Christmas Eve, to put on a live version of A Christmas Carol. However, he soon gets his own personal visits from the three ghosts, while a disgruntled worker shows up with a gun to put an end to Frank Cross once and for all. The festive comedy remains a holiday staple and remains one of the best 80s Christmas movies.

Scrooged is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

4 A Christmas Story (1983)

Bob Clark's Magical Christmas Classic

A Christmas Story is a timeless classic, its reputation buoyed by an inviting '40s atmosphere, fantastic performances, and a smart script that accurately captures the childhood nostalgia of Christmas. Much like It's A Wonderful Life, 1983's A Christmas Story is a festive film rewatched by multiple generations, and it's undoubtedly among the funniest Christmas movies that also hold a lot of sentimental value to many viewers.

A Christmas Story follows a young boy named Ralphie who wants a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas and needs to find a way to let Santa know. However, the movie's success is thanks to the family dynamic as they struggle to make it through the holidays, as well as the many memorable A Christmas Story quotes – and its legacy was evidenced when it was added to the National Film Registry in 2012.

A Christmas Story is available to stream on Max.

3 Home Alone (1990)

Macaulay Culkin's Christmas Masterpiece

Home Alone has long been a Christmas classic for a wide variety of reasons. It is very comfortable and has a charming Christmas atmosphere. It has an inventive premise, with a young child preventing burglars from entering his house with outlandishly creative traps. And finally, there's Macaulay Culkin, whose wonderful lead performance made him an international child star. Home Alone is essentially a cartoon brought to life, and as such it's expectedly hilarious. Home Alone was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2023.

Home Alone is available to stream on Disney+

2 Elf (2003)

Will Farrell As Santa's Awkward Elf

Elf is one of the best Will Ferrell comedies, directed with a deft touch by Jon Favreau. Elf features Will Ferrell at his most Will Ferrell: loud, childish, and somewhat annoying. But in this case, it works wonderfully for the character of Buddy, a man who believes he is an elf until he learns one day that he is a human, and he sets out to find his real father. Sadly, Buddy's joyful attitude is put to the test by the stress and abruptness of New York City and the fact that his birth father is not someone who fits the idea of a loving parent. Despite this, it remains a beloved Christmas movie and even spawned a Broadway musical.

Elf is available to stream on Disney+

1 Christmas Vacation (1989)

National Lampoon's Christmas Classic

Christmas Vacation is widely heralded as one of the funniest holiday movies of all time. Chevy Chase is typically spectacular in the lead role of Clark Griswold, reprising his role from the original Vacation movie. However, this is a case where the sequel surpasses the original, and the movie is full of great moments that make it one of the best dysfunctional Christmas movies ever made. The movie perfectly captures the chaotic yet warm atmosphere of the Christmas season, and it's the ultimate Christmas comedy that is just as funny today as it was decades ago.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is available to stream on Max.