Now that the holiday season is officially here, it's finally socially acceptable to start watching Christmas movies. Thanks to streaming (and the Hallmark Channel), it's now easier than ever to get into the spirit without leaving the couch, but not everything is family-friendly. Some movies are too kid-focused to hold the attention of the older members of the fam — parents included! — and others are a bit too old for the youngest in our crew to watch. Fortunately, there are some that are in the middle that will make everyone happy when the time comes for a holiday movie marathon.
In all honesty, a number of highly rated holiday movies exist that are deemed essential to holiday viewing, and best of all, every movie on the list is family-friendly. Some of them are totally holiday-themed, whereas others just offer up Christmas and holiday scenes, but they'll all give us those cozy holiday vibes we're looking for.
Read on for the list, and start popping the popcorn and making hot chocolate. Staying home for the holidays is suddenly looking a lot more appealing!
'The Nightmare Before Christmas'
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a holiday classic — and perfect for kids and their parents to enjoy together. In this Tim Burton film, the king of Halloweentown, Jack Skellington, discovers Christmas and wants to bring it back to his city. He does so by stealing Santa Claus. Seems reasonable!
'A Charlie Brown Christmas'
As far as A Charlie Brown Christmas goes, it should be required watching every single year. In this Peanuts special, Charlie Brown, who's a little bummed about the holidays, learns the real meaning of Christmas — and that even the smallest, most dejected tree can end up being beautiful after it's decorated with love.
'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'
There's something so charming about how timeless the claymation Christmas specials are, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is about as good as it gets. Watching this classic movie with our kids will bring back all the feels of watching it when we were kids ourselves, and it tells a great story about how everyone is special, even if they're different.
'Little Women'
Though the 2019 remake is incredible, let's be hones: The classic 1994 Little Women — which stars Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, and Kirsten Dust — totally still holds up. Though it's not technically a Christmas movie, there are more than one sweet Christmas scenes, and something about the film as a whole feels cozy enough to watch around the holidays.
'Frozen'
Again, not technically a Christmas movie, but since Frozen is about Queen Elsa and her ice powers — and Olaf the snowman definitely deserves credit where credit is due — it still counts as a perfect film to watch with the kids during the holiday season. As if they'd turn down the chance to sing "Let It Go" again!
'Elf'
In Elf, Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a man who was raised in the North Pole as one of Santa's elves who grows up to realize that he's actually a human and that is why he's so much taller than the other elves. He heads to New York City to find his biological father, and ends up having quite an adventure.
'The Santa Clause'
In The Santa Clause, Tim Allen stars as Scott Calvin, a divorced (and detached) dad whose son is staying with him on Christmas Eve when they discover that Santa has fallen off their roof. Now, it falls to Scott to replace Santa, and this creates a whole new world of problems for him after he reaches the North Pole.
'Beauty & the Beast'
Though the animated version will forever be a classic, don't sleep on the live-action Beauty and the Beast from 2017 that stars Emma Watson as Belle — especially not at Christmastime. Though this is another one of the movies that isn't technically considered a holiday movie, the sweet Christmas scene between Belle and Beast is so cute that it qualifies.
'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'
Christmas isn't complete without the Griswolds! In National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold is celebrating Christmas and wants everything to go right, from cutting down a Christmas tree himself to having the most epic light display in the neighborhood. Sadly for him, everything seems to go hilariously wrong.
'Home Alone'
With the movie now streaming on Disney+, it's super easy to cue up Home Alone this holiday season and watch what happens when Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) accidentally gets left behind when his entire family leaves to go on vacation for the holidays without him. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal!
'Mickey's Christmas Carol'
This movie is the perfect way to introduce kids to the story of A Christmas Carol with characters they already know and love. Mickey's version tells the classic tale of what happens when Ebenezer Scrooge — played by Scrooge McDuck, obviously — is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.
'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'
Though we could never get enough of the live-action version starring Jim Carrey, the original animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas from 1966 is most definitely a classic. The Grinch lives alone with his dog and hates the Whos in Whoville and their Christmas spirit, until he learns an important lesson about the real meaning of the season.
'Miracle on 34th Street'
This is another timeless classic that's perfect to introduce to the kids this holiday season. In the 1947 movie The Miracle on 34th Street, the man playing Santa Claus at Macy's claims to be the real deal, but the adults around him who think they know better are skeptical. It only takes children to see the real Christmas magic, though.
'It's a Wonderful Life'
It's A Wonderful Life may have first debuted in 1947, but it still rings true today. The movie follows George Bailey (James Stewart), who considers ending his life on Christmas Day. Luckily, his guardian angel allows him to see how different things would be if he had never existed at all so he can realize how valuable his life really is.
'A Christmas Story'
It's not Christmas without A Christmas Story, and considering how often it's on TV every holiday season, it should be very easy to catch this one! This 1983 movie is about a boy named Ralphie, who just wants a BB gun for Christmas, and that's just scratching the surface of this classic.
'Anastasia'
Anastasia tells the story of the disappearance of Anastasia Romanov. When there's a reward put out for her return, an orphan is chosen by two con men to play the part so they can collect the money, but as it turns out, she actually is the real deal. And the voice cast? Phenomenal, including stars such as Meg Ryan, John Cusak, and Angela Lansbury.
'The Muppet Christmas Carol'
Yes, the Mickey and friends version of this classic is on this list, but seriously — can we watch too many takes on A Christmas Carol during the holiday season? This one (obviously) stars the Muppets, and it's much more of a comedy than other versions of the story.
'Frosty the Snowman'
Watching the animated Frosty the Snowman movie was part of our Christmas celebrations each year growing up, so why not continue the tradition with our children? This beloved 1969 classic tells the story of Frosty, the snowman who comes to life one day after he's built with love by the kids who become his first friends.
'The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe'
In Disney's take on C.S. Lewis' story The Chronicles of Narnia, we meet four kids who end up traveling to a fantastical world through their wardrobe, and it's perfect to watch at Christmastime — whether our kids have read the books or not. This movie is the first one in the series that may end up becoming a holiday favorite.
'Meet Me in St. Louis'
For the family who loves musicals, Meet Me in St. Louis is absolutely essential holiday viewing. This 1944 movie tells the story of a family over the course of a year, leading up to the World's Fair — and it just so happens to be where the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" comes from. Thanks, Judy Garland!
