The week of the Thanksgiving, David pulls out his collection of holiday movie DVDs and organizes our watch list for the season. While we can stream so many of these movies on Hulu or other services, David really appreciates the nostalgia of breaking out his DVD collection.
There is just something about a holiday movie night in. They are the ultimate feel-good night in with a fire, a cup of hot chocolate, and a cozy blanket. Our list below is the order in which we are watching them in 2024. Keep scrolling for the 23 holiday movies on our watch list.
23 Holiday Movies on Our Watch List
Christmas Vacation
This is *the* movie that starts the holiday movie marathon for us. We both have a deep appreciation of dry humor and this one is a delightful holiday classic. As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), and children, as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin, Eddie (Randy Quaid), and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark’s employers do not provide the holiday bonus he needs.
Christmas at the Kranks
I love Jamie Lee Curtis in this movie so much. She is really the quintessential mom and this silly story evolves into a cute ending. The Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever!
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite holiday stories and I will watch any version. This one features Jim Carrey and has some pretty advanced 3-D animations.
Surviving Christmas
I’m not going to lie, this movie is cringey for me at times, though I do still find some parts pretty funny. I also love anything Catherine O’Hara does. A wealthy executive, Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) has no close relationships and becomes nostalgic for his childhood home as Christmas approaches. When he visits the house and finds another family living there, he offers the residents, Tom Valco (James Gandolfini) and his wife, Christine (Catherine O’Hara), a large sum of money to pretend they are his parents. Soon Drew tests the couple’s patience, and, when their daughter, Alicia (Christina Applegate), arrives, things get increasingly tense.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
You know what, yes. We go out of order. And yes, this is both of our least favorite out of the series. I have a complicated opinion on Tim Allen as an actor that I’ll spare y’all from here. But I do love his relationship with Lucy, his ex-wife’s daughter and this warms my heart. I also love Martin Short and he plays a villain so well.
Santa Clause 2
Again, we go out of order with this movie series and I appreciate this one for the evolving relationship with his son. I love the Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has been in the role of Santa for the past eight years, and his loyal elves consider him the best one ever. But the world of the “Merry Old Soul” turns upside down when he’s dealt a double whammy of news: Not only has his son, Charlie (Eric Lloyd), landed on this year’s naughty list, but Scott discovers that he must marry by Christmas Eve — just a month away! — or he will stop being Santa Claus forever.
The Original Television Christmas Classics
We always like to have these Christmas classics on while finalizing our Christmas decorations, especially if it is when we are decorating the tree. This set includes classics such as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.
Fred Claus
I really enjoy anything with Vince Vaughn in it and this movie is pretty hilarious to me. The scene where they’re listening to the Rolling Stones “Beast of Burden” is one of my favorites from any holiday movie. Also, Elizabeth Banks appears in this film as well and I am a big fan of hers as well! Of the two Claus brothers, Fred (Vince Vaughn) is the troublemaker and polar opposite of his saintly sibling, Nicholas (Paul Giamatti). When Fred’s criminal ways finally land him in big trouble, Nicholas bails him out and brings him to the North Pole to work off the debt by making toys. The headaches mount for St. Nick, who not only must deal with his troublemaking brother, but also an efficiency expert who has come to evaluate Santa’s operation. *Trigger warning* that Kevin Spacey is in this film as the efficiency expert.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
We go with the classic version of this first. This made-for-TV Christmas special is a classic. Based on a Dr. Seuss book, it is about a Christmas-hating Grinch who wants to make everyone as miserable on Christmas as he is. The poor, small-hearted Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas through the loving Whos in Whoville.
Deck the Halls
This movie is just fine, in my opinion. The plot is incredibly unrealistic and mean-spirited throughout, though there are some funny and enjoyable parts to it as well. That said, David does really like this movie, so here it is in our rotation. Steve (Matthew Broderick), suburban dad and Christmas enthusiast, finds a wrinkle in his well-ordered existence with the arrival of his new neighbor Danny (Danny DeVito). Danny has big dreams and plans to illuminate his house with enough holiday lights to make it visible from space. Not to be outdone, Steve declares a war of one-upmanship with Danny that threatens to drag the Christmas spirit through the slush.
