The Best Christmas Movies of All Time

Ranked List

1. 1
   Elf(2003)Christmas Movie ✓

   Directed by Jon Favreau · Streaming on Max, Peacock

   Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf is a once-in-a-generation comedic performance, and the film around him is flawless — warm, funny, and genuinely moving. All three Tis the Podcast elves agree: Elf is the gold standard of modern Christmas movies.

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2. 2
   Home Alone(1990)Christmas Movie ✓

   Directed by Chris Columbus · Streaming on Disney+

   Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister is one of cinema's great child heroes, and John Hughes' script somehow makes you feel the warmth of family even when everyone's been terrible to each other. A film that gets better every rewatch.

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3. 3
   A Christmas Story(1983)Christmas Movie ✓

   Directed by Bob Clark · Streaming on Max, Peacock

   The definitive portrait of childhood Christmas longing. Ralphie's obsession with the Red Ryder BB gun is universal nostalgia bottled into 94 minutes. The leg lamp alone earns its place in cinema history.

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4. 4

   It's a Wonderful Life(1946)

   Christmas Movie ✓

   Directed by Frank Capra · Streaming on Amazon Prime, Peacock

   Frank Capra's masterpiece is the emotional foundation of the Christmas movie genre. Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey is cinema's most complete portrayal of despair turning to grace. No list is complete without it.
5. 5
   Die Hard(1988)Christmas Movie ✓

   Directed by John McTiernan · Streaming on Max, Peacock

   Set on Christmas Eve, scored to "Let It Snow," and powered by a central theme of family reunion and redemption — Die Hard is a Christmas movie. One of the greatest action films ever made, full stop. The debate is settled.

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6. 6

   Klaus(2019)

   Christmas Movie ✓

   Directed by Sergio Pablos · Streaming on Netflix

   The first Netflix animated film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, and it earned every bit of that recognition. Klaus reinvents the Santa Claus origin story with stunning 2D animation and genuine emotional weight.
7. 7

   The Muppet Christmas Carol(1992)

   Christmas Movie ✓

   Directed by Brian Henson · Streaming on Disney+

   Michael Caine playing Scrooge entirely straight opposite a cast of Muppets is a creative decision that should not work — and yet it produces the definitive screen adaptation of A Christmas Carol. "It Feels Like Christmas" is the perfect Christmas song.
8. 8
   Love Actually(2003)Hotly Debated

   Directed by Richard Curtis · Streaming on Peacock, Tubi

   Richard Curtis's interconnected romance anthology is either the best Christmas movie ever made or a deeply flawed film that happens to be set at Christmas, depending on who you ask. The Tis the Podcast elves have strong opinions. Listen to find out whose side you're on.

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9. 9

   Home Alone 2: Lost in New York(1992)

   Christmas Movie ✓

   Directed by Chris Columbus · Streaming on Disney+

   The rare sequel that justifies its existence by scaling everything up. New York City at Christmas, the Plaza Hotel, Tim Curry at peak Tim Curry — it's not as tight as the original, but it delivers exactly what a Christmas sequel should.
10. 10

    National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation(1989)

    Christmas Movie ✓

    Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik · Streaming on Max

    Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold is the patron saint of Christmas over-ambition, and this film is his monument. The squirrel scene, the rant, the Jelly of the Month Club speech — a catalog of the best Christmas movie moments ever committed to film.