We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
WiseGEEK

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Culinary

What are Some Classic Christmas Movies?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated Jan 29, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGEEK is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGEEK, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

For some, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without enjoying the many Christmas Movies that have been made over the years. Most people list It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and White Christmas as their top three favorite Christmas Movies. These films do indeed inspire the holiday mood, and from White Christmas comes many favorite Christmas songs.

After the top three Christmas movies, lists diverge significantly, and often include not only movies made for the silver screen, but also television holiday classics like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Charlie Brown Christmas, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Some see these merely as children’s fare, while others, still being kids at heart, wouldn’t miss a Christmas season without viewing them.

In the continuing, and ever-growing list of Christmas movies, some cite the Jimmy Durante classic film A Christmas List, made in 1950. Almost everyone lists some version of The Christmas Carol adapted numerous times for films. Some prefer the Alastair Sim version of 1951, while others prefer the George C. Scott version of 1984. A critical minority prefers the teleplay starring Patrick Stewart as Scrooge, which first aired in 1999 on the TNT network. Children may enjoy The Muppet Christmas Carol with a quite good performance by Michael Caine.

The 1980s film The Christmas Story is now considered one of the best Christmas movies. While most of the films above can be watched by audiences of all ages, The Christmas Story while, fairly tame, may frighten young children. However, most enjoy the story immensely, and it has long been considered the funniest Christmas movie.

Some also list Meet Me in St. Louis as a classic Christmas film, since Judy Garland sings the well-known “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” in the film. However, some argue the film cannot technically be called a Christmas movie since it ends in the spring.

As well, the 1934 The March of the Wooden Soldiers featuring the comic talents of Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel, is often listed among the best Christmas movies. This film does feature Santa Claus for a brief time, but does not actually follow a Christmas theme. However, many consider it to be a classic film that is family appropriate, and will have one indulging in many a belly laugh.

Some like to add to their classic movie list each year by watching more modern Christmas movies. In recent years, films like Elf, The Santa Clause, and Love Actually make many Christmas movies lists. Others enjoy Home Alone or Jingle all the Way. It should be noted that Love Actually is not appropriate for children, and some may object to the slapstick violence in Home Alone and Jingle.

Unlike those films that are considered as true classic Christmas movies, modern films may need to be screened prior to showing them to children. In fact one of the nicest aspects in viewing the older films is that an entire family can watch them, since they tend to be more innocent and light hearted in nature.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen , Writer
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGEEK contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
See our Editorial Process Share Feedback

Related Articles

Discussion Comments

By amypollick — On Dec 15, 2011

My personal favorite Christmas movie is the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol" with Alistair Sim as Scrooge. The George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart versions are very good, and I have no problem with them, but there's something Sim brings to the role that touches my heart. It's also a heavily atmospheric movie, as are the first couple of "staves" of the book. In my opinion, it clings very closely to the Dickens version of Scrooge's counting house, his home, and that dark, sinister staircase.

See this version, and also do yourself a sterling favor and read "A Christmas Carol." Dickens has his reporter hat on for this story, and it's extremely readable. His descriptions of London on Christmas morning are worth the whole book.

"The Bishop's Wife" with Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young is also a delightful Christmas movie, and I always look for it. "Holiday Affair" with Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh is another good movie. Mitchum's agents were trying to revamp his very bad boy image, and he actually does a nice turn as the romantic lead.

By anon221789 — On Oct 13, 2011

Who doesn’t love watching holiday movies? I know I do and I’m especially interested in the classic movies that take me back to my childhood. Halloween is right around the corner and that’s when the major holiday cheer comes back on the scene. I can’t wait and the good thing is that I can rent movies whenever I want using the Blockbuster Movie Pass with my DISH Network account. It’s also available to new and existing customers and you can even get more channels in your actual DISH Network TV subscription. It’s a lot cheaper than Netflix and Redbox and you can choose from thousands of different titles!

By sunshine31 — On Aug 15, 2010

SurfNturf- That happens to me too. I have to say that the most popular Christmas movies for me were Frosty the Snowman and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.

What I love about the Christmas season is all of the Christmas holiday movies that they play. It really gets you into the season. I have these Christmas movies on DVD, but I still catch them when they are on TV. They bring me back to when I was a kid.

By surfNturf — On Aug 15, 2010

Greenweaver- Oh, I love that movie too. I really like the updated version with Jim Carey.

The old Christmas movies that I love to watch are the TV Christmas movies with Rudolph and the popular Christmas movie about the misfit toys.

I loved those movies as a child and I still watch them with my kids too. I am embarrassed to say that I still cry a little bit when watching some of these movies. I tend to get a little sentimental viewing these Christmas holiday movies.

By GreenWeaver — On Aug 15, 2010

Olittlewood- I agree. It’s a “Wonderful Life is a true Christmas” classic. I have to say that one of my favorite Christmas movies is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.

I have the movie and watch every Christmas with my kids. The story really illustrates the Christmas spirit. I love how the people of Woo-Ville demonstrated that they did not care about the presents.

My favorite line was, when Boris Karlof says “Christmas doesn’t come from a store, perhaps Christmas means a little bit more.”

This movie allows children to understand the meaning of Christmas with an engaging timeless story. Often children really begin to comprehend moral lessons more from engaging movies like this.

No matter how many times I watch this movie, I felt the same about it now as I did when I watched it as a child. I still love it.

By olittlewood — On Dec 05, 2007

my new favorite Christmas movie is Love, Actually, but NOTHING beats It's a Wonderful Life!

Tricia Christensen

Tricia Christensen

Writer

With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGEEK contributor, Tricia...
Read more
WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.