As days get shorter and a wintery chill settles in, the Christmas season starts gaining its enchanting charm. The crisp air and somber skies only add more to the festive feeling. But while you think a hot cup of cocoa or a festive cocktail is enough to make the most of the season, there’s a secret ingredient missing. A Christmas-themed marathon is what you need to take your festive spirits to new heights. From ‘Home Alone‘ to ‘The Santa Clause‘, here’s a list of the 50 best classic Christmas movies that you need to check out this season.
| S. No. | Movies & Year | IMDb Rating |
| 1. | It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) | 8.6 |
| 2. | A Christmas Carol (1951) | 8.1 |
| 3. | Miracle on 34th Street (1947) | 7.9 |
| 4. | White Christmas (1954) | 7.6 |
| 5. | A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) | 8.3 |
| 6. | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) | 8 |
| 7. | A Christmas Story (1983) | 7.9 |
| 8. | Home Alone (1990) | 7,7 |
| 9. | Elf (2003) | 7.1 |
| 10. | The Polar Express (2004) | 6.6 |
| 11. | How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) | 6.3 |
| 12. | Scrooged (1988) | 7.5 |
| 13. | National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) | 7.5 |
| 14. | Holiday Inn (1942) | 7.3 |
| 15. | The Bishop’s Wife (1947) | 7.6 |
| 16. | The Santa Clause (1994) | 6.5 |
| 17. | The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) | 7.7 |
| 18. | Love Actually (2003) | 7.6 |
| 19. | The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) | 7.9 |
| 20. | Christmas in Connecticut (1945) | 7.3 |
| 21. | A Christmas Tale (2008) | 7 |
| 22. | Babes in Toyland (1934) | 6.1 |
| 23. | Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) | 7.5 |
| 24. | The Shop Around the Corner (1940) | 8 |
| 25. | Holiday Affair (1949) | 7.1 |
| 26. | A Christmas Prince (2017) | 5.8 |
| 27. | The Christmas Chronicles (2018) | 5.8 |
| 28. | Christmas with the Kranks (2004) | 5.4 |
| 29. | The Holiday (2006) | 6.9 |
| 30. | Gremlins (1984) | 7.3 |
| 31. | Joyeux Noël (2005) | 7.7 |
| 32. | The Nutcracker Prince (1990) | 6.8 |
| 33. | The Preacher’s Wife (1996) | 5.7 |
| 34. | The Best Man Holiday (2013) | 6.6 |
| 35. | Jingle All the Way (1996) | 5.7 |
| 36. | The Snowman (1982) | 8.2 |
| 37. | The Christmas Candle (2013) | 6.2 |
| 38. | Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) | 6.6 |
| 39. | The Family Stone (2005) | 6.3 |
| 40. | The Christmas Chronicles 2 (2020) | 6 |
| 41. | Klaus (2019) | 8.2 |
| 42. | Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) | 8 |
| 43. | A Grandpa for Christmas (2007) | 6.8 |
| 44. | Frosty the Snowman (1969) | 7.3 |
| 45. | Bad Santa (2003) | 7.1 |
| 46. | Let It Snow (2019) | 5.8 |
| 47. | Fred Claus (2007) | 5.6 |
| 48. | While You Were Sleeping (1995) | 6.8 |
| 49. | Four Christmases (2008) | 5.7 |
| 50. | Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) | 6.8 |
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1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
- Lead actors: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
- Supporting Artist: Thomas Mitchell
- Director: Frank Capra
- Release date: January 7, 1947
- Run Time: 2h 10m
- IMDb Rating: 8.6
- Revenue: $3.3 million
- Language: English
An angel is sent from heaven to show a frustrated businessman, who is about to suicide, what life would have been without him.
2. A Christmas Carol (1951)
- Lead actors: Alastair Sim, Kathleen Harrison,
- Supporting Artist: Mervyn Johns
- Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
- Release date: October 31, 1951
- Run Time: 1h 26m
- IMDb Rating: 8.1
- Revenue: N/A
- Language: English
A spiteful and miserable man named Ebenezer Scrooge encounters three spirits who show him the error of his ways.
3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
- Lead actors: Maureen O’Hara, John Payne
- Supporting Artist: Edmund Gwenn
- Director: George Seaton
- Release date: June 11, 1947
- Run Time: 1h 36m
- IMDb Rating: 7.9
- Revenue: $2.7 million
- Language: English
An old man named Kris Kringle is hired as Santa Claus for Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade. However, people start questioning his sanity he claims that he’s the real Santa Claus.
