Now that the holiday season is finally in full swing, it's time to settle in and watch some of our favorite Christmas movies. Getting cozy on the couch with a blanket, popping some popcorn, and watching holiday movies is a tradition, and we all have the ones we never get tired of, year after year, but let's be honest: They're not all winners. There are some seriously bad Christmas movies that simply leave us thinking, "How did this even get made?"
There's something about a movie set during the Christmas season that really lends itself to being a little over the top to begin with, so it's easy to see how quickly a movie could cross over from being just cheesy enough to work to straight up bad. From sequels to beloved movies that just fell flat, to holiday-themed comedies that had amazing casts that didn't get the scripts they deserved, these are the worst of the worst. A lot of Christmas movies are so bad they're good, but … that definitely doesn't apply here.
Read on for 15 seriously bad Christmas movies. Looking for something delightfully tacky? Well, these aren't it.
'Four Christmases'
In Four Christmases, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, a couple is spending Christmas day going around to four different family celebrations when spending the day with their loved ones was the last thing they wanted to do. Despite how talented Vince and Reese are, this one ended up falling flat.
'The Christmas Shoes'
Remember that incredibly upsetting song, The Christmas Shoes, about a little boy who wants to buy a pair of shoes for his sick mother, who may end up dying that night? Yeah, they made a TV movie about it, starring Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and it's just as bad as the song.
'Home Alone 3'
While the risk we run with sequels is high enough, a third movie in a series — even when the first movie is one of the all-time greats — is even riskier. Unfortunately, this applies to Home Alone 3, which was basically a retelling of the first Home Alone, but starred Alex D. Linz instead of Macaulay Culkin.
'The Santa Clause 3'
Add another threequel to the the list! The Santa Clause 3 wasn't nearly as good as the first two. In this edition of the series, Tim Allen returned as Santa, and this time, he was battling Jack Frost, played by Martin Short. It ended up being just as cheesy as it sounds!
'Fred Claus'
Once again, Vince Vaughn has fallen victim to a bad Christmas movie. In Fred Claus, Vince plays Santa's brother — and Santa is played by Paul Giamatti, BTW — who ends up at the North Pole after getting into trouble and needing to pay off his debt to his bro. Of course, it ends up being a disaster.
'Surviving Christmas'
Starring Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate, and Catherine O'Hara, Surviving Christmas is about a man who wants to spend Christmas in his childhood home, so he pays the people who live there to let him stay there and pretend they're his parents. And yep, it's just as weird as it sounds.
'Love the Coopers'
With a cast — including John Goodman, Olivia Wilde, Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, and Amanda Seyfried — Love the Coopers should have been a total success. Unfortunately, it just didn't live up to the hype brought by its all-star cast as it told the story of a family going through a divorce at the holidays.
'Deck the Halls'
In Deck the Halls, Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito play neighbors who are at odds during the holiday season when they each want to have the most impressive Christmas light display in the neighborhood. Also starring Kristin Davis and Kristin Chenoweth, this comedy doesn't end up hitting the right notes.
'Last Christmas'
There was a lot of hype around Last Christmas when it first came out, but the plot didn't end up impressing fans who went to see this movie. Starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, this movie is a rom-com about a young woman who plays an elf in a Christmas shop and falls in love. The rest is so crazy everyone should watch it once to find out.
'The Nutcracker and the Four Realms'
Disney's take on The Nutcracker, with a cast that included Morgan Freeman, Misty Copeland, and Helen Mirren? We didn't see how it could go wrong, and yet, somehow, it did. It just didn't end up being as charming as the classic story … and the reviews weren't great, either. Oh, well.
'Santa With Muscles'
As unbelievable as this movie might sound, yes, it's real. The 1996 movie Santa With Muscles stars Hulk Hogan as a millionaire who hides from police by putting on a Santa suit. He hits his head and gets amnesia, and he starts believing he actually is Santa. It's … not good.
'Jack Frost'
In Jack Frost, Michael Keaton plays a father who is killed, but comes back to life as a snowman. So as he's living his life as a snowman, he's trying to repair his relationship with his son, Charlie, after being mostly absent from his life. The animation of Jack Frost is a little upsetting, too.
'A Christmas Story 2'
Didn't know there was a sequel to A Christmas Story? It may have been better that way. In A Christmas Story 2, Ralphie is a teenager — and since this movie came out in 2012, he's played by Braeden Lemasters, instead of Peter Billingsley — who ends up in hot water after he wrecks his brand new car.
'Christmas With the Kranks'
In Christmas With the Kranks, Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis star as a couple who want to go on vacation instead of taking part in the usual Christmas festivities … but their Christmas-obsessed neighbors aren't having it. For as talented as this cast is, the movie really let them down!
'Reindeer Games'
Sadly, another bad Christmas movie for Ben Affleck. In the thriller Reindeer Games, he plays a man who was recently released from prison and wants to start fresh with his girlfriend (Charlize Theron). But her family and his past are making that impossible, and it could end up costing him his life.
