The Best Christmas Movies from Every Decade (And Where to Watch Them)

Just like scary movies in October, Christmas movies in November and December are a Hollywood staple. It’s also a long-running staple, too, going back nearly a century now. The sub-genre really kicked off in the 1930s, not so coincidentally around the time Coca-Cola launched its first Santa Claus ad (which is essentially what popularized the character and cemented him in the minds of Americans as a jolly heavyset guy in a red and white get-up). And, as time has gone on, the industry has continued to find ways to alter the festive formula to keep viewers entertained and bottom lines in the black.

Because there are so many Christmas movies out there and quite a few of them are terrific, runners-up have been included. The 1940s, ’80s, and ’90s practically made this a necessity. We’re also including the best of each decade’s Christmas-themed genre movies. This predominately includes horror films and action films.

NOTE: short films, e.g. CBS specials, were subject for inclusion.

1930s – A Christmas Carol (1938)

The 1930s found itself being the start of the Christmas movie trend, and without a doubt the content quantity would only increase, as would its diversity. The two standouts of the decade were both A Christmas Carol adaptations. The 1935 version, Scrooge, has its fans, but compared to 1938’s A Christmas Carol it shorts the audience on Ebenezer Scrooge’s cantankerous backstory.

• Runner-Up: Scrooge (1935)
• Genre Christmas Movie Pick: Babes in Toyland (1934)
• Stream A Christmas Carol on Max

1940s – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is many a viewer’s favorite Christmas movie and is still frequently referenced in other movies to this day, and for good reason. Sublimely acted with an iconic lead performance by James Stewart (reteaming with Capra after 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), visually stunning, and heartfelt throughout, it’s a beautiful classic. Not every film listed here is a must-watch for every viewer on the planet, but like The Wizard of Oz or Jaws, that’s exactly what It’s a Wonderful Life is.

• Runners-Up: The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
• Genre Christmas Pick: 3 Godfathers (1948)
• Stream It’s a Wonderful Life on Amazon Prime Video

1950s – Scrooge (1951)

Outside perhaps the 1930s rendition, the 1951 British version (released as Scrooge in the UK and A Christmas Carol in the US) is the most widely beloved of the many, many adaptations of Dickens’ source material. Alastair Sim’s take on Ebenezer Scrooge is top-notch, and at 87 minutes, it clips along at a tolerable pace even for those who have seen the sour old man get a heart of gold just a few too many times.

• Runner-Up: We’re No Angels (1955)
• Genre Christmas Movie Pick: The Night of the Hunter (1955)
• Stream Scrooge for free with ads on Tubi

1960s – How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

Ron Howard’s practical effects extravaganza from 2000 may be over-hated and the 2018 version may be a lot of fun, but it’s still the original mid-60s CBS special that stands as the definitive adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The animation holds up to the point it’s only gotten more charming, and the decision to cast Frankenstein himself, Boris Karloff, as the title character was ingenious. The main issue with the two theatrical versions of the story is that they had to pad things out to be feature-length works, whereas the CBS special directly adapts the source material with plenty of style and no fluff.

• Runners-Up: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969)
• Genre Christmas Movie Picks: The Apartment (1960), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
• Stream How the Grinch Stole Christmas! on Peacock

1970s – Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970)

If there has been a decade that proved to be a slow one for noteworthy Christmas flicks, it was the ’70s. The best thing it can be said about the ten-year span was that it continued providing quality stop-motion specials in the vein of 1964’s Rudolph. Positive things can be said about 1976’s Rudolph’s Shiny New Year, 1979’s Jack Frost, and the same year’s Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July, but it’s Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town that finds itself at the top of the 1970s stop-motion heap. Not just because it has the same lovely visuals, but because it has the best songs of the bunch.

