Watch These 40 Classic Christmas Movies With Your Family This Season
- It’s A Wonderful Life
- A Christmas Story (1983)
- White Christmas
- The Holiday
- Home Alone
- Meet Me in St. Louis
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Holiday Inn
- Miracle on 34th Street
- Little Women
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- The Bells of St. Mary’s
- Beauty and the Beast
- Christmas in July
- A Norman Rockwell Christmas Story
- One Christmas
- Christmas in Connecticut
- The Holly And The Ivy
- Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- Come to the Stable
- I’ll Be Seeing You
- The Apartment
- The Bishop’s Wife
- Bachelor Mother
- The Great Rupert
- You’ve Got Mail
- Meet John Doe
- My Reputation
- Babes in Toyland
- A Christmas Carol (1951)
- Remember the Night
- A Christmas Carol
- The Shop Around the Corner
- Holiday Affair
- Bob Hope: The Lemon Drop Kid
- It Happened on 5th Avenue
- The Man Who Came to Dinner
- The Thin Man
As we get into the holiday spirit every year, pulling out dusty ornaments and untangling Christmas lights that may or may not work, we can’t help but look forward to all of the new movies that will show up on our favorite streaming services like Netflix or Hallmark Channel. Sometimes we can start cozying up under a blanket with a hot cup of cheer as early as November and get all the holiday feels from a holiday movie marathon. But as fun as those new movies are, there’s nothing quite like the classic Christmas movies that have stood the test of time, that we can help but go back to year after year. They make us laugh and touch our hearts and remind us the importance of love and family during this special season.
Whether you’re needing a miracle and sense of purpose like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, or a new perspective on love and friendship like the ladies in The Holiday, or maybe your family rivals the Griswold’s and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’s helps you laugh about the impending family invasion. These classic movies have a lot to offer us beyond the Christmas cheer – deep laughs and life lessons are tucked away in these cinematic gems. So make it a night for the whole family – trim the tree or making your favorite holiday treat, and cozy up together and share a bit of Christmas movie magic. If you’re looking for more family friendly holiday flicks, check out our list of Best Christmas Movies for Kids That the Whole Family Will Love Watching.
It’s A Wonderful Life
$9.99
Frank Capra’s 1946 film is considered to be one of the best movies ever, coming in eleventh place on the list of100 Greatest American Films Of All Timeby the American Film Institute.
A Christmas Story (1983)
$14.99
Based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd, this beloved holiday movie follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker. It features an iconic leg lamp, an improbable Christmas gift wish, and one liners galore ( “You’ll shoot your eye out!”).
White Christmas
$9.99
The whole family will be singing along to this comedy about a talented foursome who put on an extravagant Christmas show.
The Holiday
$3.99
This relatively new classic is sure to stand the test of time when it comes to those Christmas movies we turn to over and over for all the holiday feels. And you’ll get plenty of them in the dreamy worlds of Iris’s Surrey cottage and Amanda’s Hollywood mansion. Both unlucky in love, Iris (played by Kate Winslet) and Amanda (played by Cameron Diaz) decided to swap homes for the Christmas holiday and find the love and connection in the process.
Home Alone
$14.99
Kevin McCallister’s tale of taking on thieves after his parents accidentally leave him home for the holidays is a favorite for viewers old and young.
Meet Me in St. Louis
$3.99
Judy Garland is unforgettable in the musical that revolves around the 1904 World’s Fair.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
$17.99
There are a lot of versions of the Christmas Carols out there, but this Muppets holiday classic brings together all your favorites—Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo to name a few—and Academy Award-winning actor Michael Caine. Together they tell the classic Charles Dickens tale complete with musical numbers and all the hilarity and joy you expect from Jim Hensen’s Muppets characters.
Holiday Inn
$3.99
Irving Berlin’s song “White Christmas” was eventually adapted into a full-length feature shot in color, but listen to the original version in this 1942 musical.
Elf
$14.99
There are many lessons to be learned from Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell. For one, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing for all to hear.” Oh, and that maple syrup can go on spaghetti.
Miracle on 34th Street
$14.99
This movie was remade in 1994 with Mara Wilson and Richard Attenborough, but head back to the 1947 version for the original magic.
Little Women
$7.99
Louisa May Alcott’s novel makes for an inspired holiday movie about family and love.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
$14.99
It’s a relatively new classic, but a classic nonetheless! The Griswold family will delight you with their now-legendary antics.
The Bells of St. Mary’s
$14.60
A priest (Bing Crosby) and a nun (Ingrid Bergman) butt heads about the outcome of their inner city catholic school St. Mary’s. Will the nuns prevail and save their school with the help of their community, or will all the kids be sent off to other schools
Beauty and the Beast
$19.99
This 1991 cartoon is perfect for the whole family—and that snowball fight scene is peak Christmas. We dare you not to sing along!
