Movies always bring a festive spirit, especially the beloved classics from our childhood. These timeless films never lose their charm, with every scene filling us with holiday cheer and a sense of wonder. In this collection, we’ve gathered the best Christmas movies that have captured the hearts of audiences and become true symbols of the holiday season.
Content
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Home Alone
- The Polar Express
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- Serendipity
- Edward Scissorhands
It’s a Wonderful Life
IMDb: 8.6/10
1946, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance
USA, PG
Director: Frank Capra
Top cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
It’s a Wonderful Life might not initially seem like an obvious Christmas movie. However, its storyline echoes themes from the works of Charles Dickens. George Bailey has always lived in a small town, dreaming of exploring the world, but circumstances never allowed him to do so. He worked hard to support his family, invested every penny he had, took on debt, and fought to protect the town from the ruthless banker, Potter. On Christmas Eve, overwhelmed by endless problems, George decides to end his life. At the most pivotal moment in his life, a guardian angel appears, giving him a glimpse of what the world would be like without his involvement.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
IMDb: 7.6/10
1989, Comedy
USA, PG-13
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Top cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation tells the story of a Christmas enthusiast. The Griswold household goes all out for the holiday — they exchange presents, belt out carols, and bask in the glow of Christmas tree lights. Clark Griswold, a family man, is a walking catastrophe. Everything he touches ends up in flames or pieces. This season, Clark is set on making Christmas perfect, no matter the cost.
Home Alone
IMDb: 7.6/10
1990, Comedy, Family
USA, PG
Director: Chris Columbus
Top cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
Home Alone remains a Christmas favorite that countless people have watched time and time again. A large, lively family heads out for a holiday vacation but forgets one minor detail — Kevin. Rather than panic, Kevin rises to the occasion and handles things like a grown-up. He takes showers, buys groceries, and even does the laundry. When thieves try to break into the house, they quickly regret tangling with this clever kid. Home Alone deserves another watch as an adult, as the story offers a fresh perspective.
The Polar Express
IMDb: 6.1/10
2004, Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical
France, Belgium, G
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Top cast: Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter
The Polar Express takes its inspiration from Chris Van Allsburg's short story with the same title. Because the original tale is short, the filmmakers added their own ideas to fresh out the plot. The movie tells a story of a boy who no longer believes in miracles or Santa Claus. But on Christmas Eve, he gets an unexpected chance to visit Santa at the North Pole. As he travels on the “Polar Express”, he builds friendships and gains a valuable life lesson. Interestingly, the characters are portrayed by real actors, whose performances were digitally captured.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
IMDb: 6.3/10
2000, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
USA, Germany, PG
Director: Ron Howard
Top cast: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Kelley
The green, hairy Grinch, disliked by everyone, lives in Whoville. Upset with the world, he moved to live in solitude on a mountain. But more than anything, the Grinch despised Christmas. Each holiday was a nightmare for him. On Christmas Eve, when everyone in town was sweetly asleep, the Grinch prepared to carry out his sinister plan: to deprive everyone of the joy of Christmas. The Grinch isn't as bad as he seems. In his character, we can easily find a reflection of ourselves. Despite the makeup artists' best efforts to make him look completely inhuman, applying the makeup to Jim Carrey took three hours every day before filming. The process was so intense that Carrey even consulted a CIA expert to help endure the experience, which felt like torture.
Serendipity
IMDb: 6.8/10
2001, Comedy, Drama
USA, Canada, PG-13
Director: Peter Chelsom
Top cast: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Piven
On Christmas Eve, in a New York store, an American named Jonathan meets an Englishwoman named Sara. They spend just a few hours together, wandering through the snow-covered city. Before Sara heads back home, she suggests leaving their future to fate: Jonathan writes his phone number on a banknote, while Sara writes hers in a book. The bill gets spent, the book ends up in a secondhand shop, and they part ways. Will they ever meet again? Of course, the actors of Serendipity will perform all the stunts themselves, without doubles.
Edward Scissorhands
IMDb: 7.9/10
1990, Fantasy, Drama, Romance
USA, PG-13
Director: Tim Burton
Top cast: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest
Edward Scissorhands isn’t exactly a Christmas story, but it certainly has a wintry atmosphere. Snowflakes fall, the chill is in the air, and there's a love that can melt even the coldest heart. The story follows an old, lonely scientist who creates a human being but passes away before he can finish. A young man isolated in an abandoned mansion lives with an unusual physical feature: instead of hands, he has sharp scissors.One day, a kindhearted door-to-door saleswoman finds him and brings him home. In this new world, Edward tries to adapt — befriending her young son and falling in love with her beautiful daughter.
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