Over 50 of the Best Christmas Movies to Watch in 2021

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Family-Friendly Christmas Movies for the Holidays

The weather outside might be frightful, but inside it can be delightful! So grab some blankets and hot cocoa, then snuggle up by the fire with your family as you enjoy the spectrum of Christmas movies that are perfect for this time of year! From classics to comedies to films geared towards the kids – we have gathered the best of the best Christmas movies for your family to enjoy this holiday season! PLUS, many of the Christmas movies listed have links to fun activities, games, and more!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about them, click here.

Below we have links to all the film suggestions and a description (thank you IMDb.com!) for the following categories:

Table of Contents
  1. Family-Friendly Christmas Movies for the Holidays
  2. Classic Christmas Movies 
  3. Christmas Comedies 
  4. Best Christmas Movies for Kids
  5. Romantic Christmas Movies
  6. Christ-Centered Holiday Movies 

Classic Christmas Movies 

Here are just a few of our favorite Christmas movie classics!

One of the best Christmas movies comes with this advice: You'll shoot your eye out! | The Dating Divas
A Christmas Story

1. A Christmas StoryIn the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun is the perfect Christmas gift.

Santa is real! Watch Miracle on 34th Street to see why.  | The Dating Divas
Miracle on 34th Street

2. Miracle on 34th Street When a nice older man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing.

A classic Christmas tale is the perfect film for a December movie night. | The Dating Divas
A Christmas Carol

3. Christmas Carol (1951 Original) An old, bitter miser is given a chance for redemption when three ghosts haunt him on Christmas Eve.

Enjoy a classic Christmas movie with It's a Wonderful Life. | The Dating Divas
It’s a Wonderful Life

4. It’s a Wonderful Life An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

Cozy up for a Christmas movie marathon that starts with a classic: White Christmas. | The Dating Divas
White Christmas

5. White ChristmasA successful song-and-dance team becomes romantically involved with a sister act and teams up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general. For a fun date night based on this classic flick – try our White Christmas Date Night For Couples!

One of the top 10 Christmas movies is Holiday Inn. | The Dating Divas
Holiday Inn

6. Holiday InnAt an inn that is only open on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer.

Christmas in Connecticut is fun to say and fun to watch. | The Dating Divas
Christmas in Connecticut

7. Christmas in Connecticut – A food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas.

The Bishop's Wife is a good Christmas movie. | The Dating Divas
The Bishop’s Wife

8. The Bishop’s Wife – An angel in human form enters the life of a bishop to help him build a new cathedral and repair his fractured marriage.

A Christmas movie staring a national treasure: Dolly Parton in A Smoky Mountain Christmas. | The Dating Divas
A Smoky Mountain Christmas

9. Smokey Mountain Christmas – A country/western singer on a trip through the Tennessee mountains runs into a reclusive backwoodsman–and a witch.

Enjoy The Bells of St.Mary's this Christmas season. | The Dating Divas
The Bells of St. Mary’s

10. The Bells of St. Mary’sAt a big city Catholic school, Father O’Malley and Sister Benedict indulge in a friendly rivalry and succeed in extending the school through the gift of a building.

Christmas Comedies 

Christmas time gives us plenty to smile about, but here are a few movies that are sure to make you chuckle as well! 

Elf is a great family Christmas movie. | The Dating Divas
Elf

11. Elf After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the US searching for his true identity.

Deck the Halls is not only funny, but one of the best Christmas movies. | The Dating Divas
Deck the Halls

12. Deck the Halls Two neighbors have it out after one of them decorates his house for the holidays so brightly that it can be seen from space.

If you've ever shopped for a "must-have" toy, you know this is one of the best Christmas movies. | The Dating Divas
Jingle All The Way

13. Jingle All the Way A father vows to get his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas; however, every store is sold out of them, and he must travel all over town and compete with everybody else to find one.

Christmas Vacation is such a quotable Christmas movie! | The Dating Divas
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

14. National Lampoon’s Christmas VacationThe Griswold family’s plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.

Get laughing with Christmas With the Kranks as your next Christmas movie.
Christmas With the Kranks

15. Christmas with the Kranks With their daughter away, the Kranks decide to skip Christmas altogether until she decides to come home, causing an uproar when they have to celebrate the holiday at the last minute.

JTT stars in this brilliant Christmas movie. | The Dating Divas
I’ll Be Home for Christmas.

16. I’ll Be Home for Christmas A college student experiences difficulty getting home for Christmas after being hazed by his friends. While struggling to get home in time for Christmas, he learns quite a bit about himself and the true meaning of the holiday in this Christmas movie.

The best Christmas movies always involve family and laughing - just like Home Alone. | The Dating Divas
Home Alone

17. Home AloneAn eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his home from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation.

A good Christmas movie for friends and family. | The Dating Divas
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

18. Home Alone 2: Lost in New YorkOne year after Kevin was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself in New York City, and the same criminals are not far behind.