Christmas in July
$14.99
A hilarious tale of a young man is tricked by his coworkers into thinking he’s won a slogan contest, only to find out that the President of the company has been pranked himself and gives him the reward. What will happen when everyone finds out the truth?
A Norman Rockwell Christmas Story
$0.99
What’s more classic than a Norman Rockwell painting? In this film, you’ll see one brought to life—along with all the Christmassy goodness you could ask for.
One Christmas
$7.99
Did someone say “Katharine Hepburn”? We’re sold.
Christmas in Connecticut
$9.99
Barbara Stanwyck also appeared inthis 1945 movieabout a single food writer who lies about living an idyllic country life in her articles, and must cover it up when a returning war vet and her boss invite themselves over for Christmas dinner.
3 Godfathers
$9.99
Three men try to transport a newborn baby to New Jerusalem after the child’s mother dies in the desert.
The Holly And The Ivy
$14.99
Widowed reverend Martin’s detachment from his family is always at its worst during Christmas. But the tension finally comes to a head when his children reunite for the holidays.
Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas
$14.99
Award-winning director Ron Howard brings to life our favorite Christmas grump in this film adaptation of the famous Dr. Seuss book and cartoon. With Jim Carrey portraying the cold-hearted Mr. Grinch, he sets out to wreck Christmas in Whoville, only to find his heart and Christmas spirit in the process.
Come to the Stable
$3.99
Two nuns are determined to build a New England children’s hospital, and must overcome several challenges with the local townsfolk to do so.
I’ll Be Seeing You
$29.30
Ginger Rogers plays a convict who has been released for Christmas. Her situation is further complicated when she falls for a handsome stranger on the train.
The Apartment
$3.99
With a big portion of this movie set around the Christmas holiday, this Best Picture-winning movie will leave you with a heavy dose of nostalgia.
The Bishop’s Wife
$7.99
Cary Grant stars an angel that helps a bishop and his wife out during Christmas in this 1947 movie. (Fun fact: it was remade in 1996 asThe Preacher’s Wifewith Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.)
Bachelor Mother
$2.99
Ginger Rogers plays Polly Paris, a down-on-her-luck woman who takes responsibility for an abandoned child to get a job at a department store.
The Great Rupert
$4.99
A friendly squirrel helps out a down-on-their-luck family in the 1950s classic that also goes by the name A Christmas Wish.
You’ve Got Mail
$3.99
No, it’s not outrightly a Christmas movie, but we consider it one! There are tons of festive scenes in this classic romantic comedy, which is actually a remake of The Shop Around the Corner.
Meet John Doe
$1.99
My Reputation
$2.99
Another Barbara Stanwyck hit, My Reputation follows a widowed mother trying to navigate her love life while withstanding local gossip about her romances.
Babes in Toyland
$4.99
This 1934 musical comedy stars Laurel and Hardy as toymakers struggling to pay off their mortgage on Mother Peep’s shoe. It’s also known by its alternative titleMarch of the Wooden Soldiers.
A Christmas Carol (1951)
$13.14
Even by 1951 there were countless film adaptations of this Charles Dickens classic, but this black and white version is considered to be the best by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott.
Remember the Night
$19.99
This 1940 romantic comedy stars Barbara Stanwyck as a shoplifter who gets arrested right before Christmas and Fred MacMurray as the D.A. who saves her.
A Christmas Carol
$3.99
This earlier version ofA Christmas Carolstarring Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge is also worth watching.
The Shop Around the Corner
$2.99
Imagine ifYou’ve Got Mailstarred Jimmy Stewart instead of Tom Hanks and featured a relationship through letters instead of email during Christmas—then you’ve got the 1940 romantic comedyThe Shop Around The Corner.
Holiday Affair
$2.99
This 1949 romantic comedystarring Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum was a flop at the box office, but has gained a following over the years after Turner Classic Movies continued to air it every holiday season.
Bob Hope: The Lemon Drop Kid
$3.99
In this 1951 comedy, Bob Hope plays a swindler who needs to pay back a gangster $10,000 by Christmas Eve or else he “won’t make it to New Year’s.” The song”Silver Bells”also made its debut in this movie.
It Happened on 5th Avenue
$2.99
While Christmas is merely the setting forthis 1947 movieabout a homeless man moving into a mansion while the owners are wintering down South, it’s still worth adding to your December movie line-up.
The Man Who Came to Dinner
$11.99
Monty Woolley plays theater critic Sheridan Whiteside, the titular man who came to dinner. After breaking his leg on an icy patch, he finds himself confined to a family’s Ohio home—and seemingly never plans to leave in this1942 film.
The Thin Man
$12.99
Not a traditional Christmas movie, this murder mystery, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as married sleuths Nick and Nora Charles, takes place during the holidays.