• Runner-Up: Scrooge (1970)
• Genre Christmas Movie Pick: Black Christmas (1974)
• Stream Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town on Amazon Prime Video

1980s – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is one of those ho-ho-holiday movies that have an appeal even for those who don’t celebrate the titular holiday. It’s mostly an exaggerated look at dysfunctional families and how some members of those families attempt to please to an impossible degree. Christmas was the perfect surrounding to plant Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold in, as he’d already proved himself to be exactly one of those eager-to-please family members in the excellent original Vacation film and the regrettable National Lampoon’s European Vacation. But, this time, he’s not just trying to get his wife and two kids to an amusement park – he has to ensure that his family, his parents, and his in-laws have an all-around happy holiday season. The end result is not just the best of the franchise, but one of the best and most front-to-back hysterically quotable comedy films of all time.

• Runners-Up: Diner (1982), A Christmas Story (1983), Trading Places (1983), Scrooged (1988)
• Genre Christmas Movie Picks: Gremlins (1984), Lethal Weapon (1987), Die Hard (1988)
• Stream National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Max

[RELATED: This Bill Murray Christmas Classic Is the Only Movie Where All His Brothers Appear]

1990s – Home Alone (1990)

A box office sensation and one of Christmas movie history’s most favored installments, Chris Columbus’ Home Alone is iconic. What really helps make it one of THE must-see holiday films out there is the cast. Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Stern…every last one of them is perfect in their respective role. Toss in a killer soundtrack and an entertaining premise that appeals to adults and kids in equal measure and Home Alone is a movie that rightly earns its high reputation.

• Runners-Up: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), The Santa Clause (1994), While You Were Sleeping (1995)
• Genre Christmas Movie Pick: Batman Returns (1992)
• Stream Home Alone on Disney+

2000s – Elf (2003)

There are so many ways Jon Favreau’s Elf could have failed. Looking at it objectively, it’s a grown man in tights and a silly costume walking around New York looking for his dad. It’s an outlandish concept that, were it not for sturdy direction and a note-perfect performance from Will Ferrell (pretty fresh off SNL at this point), would likely inspire more theater walkouts rather than devoted fandom. It’s a movie with a tone not everyone can get on board with, but for the most part it’s as delightful a treat as syrup-coated pasta.

• Runners-Up: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Bad Santa (2003), The Polar Express (2004), The Holiday (2006)
• Genre Christmas Movie Pick: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
• Stream Elf on Max

2010s – The Grinch (2018)

When it comes to feature length adaptations of The Grinch, the 2000 version has quotability and a nostalgia factor working in its favor, but the superior film is Illumination’s animated take on Dr. Seuss. Their established visual style is perfect for Seuss-inspired movies, as seen in 2012’s The Lorax, and in Benedict Cumberbatch they found someone who could get pretty close to what Karloff brought to the character while simultaneously making it his own. Toss in a memorable soundtrack from Danny Elfman and the 2018 rendition is all it should be.

• Runner-Up: The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
• Genre Christmas Movie Picks: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010), Krampus (2015), Shazam! (2019), Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)
• Stream The Grinch (2018) on Peacock

2020s – Spirited (2022)

One must give it to director Sean Anders (Instant Family and the underrated Horrible Bosses 2), he took the most oft-adapted Christmas narrative and made it stand out. Reteaming with Will Ferrell after a pair of less functional Christmas movies (the somewhat unpleasant Daddy’s Home movies), Anders flips the script by making the protagonist The Ghost of Christmas Present, who just so happens to be Ebenezer Scrooge after he’s gone through his personality shift. The Ghost of Christmas Present always had a major part to play, but Spirited takes things further by expounding on his day-to-day at work. There’s still a Scrooge-like cantankerous individual involved, Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), but the story is at least equally focused on questioning whether Ebenezer truly grew from his experience. It’s a charming experience, featuring terrific chemistry between the two leads and a handful of goofy, fun songs.

• Runner-Up: Happiest Season (2020)
• Genre Christmas Movie Picks: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Silent Night (2021), Violent Night (2022), Terrifier 3 (2024)
• Stream Spirited on Apple TV+