One of the best Christmas movies and it features Tim Allen! | The Dating Divas
The Santa Clause

19. The Santa Clause When a man inadvertently kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place. We love these movies (all three of them!) so much that we created a Santa Clause Movie Marathon Night! Now you can snuggle up for some Christmas fun AND have exciting activities to make it a fun family night!

Family Christmas movies need Santa and a problem to solve. | The Dating Divas
The Santa Clause 2

20. The Santa Clause 2Scott Calvin has been a humble Santa Claus for nearly ten years, but it might come to an end if he doesn’t find a Mrs. Claus. These movies were so fun they even made a third one: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape ClauseSanta, aka Scott Calvin, is faced with double-duty: how to keep his new family happy and how to stop Jack Frost from taking over Christmas.

Best Christmas Movies for Kids

For those of you with little ones at home, there are many quality Christmas movies specifically geared towards kids. Some of these are classics from my childhood that I still love to watch today!

The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the best Christmas movies for kids and adults. | The Dating Divas
The Nightmare Before Christmas

21. The Nightmare Before ChristmasJack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers a Christmas Town but doesn’t understand the concept.

Giggle together while watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. | The Dating Divas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

22. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Live Action) On the outskirts of Whoville, there lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans on ruining the Christmas holiday for all of the citizens of the town.

Kids Christmas movies must include The Grinch! | The Dating Divas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

23. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Cartoon) A grumpy hermit hatches a plan to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville. Whichever version of this movie you choose to watch (or both!), we have some fun ideas for a Grinch Dinner and a Movie that your family will love!

One of the sweetest and best Christmas movies is The Polar Express. | The Dating Divas
The Polar Express

24. The Polar Express A young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express. During his adventure, he learns about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas. This movie is one of our favorites. So much so that we created a fun family night with tickets for your own Polar Express family outing!

The muppets have done it again with one of the best Christmas movies! | The Dating Divas
The Muppet Christmas Carol

25. The Muppet Christmas Carol The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter miser’s redemption on Christmas Eve.

Disney's A Christmas Carol is one of the top 10 Christmas movies in our opinion! | The Dating Divas
A Christmas Carol

26. A Christmas Carol (Animated 2009 Version)An animated retelling of Charles Dickens’s classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.

Celebrate with the Peanuts' Christmas movie.
A Charlie Brown Christmas

27. A Charlie Brown ChristmasRepelled by the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find the true meaning of Christmas.

Frosty the Snowman is an essential Christmas movie. | The Dating Divas
Frosty the Snowman

28. Frosty the Snowman A living snowman and a little girl struggle to elude a greedy magician after the snowman’s magic hat.

Prancer is a wonderful family Christmas movie. | The Dating Divas
Prancer

29. PrancerA farm girl nurses a wounded reindeer she believes is one of Santa’s, hoping to bring it back to health in time for Christmas. Her holiday spirit inspires those around her, something her disheartened father has trouble understanding. Renew your Christmas spirit with one of the best Christmas movies around.

Rudolph is Christmas canon! Enjoy the best Christmas movie that claymation produced. | The Dating Divas
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

30. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed ReindeerA misfit reindeer and his friends look for a place that will accept them. One of the best Christmas movies that teach acceptance and love.

The Christmas carol from Mickey's eyes. | The Dating Divas
Mickey’s Christmas Carol

31. Mickey’s Christmas Carol The classic Disney animated characters play the roles in this animated retelling of the Charles Dickens masterpiece.

Arthur Christmas is top 10 Christmas movie for families. | The Dating Divas
Arthur Christmas

32. Arthur Christmas Santa’s clumsy son Arthur gets put on a mission with St. Nick’s father to give out a present they misplaced to a young girl in less than 2 hours.

Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas is a Jim Henson classic Christmas movie. | The Dating Divas
Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas

33. Emmett Otter’s Jugband ChristmasA poor otter family risks everything for the chance to win the cash prize of a talent contest for Christmas.

A good Christmas movie featuring a snowman and a family - sounds perfect! | The Dating Divas
Jack Frost

34. Jack Frost (Live Action)A father, who can’t keep his promises, dies in a car accident. One year later, he returns as a snowman, who has the final chance to put things right with his son before he is gone forever.

Jack Frost in claymation is one of the best Christmas movies for kids. | The Dating Divas
Jack Frost

35. Jack Frost (Cartoon)The Groundhog tells the story of how, for once, Jack Frost became human and helped a knight win his lady love.

Romantic Christmas Movies

There is just something so romantic about the holidays! These are the top 10 Christmas movies that are also are romantic to the core and would make perfect films for enjoying by the fire with your honey!

Romantic Christmas movies like Let it Snow are perfect for cuddling. | The Dating Divas
Let it Snow

36. Let It Snow An executive examines her company’s new property and prepares a presentation to transform the rustic lodge into a new hot spot.

The Christmas Card is a good Christmas movie for cuddling. | The Dating Divas
The Christmas Card

37. The Christmas Card A US soldier visits the town from an inspirational Christmas card sent to him by a church group that mails cards out to service members as a goodwill effort.