4. White Christmas (1954)
- Lead actors: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye
- Supporting Artist: Rosemary Clooney
- Director: Michael Curtiz
- Release date: October 14, 1954
- Run Time: 2h
- IMDb Rating: 7.6
- Revenue: $30 million
- Language: English
Bob Wallace and Phil Davis help the Haynes sisters to escape from their landlord. They ask them to perform a joint Christmas show to help their old commander’s failing inn back in business.
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5. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
- Lead actors: Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea
- Supporting Artist: Tracy Stratford
- Director: Bill Melendez
- Release date: December 9, 1965
- Run Time: 25m
- IMDb Rating: 8.3
- Revenue: N/A
- Language: English
What is Christmas about? Why is everything becoming so commercial? The film asked these questions when it was released way back in 1965 and the questions still hold weight today.
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6. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
- Lead actors: Burl Ives, Billie Mae Richards
- Supporting Artist: Paul Soles
- Director: Larry Roemer
- Release date: December 6, 1964
- Run Time: 47m
- IMDb Rating: 8
- Revenue: N/A
- Language: English
Rudolph a reindeer is born with a unique red nose. He struggles to find acceptance but finally, his life changes when he saves his friend and his parents from an evil monster.
7. A Christmas Story (1983)
- Lead actors: Peter Billingsley, Jean Shepherd
- Supporting Artist: Ian Petrella
- Director: Bob Clark
- Release date: December 11, 1987
- Run Time: 1h 33m
- IMDb Rating: 7.9
- Revenue: $19.2 million
- Language: English
A Christmas Story is about a young boy named Ralphie who attempts to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a BB gun is the perfect Christmas gift for him.
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8. Home Alone (1990)
- Lead actors: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
- Supporting Artist: Catherine O’Hara
- Director: Chris Columbus
- Release date: November 16, 1990
- Run Time: 1h 43m
- IMDb Rating: 7.7
- Revenue: $476.7 million
- Language: English
Eight-year-old Kevin is accidentally left behind by his family while they are going on a trip. While he’s home alone, he tries to fight off thieves who break into his house.
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9. Elf (2003)
- Lead actors: Will Ferrell, James Caan
- Supporting Artist: Zooey Deschanel
- Director: Jon Favreau
- Release date: November 7, 2003
- Run Time: 1h 37m
- IMDb Rating: 7.1
- Revenue: $225.1 million
- Language: English
Buddy, a human, is raised by Elves. But his life turns upside down when he realises that he’s not an Elf. Buddy then goes to New York to find his biological father.
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10. The Polar Express (2004)
- Lead actors: Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye
- Supporting Artist: Peter Scolari
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Release date: December 24, 2004
- Run Time: 1h 40m
- IMDb Rating: 6.6
- Revenue: $314.1 million
- Language: English
On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a journey on a train called Polar Express to the North Pole. On the way, he learns about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.
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11. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
- Lead actors: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen
- Supporting Artist: Jeffrey Tambor
- Director: Ron Howard
- Release date: November 17, 2000
- Run Time: 1h 44m
- IMDb Rating: 6.3
- Revenue: $345.8 million
- Language: English
A Green revenge-seeking Grinch lives on the outskirts of a town. After he plans to ruin Christmas for the people living in that town, a six-year-old girl Cindy Lou sets out to reform him.
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12. Scrooge (1970)
- Lead actors: Albert Finney, Alec Guinness
- Supporting Artist: Edith Evans
- Director: Ronald Neame
- Release date: November 5, 1970
- Run Time: 1h 53m
- IMDb Rating: 7.5
- Revenue: N/A
- Language: English
Scoorge is a classic Christmas movie that revolves around a grumpy Ebenezer Scrooge. His life changes after three spirits him on Christmas to help him realise the importance of the festival.
13. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
- Lead actors: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo
- Supporting Artist: Juliette Lewis
- Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
- Release date: December 1, 1989
- Run Time: 1h 37m
- IMDb Rating: 7.5
- Revenue: $73.3 million
- Language: English
Clark Griswold is into Christmas and promises to make it a good one. However, it turns the family Christmas into a disaster.
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14. Holiday Inn (1942)
- Lead actors: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire
- Supporting Artist: Marjorie Reynolds
- Director: Mark Sandrich
- Release date: September 4, 1942
- Run Time: 1h 40m
- IMDb Rating: 7.3
- Revenue: $3.75 million
- Language: English
After being left heartbroken by Lila, Jim leaves the town and starts a holiday inn. There he falls in love with Linda but his world turns upside down when Lila’s former lover arrives at his inn and again tries to steal Linda.
15. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
- Lead actors: Cary Grant, Loretta Young
- Supporting Artist: David Niven
- Director: Henry Koster
- Release date: December 9, 1947
- Run Time: 1h 49m
- IMDb Rating: 7.6
- Revenue: $3 million
- Language: English
After Bishop Henry Brougham fails to raise money for his church, an angel is sent from heaven to help him. However, the Bishop is skeptical about the authenticity of the real angel.
