It’s the holidays! The time of year for families to get together to show love and appreciation for one another, and for the kids to get just a little too hopped up on all that sugar. Here are 10 perfect Christmas movies you can sit them down in front of that will keep them wonderfully entertained.
For those who celebrate it, especially those with younger children, Christmas is probably the most magical holiday of the year. The build-up to the day is filled with lights adorning the town, Christmas trees decorated with tinsel and baubles, and the knowledge that a certain jolly old man is going to be flying through the air with presents in his sleigh. It’s no wonder kids get so excited.
So if you’re wondering, “What movie will enrapture my little one, (and allow me a moment of peace)?” then fret not, we have the perfect list.
Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
The Home Alone movies center on Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), a boy with the face of a young angel but the mind of a diabolical genius, and exist in a place that all kids have wished for at some point or another: a house with no adults!
Despite having been left behind by his family, Kevin makes the most of his time home alone. Kevin seems to be doing remarkably well on his own until he discovers that his house is the next target of burglar duo the Wet Bandits. Hilarity and hijinks ensue, with Kevin coming to understand that maybe, just maybe, having his family around him is better than he thought. Remarkably, the Home Alone sequel is just as heartfelt and brilliant as the first. These films are the perfect mixture of naughty and nice.
Elf
Another Christmas classic is 2003’s Elf, featuring a hilarious turn from Will Ferrell. When a baby from an orphanage crawls into Santa’s present sack, he’s given the name Buddy and raised in the North Pole as an elf, despite the comical size difference. When Buddy is told that he is, obviously, not an elf, he sets off on a journey of self-discovery to meet his father (James Caan), a grumpy and bitter book publisher living in New York.
Here begins a clash of two cultures as Buddy comes to learn the real world isn’t quite as sweet and magical as he once thought; but through his endless optimism and joy for the season, he brings Christmas cheer to the people around him.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, we have another comedic talent playing an over-the-top character, this time the malleable Jim Carrey as Dr. Seuss’ grumpiest creation, the Grinch. An outcast of Whoville, the Grinch sits in his isolated mountain cave with only his dog Max for company. He wallows in his loneliness and despises what the Whos love most of all, Christmas. He decides to take away their reason for being so annoyingly merry and plans to steal Christmas, only to discover that the real meaning of Christmas is not what the Grinch, or the Whos, were taught to believe.
While kids can find joy in the colorful set designs and laugh at the over-the-top antics of the Grinch, we adults have come to discover that he may be the most relatable character of all Christmas movies.
Miracle on 34th Street (1937)
A Miracle on 34th Street has all the heartfelt joy you could wish for at this time of the year. When a man calling himself Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) berates the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa for being intoxicated on the job, he ends up in the role himself after event manager Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara) steps in. Kris is a natural and has people—including Walker’s skeptical young daughter—wondering if he is the real Santa.
Throughout the film, the audience is never sure what to believe, though by the end, we are left with the impression that Kris Kringle was just as magical as he claimed to be.
The Polar Express (2004)
The Polar Express follows our main protagonist, a young boy, as he wakes up on Christmas Eve to discover a huge locomotive train outside his house. He gets aboard to take the journey of a lifetime, facing mystery and peril as he and the other children on the train head to the North Pole.
This film focuses on that time in our lives when we start to doubt our childhood beliefs, showing the protagonist desperately trying to return to when he knew the magic of Christmas. With interesting visuals and a storyline that slightly older children might relate to, this is another fantastic Christmas option.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Based on characters created by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a wonderful stop-motion musical that cleverly combines two holidays in one—Halloween and Christmas. Jack Skellington, Halloween Town’s Pumpkin King, has lost his love for the holiday and feels like there is something more he is meant to do.
After stumbling across Christmas Town and all the magic it entails, he decides he must understand what makes Christmas so special and enlists the residents of Halloween Town to prepare for the holiday—where he will take over from Sandy Claws. With its fantastic visuals and wonderful songs, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a treat for viewers young and old.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Muppets Christmas Carol does a wonderful job of retelling the Charles Dickens classic, with Gonzo stepping in as the author himself, telling the story with the help of his friend Rizzo the Rat. The streets of Victorian London are brought to life as we watch Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine) visited by ghosts who show his Christmases past, present, and future in the hope that he will change his curmudgeonly ways.
Michael Caine does a wonderful job playing Scrooge here with the Muppets bringing humor and delight to the story too. It’s one of the best adaptations of the story so far, and a great way to introduce kids to this Christmas classic.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2022)
In Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, when genius inventor Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) is betrayed by his creation and his assistant, he loses his creative spark. After suffering the further loss of his wife, he loses himself, leading to the estrangement of his daughter Jessica. 15 years later, Jeronicus’ granddaughter Jingle pays a visit, discovering a little something left from the past—as well as some creative magic of her own.
With slick visuals and even slicker dance moves, this film contains a stellar cast who tell this memorable story in a way that’s bound to leave you floating on high.
Klaus (2019)
Klaus is a beautifully animated addition to our yearly Christmas watch list that’s bound to leave you both overjoyed and in tears. When lazy, entitled postman Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) is sent to the tumultuous remote town of Smeerenburg, he is desperate to fulfill his goal of delivering 6,000 letters to end his agony. He soon discovers that he can get the children to write these letters after the surly silent woodsman Klaus (J. K. Simmons) starts to donate his toys to them.
This film is exceedingly heartfelt, showing how a simple act of kindness always sparks another.
Arthur Christmas (2011)
In Arthur Christmas, Santa isn’t one immortal being, but a mantle passed down through the Claus family. Here we meet Arthur, son of the current Santa, who is overlooked in favor of his brother Steve, who reduces the role of Santa to a figurehead position. Automation and technology replace the traditional magic in Steve’s takeover. When an error causes one present to be missed, Arthur makes it his mission to deliver it, no matter what.
With so many movies to choose from, the whole family can sit down, cozy up, and get into the Christmas spirit! Happy Holidays, all!
(featured image: 20th Century Studios / Universal Pictures / Netflix)
