It’s official: Thanksgiving has passed and it’s officially Christmas season, which means ABC Family’s “25 Days Til’ Christmas” movie countdown — so I decided to create a countdown of my own. Here is a list of 24 Christmas movies you should be looking forward to!
24. "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation" (1989)
A silly movie with others like “National Lampoon’s European Vacation,” this movie will likely make you laugh. Following a family through the holiday’s is always interesting and the Lampoon’s are no exception.
23. "A Christmas Story" (1983)
This is likely your parent’s favorite Christmas movie, and maybe not your favorite. But it’s probable that you have many family memories watching this movie, or maybe you own some of the memorabilia. Either way, this is a must watch.
22. "Four Christmases" (2008)
A modern Christmas tale of a married couple with divorced parents, juggling attending four separate Christmases. A story many of us can relate to, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn struggle to please all of their parents. “Four Christmases,” is one of the newest Christmas movies and definitely one that should be watched.
21. A Christmas Carol (2009)
Disney’s spin on “A Christmas Carol,” and of the character Scrooge, is a beautifully done movie. This was not Jim Carrey’s first rodeo when it came to Christmas movies, since he’d already starred as the Grinch prior. This was one of the most raved about movies during its release, and it continues to be a Christmas fave.
20. "Fred Claus" (2007)
“Fred Claus” is a movie about Santa’s older brother who is forced to live with his brother at the North Pole. It’s a hilarious movie about brothers who try to coexist during the busiest season of all. Vince Vaughn rocks Christmas movies, enough said.
19. "Santa Paws" (2010)
As an avid lover of dogs, I had to give this one honorable mention. It’s a cheesy movie, but dogs that team up with elves to save Santa, there is absolutely nothing cuter. We’re all suckers for talking dogs.
18. "Eloise at Christmastime" (2003)
A persnickety girl who often gets herself into trouble in the hotel she lives in, Eloise kept our childhood entertaining. It never made sense that she lived in a hotel with nearly no supervision, but New York City for Christmas appeals to everyone. Eloise will always be a favorite for Christmas.
17. "Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town" (1970)
This was the animated movie that your parents most likely played during Christmas break. One of the cutest stories about the history of Santa Clause filled with songs and little characters. One of the best little kid movies about Christmas.
16. "Prancer" (1989)
This movie is adorable: a young girl cares for a hurt reindeer to try to help him get back to Santa for Christmas. Though her dad didn’t necessarily agree with her decisions, she was strong-willed and would do anything to save Prancer. A must watch, tear-jerker.
15. "Mickey's Christmas Carole" (1983)
A movie full of short Christmas stories about Mickey and the gang, it’s likely you’ve seen this one too many times. Mickey Mouse will undoubtedly always remain a classic in any shape or form. So that makes this movie a required holiday fave.
14. "Deck the Halls" (2006)
“Deck the Halls” is a humorous movie about two families who compete over who has the best Christmas lights. The concept seems silly until you realize that many of your own neighbors have a similar feud. This movie shows the picturesque idea that we often value the materialistic and petty things about Christmas more than the point of the holiday. This movie is hilarious and very relatable, you have to watch it.
13. "Jack Frost" (1998)
Jack Frost is one of the most heartfelt movies and if you haven’t seen this movie you definitely should. A boy whose father died and was reincarnated into the “body” of a snowman helps him along during the holidays. It’s kind of sad, but very sweet and will warm your heart.
12. "Santa Baby" (2006)
Mary Class lives a double life: aside from her regular job she’s also Santa’s daughter. An interesting movie about Mary as she runs the North Pole in her father’s absence, just a cute basic Christmas movie that you’ve likely seen on ABC Family.
11. "Holiday in Handcuffs" (2007)
A girl goes through extreme measures to find a replacement date for Christmas dinner when her boyfriend dumps her. I mean, we’ve all experienced the annoying “Do you have a boyfriend?” conversation during the holidays. This movie is hilarious and an ABC original.
10. "Christmas with the Kranks" (2004)
The type of movie that stresses you out because nothing goes right, “Christmas with the Kranks,” serves as a reminder that no holiday is perfect. A cute, romantic movie that teaches you to give more than you receive. A feel-good Christmas movie you have to watch during the season.
9. "Dr. Suess' How The Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)
This may be one of the weirdest Christmas movies of all time. The Grinch is, of course, a classic, but what is the Grinch? He’s a green ogre like thing that is angry because no one likes him. The movie is weird, but you should still watch it for old time's sake.
8. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965)
This may have been the first Christmas movie you remember watching as a child. It taught us the importance of being thankful rather than greedy during Christmas — or that Charlie Brown had really bad luck. Either way this movie coded the term, “A Charlie Brown Tree” as a way to describe a weak Christmas tree.
7. "It’s a Wonderful Life" (1946)
The oldest Christmas movie of all time, and likely your grandparent’s favorite movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” is the most classic Christmas movie. An angel comes to a man to show him what life would be like if he were never born, a storyline that continues to be used to this day. If you haven’t seen this movie, see it.
6. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (1964)
“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” is one of the greatest animated Christmas movies. And we all loved Clarice, Rudolph's girlfriend, as an additional character. The story is cute innovative and introduced us to awesome characters, especially the elf that wanted to be a dentist.
5. "The Santa Clause" (1994)
An obvious favorite, but how could we not love Tim Allen turning his life around by miraculously becoming Santa Clause? We all secretly hoped Santa just might fall off our roof and we could take a trip to the North Pole. Unlike the “Home Alone” movies, this trilogy of movies got even better over time.
4. "Polar Express" (2004)
A timeless story turned into a movie, we all have to agree this makes for a great family Christmas movie. It’s cute and animated, yet dramatic at the same time. It’ll continue to be a fam fave.
3. "Home Alone" (1990)
This Christmas movie is often regarded as a classic; it’s a fan-favorite that can never get old. Sadly we have to all agree the first “Home Alone,” was the best one and the others definitely fell below expectations. So, this is the only “Home Alone” qualified to make the list.
2. "Santa Clause 2" (2006)
Of course “Santa Clause 2” should also be mentioned as one of the best Christmas movies. It’s arguably the best “Santa Clause” movie of the three, as we get to see Charlie grown up facing his own struggles keeping his dad's secret identity a secret. It’s a great Christmas story and a continuance of the original “Santa Clause” storyline.
1. "Elf" (2003)
Arguably the best Christmas movie in existence, “Elf” has one-liners you’ll find yourself saying all year round. One’s like, “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?” and, “Good news, I saw a dog today,” are constantly thrown in daily conversations. By far, one of the best movies out there.