Jingle All the Way
I have shared with David in the past that I think this is such an under-rated holiday film. It is one of my favorites outside of some of the more traditional ones that I love. Workaholic Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) wants to make things up to his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd), and wife, Liz (Rita Wilson). He promises to get Jamie the hottest toy of the season, Turbo-Man — even though it’s Christmas Eve and the toy is practically sold out. As Langston hunts down the elusive gift, he runs into mailman Myron (Sinbad), another father on the same quest. With the clock winding down, Langston’s moral code is tested as he starts to learn the real meaning of Christmas.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey
This take on the classic is really adorable, especially the pupper! In this live-action adaptation of the beloved children’s tale by Dr. Seuss, the reclusive green Grinch (Jim Carrey) decides to ruin Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville. Reluctantly joined by his hapless dog, Max, the Grinch comes down from his mountaintop home and sneaks into town to swipe everything holiday-related from the Whos. However, the bitter grump finds a hitch in his plans when he encounters the endearing Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen).
A Christmas Story
A laugh-out-loud holiday classic. Based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd, this beloved holiday movie follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who spends most of his time dodging a bully (Zack Ward) and dreaming of his ideal Christmas gift, a “Red Ryder air rifle.” Frequently at odds with his cranky dad (Darren McGavin) but comforted by his doting mother (Melinda Dillon), Ralphie struggles to make it to Christmas Day with his glasses and his hopes intact.
Miracle on 34th St.
This is such a heartwarming story and I love this version so much. Such a cute movie! Six-year-old Susan Walker (Mara Wilson) is skeptical of the Christmas myth surrounding Santa Claus, a trait she perhaps learned from her mother, Dorey (Elizabeth Perkins). When tasked with hiring the Santa who will pose with kids at Macy’s, Dorey enlists a man with the curious name of Kris Kringle (Richard Attenborough) who claims to be Santa himself. His assertions are met with scoffs and threats of institutionalization, but a young lawyer, along with Susan and Dorey, comes to his defense.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
This is hands’ down one of my favorite holiday movies. Michael Caine is incredible in this film and I just love the juxtaposition of his seriousness with the Muppets. The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets — Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle — weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases — past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness.
Polar Express
This is in David’s top 5 favorite movies, so it gets watched closer to the actual holiday. David has a polar express train that he sets up around the tree each year. When a doubting young boy takes a train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
It’s a Wonderful Life
When I tell you that this movie is one of my all-time favorite movies, ever, I mean I sob like a baby at the end. I love everything about the story and the reminder that we’re not failures when we have friends. After George Bailey (James Stewart) wishes he had never been born, an angel (Henry Travers) is sent to earth to make George’s wish come true. George starts to realize how many lives he has changed and impacted, and how they would be different if he was never there.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Santa Clause
While there are some parts of this modern classic that I struggle with (the fat shaming, the fact that Neil tries to tear the family apart to name a couple), this is still one of the ones that David and I enjoy watching together. Divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen) has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa’s place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he’s dreaming, but over the next several months he gains weight and grows an inexplicably white beard. Maybe that night at the North Pole wasn’t a dream after all — and maybe Scott has a lot of work to do.
Elf
I will never not love this movie! Will Ferrell is incredible in it and I love the Christmas cheer. Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.
Home Alone
This is David’s favorite series of holiday movies, and I always look forward to it. We save it for Christmas Day and do a little movie marathon. When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O’Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must protect the family home.
Home Alone 2
This is my favorite in the series because there is nowhere I would rather be during the holidays than New York City. I would love to do the Home Alone experience at the Plaza one day with David, too. After snarky youth Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) loses track of his father at the airport, he mistakenly gets on a plane headed for New York City — while the rest of the McCallisters fly to Florida. Now alone in the Big Apple, Kevin cons his way into a room at the Plaza Hotel and begins his usual antics. But when Kevin discovers that the Sticky Bandits (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) are on the loose, he struggles to stop them from robbing an elderly man’s toy store just before Christmas.
The Holiday
I watch this at least a few times during the holiday season. Jude Law is so cute, especially when he is with his daughters. I also adore Kate Winslet & Jack Black and adore the relationship that Kate establishes with her California neighbor. Two women, one from America and one from Britain, swap homes at Christmastime after bad breakups with their boyfriends. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.
Related: 10+ Best Things to Do in NC for the Holidays
Shop the 23 Holiday Movies on Our Watch List
