The 30 best Christmas movies of all time

Richard Donner’s dog-eat-dog Dickens update is a triumph of casting as much as anything else: Who better to play a kind, sharp-witted ex-love than Karen Allen? Bobcat Goldthwait as a pencil pusher on the edge? Carol Kane, as a nut-kicking, pixie-ish Ghost Of Christmas Present? And, at the bitter little heart of it all, Bill Murray, at his ’90s Bill Murray-est, as our modern Ebeneezer, TV executive Frank Cross. At its heart, Scrooged is a pretty traditional Christmas Carol riff. But it’s so buoyed by the visuals, and especially the performances, that you might not notice until “Put A Little Love In Your Heart” has already finished playing. [William Hughes]

In , Billy Bob Thornton plays professional thief Willie T. Soke. Each Christmas season, Willie and his dwarf partner in crime get hired, respectively, as Santa and elf in a department store and then rob the place after hours. Willie is a misanthropic, foul-mouthed drunk who despises children, so it’s a Christmas miracle that he even lands the Santa gigs in the first place. The first movie features John Ritter, in his last live-action film performance, as an anxious store manager. Brett Kelly is hilarious as a hapless youth for whom Willie develops a soft spot. If you’re looking for the opposite of It’s A Wonderful Life, your search is over! [Robert DeSalvo]

Add this exceptional animated movie to your Netflix queue. One of the best holiday films in years, is full of beautiful moments and sometimes shocking visuals as it finds new ways to mine what Christmas really means and how the titular character serves as our guide through that journey. Klaus is a hopeful tale full of comedy and tears, and it’s a movie that only gets better with each passing year. [Phil Pirrello]

Written by Preston Sturges—his last script directed by someone other than him— is a must-see romantic comedy headlined by Barbara Stanwyck. She’s joined by Fred MacMurray in this excellent twist on a courtroom story. An ill-timed theft of jewelry leads to a trial with a jury drunk on the Christmas spirit, as well as an old-school road trip full of funny one-liners and endless romantic sparks between the lead actors. [Phil Pirrello]

Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan star in this 1945 Christmas rom-com about a single magazine writer who, while pretending to be a farm wife, falls for a war hero. English director Peter Godfrey grounds the sometimes farcical material on the very human romance at its core. And Stanwyck gives one of her best performances—one that’s worth viewing no matter the time of year. [Phil Pirrello]

Easily the best and most beloved stop-motion-animated Christmas classic, 1964’s has embedded itself into the cultural consciousness—enough to earn a USPS postage stamp at its 50th anniversary. Like fellow Rankin/Bass special Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, it’s a colorful, whimsical tale inspired entirely by the lyrics of a song; turns out Johnny Marks’ descriptions of Rudolph make for a fully fleshed-out origin story for this magical, mocked reindeer calf. The cherry—or glowing red nose?—on top are musical numbers like “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Silver And Gold,” sure to melt even the coldest hearts every holiday season. [Jack Smart]

The kind of TV special that rewards annual rewatching, is proof that Christmas cheer is all the sweeter when it’s actually sour—or, as Thurl Ravenscroft sings in this film’s iconic tune, “a bad banana with a greasy black peel.” Charles Dickens understood that juxtaposition, gifting us A Christmas Carol’s Scrooge, but equally important in the curmudgeon canon is Dr. Seuss’ Grinch. As cuddly as a cactus, as charming as an eel, this green goblin with a heart deficiency continues to provide representation for the asocial and anti-commericalist among us. [Jack Smart]

What’s this? appearing on another A.V. Club list? Why, yes it is! How could we exclude it from a list of the best Christmas movies ever? It’s got “Christmas” right there in the title! And it’s ultimately Santa who saves the day, after Pumpkin King Jack Skellington’s semi-hostile takeover nearly ruins everyone’s holiday (as Sally could have told him, if he’d only listened). The themes in this stop-motion classic of being true to yourself and finding new inspiration to rekindle old passions are relevant all year round. It works for Christmas, Halloween, and everything in between. [Cindy White]

Highly quotable (especially Cousin Eddie) and very entertaining, brings screenwriter John Hughes and one of his most successful contributions to cinema, the Griswolds, back for one of the best holiday movies and threequels ever made. This time, Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold has his Christmas spirit tested when he insists on having all of the family over to celebrate the holiday. Part of Christmas Vacation’s considerable charm is how it finds the silver lining in all the messiness that comes from Clark’s myopic, but sincere, attempt to make December 25 special. From gift-wrapped cats to “Bing Crosby dancing with Danny Fu**ing Kaye,” Christmas Vacation keeps you laughing long after the end credits roll. [Phil Pirrello]

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price Of Salt, follows two women (Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett) as they fall in love over the Christmas season in 1952. It’s a classic Hollywood romance, but it doesn’t shy away from showing the societal repercussions gay women faced during that time. , though, is that it still has a happy ending—and what’s more heartwarming than love conquering all? [Jen Lennon]

