Christmas time is here!! In our house, we enjoy making popcorn, sipping hot chocolate, and spending lots of time in the living room as a family watching all of our favorite Christmas movies.
From ‘90s holiday classics I grew up watching to hidden gems and newer releases, there’s truly something for everyone. Today, I’m sharing a bucket list of must-watch Christmas movies!
#1 Elf – Watch on Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime
A 2003 Christmas comedy film starring Will Farrell as Buddy, a human raised by Santa’s elves, who learns about his origins and heads to New York City to meet his biological father.
#2 How The Grinch Stole Christmas – Watch on Amazon Prime
A 2000 Christmas fantasy comedy film starring Jim Carrey as The Grinch, based on Dr. Seuss’ 1957 children’s book of the same name — It also happens to be Ryheem’s favorite Christmas movie!
#3 A Christmas Story – Watch on Max
A 1983 Christmas comedy film that is widely considered to be a holiday classic and is a must watch every year!
#4 Home Alone – Watch on Disney+
A 1990 Christmas comedy film starring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a boy who defends his suburban Chicago home from a home invasion by a pair of robbers after his family accidentally leaves him behind on their Christmas vacation to Paris — And, personally, my favorite Christmas movie of all time!
#5 Home Alone 2: Lost In New York – Watch on Disney+
Of course, they had to make a sequel! Released in 1992, it follows Kevin McCallister as he is separated from his family on their holiday vacation to Florida, this time in New York City where he has another encounter with the Wet Bandits after their escape from prison.
#6 Christmas With The Kranks – Watch on Amazon Prime
A 2004 Christmas comedy film starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis that tells the story of a couple who decides to skip Christmas one year since their daughter is away until their daughter decides to return home at the last minute.
#7 A Charlie Brown Christmas – Watch on Apple TV+
A 1965 30-minute animated television special where Charlie Brown finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. He tries his best to direct a neighborhood Christmas play, but his efforts are mocked by his peers for choosing a puny Christmas tree as a centerpiece — It is so hilarious and never gets old!
#8 Jack Frost – Watch on Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime
A 1998 Christmas comedy film featuring Kelly Preston and Michael Keaton, as the title character, a father and musician who is killed in a car accident, only to be brought back to life in the form of a snowman via a magical harmonica.
#9 The Polar Express – Watch on Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime
A 2004 animated adventure starring Tom Hanks that takes place on Christmas Eve in the 1950s. It tells the story of a young boy who sees a mysterious train bound for the North Pole stop out his window and is invited to board it by its conductor. He joins other children as they embark on a journey to visit Santa Claus preparing for Christmas.
#10 Jingle All The Way – Watch on Disney+
A 1996 Christmas family comedy film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers both trying desperately to purchase a Turbo-Man action figure for their respective sons on a last-minute shopping spree on Christmas Eve — I used to love this movie as a kid!
#11 Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey – Watch on Netflix
A 2020 Christmas musical starring Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, and Phylicia Rashad. The musical is about a once joyful toymaker who finds new hope when his kind and curious granddaughter comes into his life.
#12 The Perfect Holiday – Watch on Amazon Prime
A 2007 comedy film starring Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Terrance Howard, and Charlie Murphy. The story is about a young girl who asks a department store Santa Claus to help her divorce mom to find a good man – and with the girls of a pair of Christmas angels, she might get her wish! — Such a feel-good holiday movie about Black Love.
#13 Bad Santa – Watch on Paramount+
A 2003 dark comedy Christmas film starring Billy Bob Thornton, John Ritter, and Bernie Mac. It’s full of profanity, bad people, and evil deeds. But at the heart of it all is a bit of caring by one Bad Santa — This is one of those movies you have to watch once the kids have gone to bed 😂
#14 Miracle On 34th Street – Watch on Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime
A 1947 Christmas classic and comedy-drama that takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day in New York City. It’s all about a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa.
#15 The Santa Clause – Watch on Disney+
A 1994 Christmas comedy film starring Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, a divorced dad who is transformed into the new Santa after he accidentally causes the real Santa Claus to fall from his roof to his supposed death on Christmas Eve — Another childhood favorite of mine!
#16 The Santa Clause 2 – Watch on Disney+
A 2002 Christmas comedy film that is the sequel to The Santa Clause (1994) and the second installment in The Santa Clause franchise. Tim Allen reprises his role as Scott Calvin who must get married by Christmas Eve or lose his title as Santa.
#17 Friday After Next – Watch on Tubi
A 2002 stoner comedy film starring Ice Cube, Mike Epps, and John Witherspoon reprising their roles for this third installment in the Friday trilogy. It tells the story of Craig (Ice Cube) and his cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps) getting jobs as security guards at a shopping center when they run into the thief who stole their Christmas presents — A must-watch every year!! 🤣
#18 The Grinch – Watch on Peacock & Hulu
A 2018 animated Christmas comedy film and third adaption of the 1957 children’s book How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess. — My kids love it!
#19 This Christmas – Watch on Peacock & Hulu
A 2007 Christmas comedy film starring Chris Brown, Loretta Devine, Idris Elba, Regina King, Mekhi Phifer, and many more. It is a Christmastime drama centered around the Whitfield family’s first holiday together in four years — And has easily become a classic Black Christmas movie!
#20 Four Christmases – Watch on Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime
A 2008 Christmas comedy film starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It tells the story of a couple visiting all four of their divorced parents’ homes on Christmas Day after their original vacation plans get canceled due to dense fog.
#21 Die Hard – Watch on Hulu & Amazon Prime
A 1988 action film starring Bruce Willis who plays John McClane, a New York City police detective who is caught up in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper while visiting his estranged wife and two daughters on Christmas Eve — The perfect holiday film for all the action movie lovers out there!
#22 Almost Christmas – Watch on Peacock
A 2016 Christmas comedy-drama starring Danny Glover, Gabrielle Union, Mo’Nique, Kimberly Elise, and Nicole Ari Parker. The film tells the story of a dysfunctional family who comes together for the holidays for the first time since their mother’s death — It’s hilarious and heartfelt.
#23 The Best Man Holiday – Watch on Peacock
A 2013 comedy-drama and sequel to The Best Man (1999) starring Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrance Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and more, all reprising their roles from the previous film. It tells the story about college friends reuniting after 15 years over the Christmas holidays and they discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be reignited — I highly recommend watching the first film, and then this one!
#24 The Christmas Chronicles – Watch on Netflix
A 2018 Christmas comedy film that tells the story of sister and brother, Kate and Teddy Pierce, whose Christmas Eve plan is to catch Santa Claus on camera turns into an unexpected journey that most kids could only dream about.
#25 It’s A Wonderful Life – Watch on Hulu & Amazon Prime
A 1946 Christmas drama film about a man whose thoughts about suicide on Christmas Eve bring about the intervention of his guardian angel who shows him all the lives he has touched and what the world would be like if he did not exist. This movie is considered to be one of the best Christmas films.
What Christmas movies would you add to this bucket list? Let me know in the comments! xo
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