‘Tis the season for watching all the movies that make you feel warm, cozy, and festive. There is no shortage of holiday movies across every genre, from comedies tohorror, from over-the-top musicals to intimate period dramas. There are Christmas-adjacent films that people debate and as well as an endless string ofHallmark-style films about cute small towns with lots of nice and attractive people.
For all the countless options, however, there are always classics that feel like they should be enjoyed each and every year. These are the seasonal essentials, and they can’t be missed. Here’s where you canstreamsome of the most beloved classic holiday films this winter.
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1A Christmas Story
An endearing and nostalgic trip to simpler times
A Christmas Story
This 80s classic just feels like childhood. It seems to perfectly encapsulate the thrills and worries of adolescence during the holiday time, making amusing concerns seem larger than life. Still both funny and sweet, it feels a bit quaint at times but still has a bit of bite to it, and is a perfect holiday escape back to slower, cozier, simpler times.
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2It’s a Wonderful Life
Love and hope triumph in this inspiring tale
It’s a Wonderful Life
This holiday classic is a perennial favorite for its charm, grace, and timeless universal themes. It’s filled with lines and scenes that are quintessentially of the holiday time, backed by an unforgettable performance by James Stewart. The emotional swings George Bailey endures are easy to resonate with, especially during a dark, cold time of year. Above all else, it’s a movie that continuously serves as a reminder of the importance of family and friends. And that the company you work for doesn’t really care about you.
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3Home Alone
This evergreen film perfectly hits every Christmas note
Home Alone
This holiday has it all, from sweet reunions and stirring music, to uncomfortable violence and youthful exuberance. There are so many memorable lines and so many meme-able clips; each moment feels significant, and somehow the absurd plot is heavily grounded. Inexplicably, even the sequel is pretty entertaining and worth a watch as well.
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4Jingle All the Way
For the love of a toy
Jingle All the Way
A lot of Christmas movies don’t quite hold up to modern sensibilities, and Jingle All the Way is definitely one of them. Still, it’s so ridiculous and so very 90s that it’s worth a rewatch, if only to embrace all its absurdity and countless plot holes. Yet, there are some themes in it that still hold up, from the commercialization of Christmas to how so many people are overworked heading into the holidays. Just remember, you’re my number one customer!
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5Love Actually
This sincere romance has evolved into a bonkers Christmas film
Love Actually
Jingle All the Way and so many other films are so very absurd, but Love Actually, with its sincere efforts to explore all kinds of relationships at this time of year, might be the most ridiculous of them all. And that’s really something. Love Actually doesn’t try to be over the top, and it seems so sure in itself, believing that all the erotic conflicts and showcases of love it presents are moving. As viewers have come to release, the film is filled with wildly inappropriate and problematic connections that it thinks are both healthy and winning. It’s dated and demented, but it is still worth watching for all the unintentional laughs and eyerolls it will elicit.
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6Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
A perfect adaptation still enjoyable decades later
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
Surely, on everyone’s watch list, the first and still the best take on the Grinch is a wonderful watch. Ron Howard’s live action version is a wild, creepy trip, while the more recent animated version of the Grinch was a bit too safe and cute. This TV special from 1966, however, is just perfect. At only 25 minutes, it makes the most of its short run time, effectively setting up and seeing through one of the most delightful Christmas transformations ever told. As the days grow colder and the world more chaotic, it’s easier to relate to Grinch’s desire for some quiet time alone.
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7National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Quotable classic filled with chaos and absurdity
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
The Griswolds have been on a lot of wild trips, but their holiday escapade stands out the most. The film perfectly captures all the annoyances and struggles of the holiday time that so many people have to endure. From invasive family members to pesky neighbors, tedious Christmas lights and a stubborn tree, and, of course, a company that forgoes a bonus in favor of something completely worthless, there is a lot of relatable material. Clark’s frustrations are the same as so many viewers, which makes this silly tale just a little more tender and timeless.
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8The Muppet Christmas Carol
An beloved take on a classic story
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Of all the many versions of this timeless Dickens tale, The Muppets' take on it may be the best. It certainly holds up over time, and brings together a lot of what the best Christmas stories offer: humor, humanity, and music. Michael Caine’s serious take on Scrooge is wonderfully juxtaposed by the goofiness of the Muppets, and that strange balance makes for something tender and engaging. It also doesn’t hurt that the songs in the film are stellar, with banger after banger that holds up to this day.
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A super-sized Christmas extravaganza
An instant holiday classic filled with clever storytelling, endless wit, and that special movie magic, Red One burst into theaters last month and, amid much demand, is now available on Prime Video.
Just kidding! This depressing attempt at comedic holiday is pieced together by an algorithm, completely devoid of anything the least bit fun or interesting. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and a lot of terrible CGI, the film crams in a lot of disparate Christmas lore into an incoherent story and somehow makes the holiday season, and the North Pole, look terribly ugly. Sadly, Amazon will still make money off of this blunder and will learn absolutely no lessons. I can’t wait until they greenlight a sequel, surely called Red One Two, that will star Kevin Hart and Gal Gadot.
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