Few Christmas classics are more classic, or more Christmas-y, than 1954’s . It represents the peaks of all four of its cinema icons, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen, and catchy tunes that have endured in our cultural consciousness for a reason. Centered on a group of entertainers whose simple quest—spread the holiday spirit amid the tensions of World War II—involves delightful diversions of the romantic comedy variety, White Christmas has just the right amount of zippy comedy to cut the sentimental treacle that makes it an annual favorite. Fun fact: Crosby and Kaye’s comedic “Sisters” number wasn’t originally in the story, but was added with little rehearsal—the laughter between the two of them isn’t acting, they’re genuinely cracking each other up. [Jack Smart]

Jimmy Stewart is a holiday staple for other reasons (which can be found further up this list), but don’t discount this lovely winter romance, which predates Stewart’s other Christmas classic by six years. A predecessor to Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail, sees Alfred Kralik (Stewart) unwittingly enter a rivalry with his own anonymous pen pal, Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan). They’re surrounded by colorful characters at a leathergoods shop gearing up for their big Christmas sale, but the chemistry between Kralik and Novak–plus a heavy dose of Stewart’s good-guy charm–propels this timeless treasure of a romantic comedy. [Mary Kate Carr]

is easily one of the most enjoyable Christmas movies—and rewatches—of all time. There’s a reason, “Keep the change, ya filthy animal” is burned into our memory forever. The movie livens up with slapstick humor as an 8-year-old Kevin (an endearing Macaulay Culkin) traps two goofy thieves trying to break into his family’s house on Christmas. The ridiculous physical comedy paves the way for surprisingly saccharine moments (like Kevin in the church with his neighbor or when he reunites with his mother), proving that at its core, Home Alone is a cozy holiday movie, after all. [Saloni Gajjar]

Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang never disappoint with this timeless animated classic. For a story aimed at children, hinges on some very adult themes as Charlie confronts the commercialism that surrounds Christmastime by trying to find a deeper, more meaningful way to celebrate this special time of year. [Phil Pirrello]

Christmas is chaos, and no film captures that haphazard tumult better than Joe Dante’s violent, cartoonish, and beautiful ode to literally the worst thing that could possibly happen if you don’t read the instructions on a last-minute present. (Remember, kids: Don’t give animals as gifts—especially not magical ones!) Nearly 40 years later, remains a refreshingly nasty Yuletide celebration, while also still being irresistibly fun—just clock the scene of Dante’s tinsel-decked monsters losing their minds watching Snow White in a movie theater and see if you don’t catch some holiday cheer. And, of course, it contains one of the greatest monologues ever performed about the horrors of the holidays. Say it along with Phoebe Cates, folks: “The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas …” [William Hughes]

Christmas movies don’t get much better (or funnier) than . A pre-Marvel Jon Favreau teamed up with Will Farrell at the height of the comedic actor’s star power to deliver an endlessly rewatchable holiday comedy. Buddy the Elf’s silly enthusiasm for Christmas is rivaled only by his determination to find his father, a very cynical and grumpy New York book publisher (the late James Caan). Buddy’s search takes him from the North Pole to Fifth Avenue in truly hilarious and heartfelt ways. [Phil Pirrello]

For a holiday primarily viewed through the eyes of children, it’s a strange thing to note that relatively few Christmas movies are—instead tending to focus on adults who rediscover the holiday’s meaning in later life. Bob Clark’s , based on excerpts from Jean Shepherd’s hilarious In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, is different. Clark and Shepherd (who narrates the film to perfection) dial into what being a kid at Christmastime actually feels like: The anticipation and anxiety of a deeply craved present, the weird little family rituals that develop, the various humiliations and triumphs of simply being a kid. It’s a nostalgic touchstone that works because it doesn’t paint the past with rose-colored glasses. (Because, after all, you’re probably just going to shoot your eye out anyway.) [William Hughes]

The most successful holiday films are those that re-capture what it’s like to be a kid again, and the original pulls this feeling off effortlessly. When a man claims to be the real Kris Kringle and gets institutionalized for it, a young attorney struggles to prove not only the man’s innocence, but that he is the genuine article. If there’s a better last reel of a holiday movie, we don’t want to know about it. [Phil Pirrello]

This very British adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Scrooge tale is one of the finest takes on the well-tread material. Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, features Alastair Sim giving arguably the definitive Ebenezer Scrooge performance. He goes all-in with his portrayal of the miserable curmudgeon as Scrooge learns how wrong he is about Christmas being a waste of time. The third act contains zero surprises for those familiar with the tale, but the way Carol hits those tried and true beats are nonetheless still satisfying no matter how many times you’ve seen the film. [Phil Pirrello]

Frank Capra’s Christmas classic was initially (and undeservedly) a disappointment when it was first released. But thanks to endless holiday airings on TV, became a Christmas staple, in large part because of its timeless story about the generosity of spirit and how easy it is to lose sight of it, even with Christmas around the corner. Jimmy Stewart delivers an all-timer performance as a fragile man who finds the true meaning of Christmas where it often resides: With those we love. [Phil Pirrello]