The Best Christmas Movies Ever

Hollywood has long had a love affair with Christmas.  The "Christmas Movie" is a well-established genre, with more and more of these films running marathons and specials on tv every year, with more in theaters every year as well.  

What follows is my list of the best Christmas movies ever.  To qualify, a movie has to be: 1) about Christmas, or 2) involve Christmas as a major plot element or theme.  There are plenty of others, and many of them are great.  But these are the best, according to my opinionated (and thereby treated as correct in this forum) point of view.

#8: It's a Wonderful Life

Who can resist Jimmy Stewart at Christmas?  "Merry Christmas you old building and loan!"  Overall, not the best movie ever.  But certainly one of the most cheerful and sweetest.  

#7: A Christmas Story

Ralphie and his quest for a Red Rider BB gun are now legendary.  This is one of a very small selection of films that really gets little boys, and how they think, right.  "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."


#6:  Elf

Honestly, this is a modern classic.  This one is all about Will Ferrell, who proves he can carry a movie on his elfish optimism.  A great supporting cast and screenplay certainly also help.  "Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?"


Hit the jump for the top 5.


#5: A Charlie Brown Christmas

I know it's just a tv special, but this is really special.  I love everything about this one, and watch it every year.  It protested the rise of commercialism in an almost prophetic way.  It was unashamed in proclaiming the true meaning of Christmas.  And it has the most iconic Peanuts moment ever.  "I killed it."


#4: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I want to be clear here; I'm not talking about the wretched Jim Carey thing.  The good one is the animated short with Boris Karloff.  Perfect in execution, memorable in nearly every way, and simply brilliant in concept.  "Then the Grinch had an idea.  An awful idea.  The Grinch had a wonderfully awful idea!"


#3: White Christmas

White Christmas is the best selling song of all time.  It is also a great film about a couple of guys helping out a friend, and finding love along the way.  Great writing, great acting, and perfection in dance and song.  "Mutual, I'm sure!"

#2: A Christmas Carol

There are countless versions of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas tale.  The George C. Scott version is my favorite, simply on the back of Scott's performance.  Fun and full of feeling, this is a great addition to anyone's Christmas traditions.  "Bah, humbug!"





And the #1 Christmas movie of all time?







#1: Die Hard

If I have to defend this choice, then clearly you've not seen Die Hard.  Sure, it doesn't have Santa Claus or other things like that, but it does take place on Christmas Eve and has a great anti-consumerism theme.  "Now I have a machine gun.  Ho Ho Ho."