16. The Santa Clause (1994)
- Lead actors: Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd
- Supporting Artist: Wendy Crewson
- Director: John Pasquin
- Release date: November 11, 1994
- Run Time: 1h 37m
- IMDb Rating: 6.5
- Revenue: $190.3 million
- Language: English
When a man inadvertently makes Santa Claus fall from his roof, he magically gets recruited as the next Santa. Now he has to keep the secret safe from his wife.
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17. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
- Lead actors: Michael Caine, Steven Mackintosh
- Supporting Artist: Meredith Braun
- Director: Brian Henson
- Release date: December 11, 1992
- Run Time: 1h 25m
- IMDb Rating: 7.7
- Revenue: $27.2 million
- Language: English
This Christmas musical film is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novella which is about an old miser who dislikes Christmas. He is visited by the spirit of his business partner who foretells his future and helps change his view on life.
18. Love Actually (2003)
- Lead actors: Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant
- Supporting Artist: Keira Knightley, Colin Firth
- Director: Richard Curtis
- Release date: November 6, 2003
- Run Time: 2h 15m
- IMDb Rating: 7.6
- Revenue: $246.8 million
- Language: English
This classic Christmas movie follows the lives of eight different couples all set during a month before Christmas in London, England.
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19. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Lead actors: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara
- Supporting Artists: William Hickey
- Director: Henry Selick
- Release date: Oct 13, 1993
- Run Time: 1h 16m
- IMDb Rating: 7.9
- Revenue: $91.5 million
- Language: English
A king of Halloween town, Jack Skellington, discovers a Christmas town and gets enchanted by it. His obsession grows to the point where he kidnaps Santa Claus and starts delivering ghoulish gifts to kids.
20. Christmas In Connecticut (1945)
- Lead actors: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan
- Supporting Artist: Sydney Greenstreet
- Director: Peter Godfrey
- Release date: August 11, 1945
- Run Time: 1h 41m
- IMDb Rating: 7.3
- Revenue: $3 million
- Language: English
Christmas In Connecticut is about an unmarried columnist who pretends to be a wife living on a farm with her husband and kids. However, her world turns upside down after a war hero invites himself to her house and they eventually fall in love.
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21. A Christmas Tale (2008)
- Lead actors: Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon
- Supporting Artist: Anne Consigny
- Director: Arnaud Desplechin
- Release date: May 21, 2008
- Run Time: 2h 30m
- IMDb Rating: 7.3
- Revenue: $6.3 million
- Language: English
When the matriarch of the Vuillard family requires a a bone-marrow transplant, the estranged clan reunites just in time for Christmas.
22. Babes in Toyland (1961)
- Lead actors: Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands
- Supporting Artist: Annette Funicello
- Director: Jack Donohue
- Release date: December 14, 1961
- Run Time: 1h 46m
- IMDb Rating: 6.1
- Revenue: $4.6 million
- Language: English
Evil Barnaby has been eyeing Mary to marry her so that he can inherit her property. However, after Mary’s marriage is fixed with Tom, Barnaby sends two goons Roderigo and Gonzorgo to kidnap Tom and ruin their wedding plans.
23. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
- Lead actors: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien
- Supporting Artist: Annette Funicello
- Director: Mary Astor
- Release date: December 14, 1961
- Run Time: 1h 53m
- IMDb Rating: 6.1
- Revenue: $4.6 million
- Language: English
In the year 1904, four Smith daughters, who are attached to their ways of life, reluctantly move to New York after their father gets transferred.
24. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
- Lead actors: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart
- Supporting Artist: Frank Morgan
- Director: Ernst Lubitsch
- Release date: January 12, 1940
- Run Time: 1h 39m
- IMDb Rating: 8
- Revenue: $380,000
- Language: English
In this romantic Christmas movie, Alfred Kralik and Klara Novak are employees at a general store. However, they can barely stand each other, disagreeing almost on everything. They find solace in their respective pen pals only to realize that they are each other’s, pen pals.
25. Holiday Affair (1949)
- Lead actors: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh
- Supporting Artist: Wendell Corey
- Director: Don Hartman
- Release date: December 24, 1949
- Run Time: 1h 27m
- IMDb Rating: 7.1
- Revenue: N/A
- Language: English
A young war widow Connie Ennis is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic but unsuccessful sales clerk.
Featured Image: IMDb
As the snow blankets the world and the fire crackles embark on a timeless journey with the Best Classic Christmas Movies To Watch. Let the nostalgia of these cinematic treasures infuse your holiday season with warmth, laughter, and the enduring magic of Christmas.