Best Christmas Movies To Catch On Television This Weekend
It’s that time a year again where holiday movies are playing on repeat on every channel. With so many different options, it can be hard to pick which movie to settle on. Check out our list on the best Christmas-themed movies you can catch on cable throughout the winter season.
Photo Credit: Walt Disney
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The title might not be extremely cheery, but The Nightmare Before Christmas is actually an uplifting tale. From the mind of Tim Burton, the film focuses on the spirit of Christmas. Jack Skellington, or the Pumpkin King, of Halloween Town is required to throw a giant celebration for his community’s namesake event. However, he’s secretly tired of the same old party and he craves a taste of something new. This comes true when he stumbles on Christmas Town. Inspired, he tries to rally his own town to get into the Christmas spirit.
Photo Credit: NBC
9. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
A made-for-television movie, this 1964 classic is beloved by almost everyone despite the terrible special effects. The classic Christmas carol is brought to life. Poor Rudolph is ridiculed for his red nose. The story spins a tale about friendship and appreciating everyone’s unique qualities, even if it makes them a little weird.
Photo Credit: Warner Brothers
8. Elf
A modern-day Christmas classic, it’s hard to find a millennial who doesn’t love Elf. The Will Ferrell comedy about a human baby who accidentally winds up being raised as an elf at the North Pole is one of the most popular films of the season. Unlike a lot of Ferrell’s other movies, Elf was met with a warm critical reception. Buddy, the Christmas-loving protagonist, travels to New York City to find his real family during the holiday season. However, he finds that belief in Christmas has wilted, even within his own family. Buddy makes it his mission to assimilate into normal society as well as saving his favorite holiday by inspiring everyone he meets.
Photo Credit: Warner Brothers
7. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Although met with mixed reviews, National Lampoon’s third installment in their Vacation series became a success. The Griswolds are back in Christmas Vacation, with the family joining them at home for the holiday. Clark is desperate for his Christmas bonus, and spends a majority of the movie waiting for its arrival while he deals with one catastrophe after another. This is a National Lampoon movie, which means there’s a lot of goofy, physical jokes that will entertain most of the family.
Photo Credit: 20th Century FOX
6. Home Alone
While Home Alone was a critical failure, it has won over the hearts of a generation. Macauley Culkin shines as the mischievous Kevin McAllister, the youngest in a large family who accidentally gets left behind at home during a family vacation. He’s ecstatic to have the house to himself, and spends the first half of the movie doing what every child would do in his situation: watch all of the bad movies he’s not allowed to and eat all of the junk food possible. However, things take a turn for the worse when he needs to face off against two burglars who are intent on making their way inside his home. While the hijinks and booby traps that ensue are a bit too advanced for a child/a bit sadistic, Culkin makes everything enjoyable to watch.
Photo Credit: MGM
5. A Christmas Story
There are so many memorable moments from A Christmas Story that many items from the original movie were manufactured and sold to this day, such as the leg lamp. FOX recognized the ongoing success of the movie with a stage adaptation called A Christmas Story Live! earlier this year. Narrated by an older Ralphie Parker, the main character reflects on a Christmas he spent as a nine-year-old when he was desperate for a Red Ryder air rifle. Everyone tells him no, fearful that he’ll accidentally shoot out his eye. That doesn’t seem far-fetched when you consider he and his friends’ poor judgement, as demonstrated in the iconic scene where one sticks his tongue to a metal pole. For better or worse, that scene inspired a lot of young boys to test out the horrific nightmare on their own.
Photo Credit: CBS
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Peanuts characters have always been a staple of Christmas thanks to their fun holiday special. It came out midway through the 1960s, at the height of Peanuts’ popularity. While the creators were worried that A Charlie Brown Christmas would ruin the show’s magic, it only inspired more people to watch. Met with resounding critical praise and millions of viewers, the television special continues to play during the holiday season to this day. Poor Charlie finds himself depressed during the holidays (shocker), and his friends are intent on cheering him up. It’s a heartwarming story about friends rallying together to bring Christmas cheer to everyone.
Photo Credit: Universal
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Dr. Seuss wrote the infamous tale of a green Grinch who despised Christmas after suffering a traumatic experience as a child. Accidentally dropped in Whoville as a baby, he’s raised by two sisters as a happy kid who is the constant victim of bullying. After getting pushed too far one day, he ends up isolating himself up on Mount Crumpit, and becomes a constant source of unhappiness for the townsfolk. Young Cindy Lou takes it upon herself to befriend the Grinch when she realizes that the entire town has forgotten what Christmas is about and is instead wrapped up in the vanity of gifts. Everyone can get into the spirit watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, especially adults who grew up reading Dr. Seuss.
Photo Credit: 20th Century FOX
2. Miracle On 34th Street
With multiple Academy Awards under its belt, it’s no surprise that Miracle On 34th Street, about a Macy’s Santa Claus who may or may not be the real thing, has become a timeless classic. Kris Kringle is a joyous hero who endeavors to save the holiday, but cynics are unsure of his authenticity. While adults will be more familiar with the 1947 original, the 1994 remake is also a wonderful movie to check out over the weekend. Sure to cheer up even the darkest of Scrooges this Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street is a must-watch film.
Photo Credit: Liberty Films
1. It’s A Wonderful Life
Are all of the best Christmas movies filmed in the 1940s? It’s A Wonderful Life is one of the most beloved films of all time. The movie details the life of George Bailey through flashbacks — in the current time, he is contemplating suicide. His new guardian angel, Clarence, gets educated on George’s misfortune before earning his wings by saving him. George’s life is a sad life — he inherits a failing family business, his younger brother finds more success as a war hero after George is turned away due to losing an ear while saving said brother as a child, and he is on the verge of arrest. This may not sound like the happiest movie in history, but it ends up being a beautiful story about how the people one cares about have better lives because of love.