The Best Christmas Movies The Whole Family Can Enjoy

One of the best things to do during the end of the year is to watch Christmas movies. Now, while you can always watch them by yourself, sitting down and enjoying them with your family really adds to the experience. So, after you try to get as many members of your family in the living room at the same time, vote on which movie to watch. By making a game out of something as mundane as picking a movie, you can ensure that everyone will have at least some interest in the results of the voting. Below are some of the greatest Christmas movies that everyone in your family will enjoy (even though they’ve probably seen them all before)!

Christmas Vacation

Many of the Christmas movies on this list are comedies. Why, you ask? It’s because laughter brings people together, and what better time to come together than during Christmas? This film is about a typical middle class family and the father’s struggles to make this the best Christmas yet! Unfortunately, this holiday season seems destined to fail, with unexpected visiting relatives, a crowded house, an animal problem, and an unhealthy fixation on perfection. Everything must surely fall apart due to all these events, right? Nope! Through it all, the family (or at least the ones hosting Christmas) stick together to the very end.

Home Alone

Ever wanted to have the whole house to yourself? What would be the first thing you would do? It seems like a pretty cool scenario, but imagine if you were really young and stuck at home by yourself. The situation may change a little bit. The primary goal of many Christmas movies is to have a clear message throughout that the viewers can think about after the film has ended. Home Alone is one such movie, with Kevin (the main character) eventually learning that family is important. Sometimes, it can be hard to live with your family, but they’ll always be there for you when everyone else has gone.

Home Alone 2

Some of the Christmas movies on this list have sequels, but they usually aren’t as good as the original. Thankfully, Home Alone 2 is an exception. Alright, so, Kevin has now learned that family is important, but that doesn’t stop him from being frustrated with them. Nonetheless, he wants to be included in the vacation to Florida, so he makes an effort not to be forgotten again. While he does make it to the airport, he mistakes someone else for his father and follows them to New York, instead. During his time in the city, he comes to fully embrace his family and even wishes that he could see them. This is a complete 180 from the start of the first movie!

Christmas with the Kranks

Do you ever find yourself tired of the huge focus on Christmas? It’s everywhere: in the stores, on TV, on the streets, and even out on the front lawns (or roofs, in this case) of your next door neighbors! Sometimes, you just want to get away from it all. This is not as well known as some of the other, more popular Christmas movies, although more and more people are starting to discover it. The movie shows how two people, who are sick of the holiday season, plan to escape the festivities by going on a cruise. However, right before they leave, their daughter calls them to say that she is coming home for Christmas!

Elf

There are a lot of Christmas movies about Santa, but almost none about elves. What are their lives like? What would happen if they ever left the North Pole? Well, your questions will be answered in this hilarious movie featuring Will Ferrell as Buddy the elf! Buddy sets off on his journey to New York to save his father from the dreaded Naughty List. Once there, since he has no knowledge of the outside world, he acts a little weird (running around in the spinning door to a hotel, putting syrup on everything he eats, etc.). This is a modern classic that everyone in your family will love.

The Santa Clause

One of the older Christmas movies on this list is The Santa Clause. No, the name isn’t spelled wrong. It’s a different sort of clause (the legal one). See, when businessman Scott Calvin accidentally makes the previous Santa Claus disappear, he puts on the abandoned red coat and becomes the new Santa. However, what he didn’t know was that whoever puts on the coat must become the new one! Throughout the movie, he slowly becomes more and more ‘Santa-like’. This transformation shocks his friends and family and eventually culminates in his arrest. Don’t worry, though. He gets saved by some elf soldiers before too long!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (with Jim Carrey)

There are a couple different versions of the film, but all these alternate Christmas movies are basically the same. One of the best versions of this story (but not the most famous) is the live-action one with Jim Carrey. This film expands upon the original short and includes many incredibly funny situations. At one point, you have the Grinch steal a tiny car and speed along the streets of Whoville after sabotaging their Christmas festival. Seeing a man-sized creature like the Grinch on a tiny car is guaranteed to make anyone laugh!

A Christmas Carol (any version)

The original book which continues to inspire the many adaptions of this famous story has been around for hundreds of years so, as you expect, there have been many Christmas movies made about it. Recently, Disney did their own CGI version, but it looks a little creepy due to the darker tone of the story and the slightly unsettling visuals. Bill Murray was in another adaption called Scrooged that was pretty good, but deviated a tiny bit from the original book. If you can find it, one of the best versions to watch is the 1984 film A Christmas Carol. On top of being very faithful to the book, it’s a very enjoyable movie!