The best Christmas movies involve a little love! | The Dating Divas
While You Were Sleeping

38. While You Were Sleeping A hopeless romantic Chicago Transit Authority token collector is mistaken for the fiancée of a coma patient. And if this movie alone were fabulous enough – we have a few ideas to go along with this film in our While You Were Sleeping Date! Get ready for the best Christmas movie night!

A romantic and funny Christmas movie. | The Dating Divas
The Holiday

39. The Holiday Two women troubled with guy problems swap homes in each other’s countries. They each meet a local guy and fall in love and, yes, it’s just as romantic as it sounds!

Join The Family Stone for family night. | The Dating Divas
The Family Stone

40. The Family Stone An uptight, conservative businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family’s annual Christmas celebration. She finds that she’s a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.

THE BEST Christmas movie for a date night. | The Dating Divas
Four Christmases

41. Four Christmases A couple struggles to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas.

Go to the Christmas Lodge for a romantic night. | The Dating Divas
Christmas Lodge

42. The Christmas LodgeMary Tobin has wonderful memories of family gatherings at the Christmas Lodge. When she arrives for a weekend vacation, she quickly realizes that the lodge that she loves has fallen into severe disrepair. With a lack of funds and a looming deadline, she not only restores the Christmas lodge’s charm but finds love along the way.

Laugh with your love while watching Holiday in Handcuffs. | The Dating Divas
Holiday in Handcuffs

43. Holiday in HandcuffsA struggling artist working as a waitress kidnaps one of her customers to bring home and meet her parents at Christmas.

Watch 12 Dates of Christmas for a great night. | The Dating Divas
12 Dates of Christmas

44. 12 Dates of Christmas A story that follows Kate, a young woman who wakes up after a horrible blind date on Christmas Eve and finds she is reliving that same day and date all over again.

Celebrate the holidays with this sweet  romance. | The Dating Divas
Hitched for the Holidays

45. Hitched for the HolidaysAn attractive pair agrees to be each other’s supposed significant other throughout the holidays to keep their meddling families at bay.

Christ-Centered Holiday Movies 

With all the hustle and commercialism in Christmas, it is nice to know there are good quality films to remind us (or teach us) the reason for the Christmas holiday – Christ. These are the best Christmas movies that focus on Christ and his birth.

Celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with The Nativity Story. | The Dating Divas
The Nativity Story

46. The Nativity Story – The story of Christ’s birth is turned into a full-length film in The Nativity Story. The movie can help bring the beloved story to light for older children, but I recommend pre-screening it before showing it to younger children.

Your kids will love VeggieTales Christmas. | The Dating Divas
VeggieTales: The Ultimate Christmas Collection

47. VeggieTales: The Ultimate Christmas CollectionThe entire VeggieTales gang put on a Christmas movie marathon that teaches Christian values. The collection includes: It’s a Meaningful Life, Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving, The Little Drummer Boy, The Toy that Saved Christmas, and The Star of Christmas.

Answer your kids questions with this cartoon. | The Dating Divas
Why Do We Call it Christmas?

48. What’s In The Bible? Buck Denver Asks…Why Do We Call it Christmas?Join Buck Denver and his friends for a fun and unusual Christmas party. Of course, everyone loves Christmas, but have you ever wondered why we celebrate the birth of Jesus by putting trees in our houses? Or hanging stockings by the fire? And how did Santa Clause become a big part of Jesus’ birthday party anyway?

A musical telling of the nativity makes this worship. | The Dating Divas
Joy to the World

49. Joy To The WorldThis movie is filled with beautiful scenes of Jesus Christ’s birth, life, and ministry, accompanied by beautiful music performed by the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Mr. Kreuger's Christmas features dancing by Jimmy Stewart. | The Dating Divas
Mr. Krueger’s Christmas

50. Mr. Krueger’s ChristmasMr. Krueger is a lonely widower, played by Jimmy Stewart, who finds comfort through a group of carolers singing outside his window. However, his interaction with them places him in a fantasy where he imagines himself in the stable on the very first Christmas.

Learn about the true story of Silent Night in the sweet Christmas story. | The Dating Divas
Silent Night

51. Silent NightA touching retelling of the true story behind one of the most popular Christmas carols of all time. Set in 1818 in a small Austrian town near Salzburg, it tells Joseph Mohr, the new assistant priest who organizes a church choir, including outcasts from the local tavern.

Christmas birthdays can feel hard, this movie is a wonderful story about learning the importance of the date. | The Dating Divas
The Perfect Gift

52. The Perfect Gift Max is a young girl who happens to have her birthday on Christmas – and she does not like it. She also does not like her school assignment to write about Christmas. But Jes helps Max to see how important God’s perfect gift to us was.

Celebrate Christmas with a capital C. | The Dating Divas
Christmas With a Capital C

53. Christmas with a Capital CThe mayor and citizens of Trapper Falls, a small Alaskan town, are in a legal battle to keep the spirit and traditions of Christmas alive. The movie explores the cultural wars between secularism and Christianity and reminds the real spirit of Christmas, peace on earth, and goodwill. Even to this whose hearts seemed closed to Him.

This fictional story is a sweet story to add to your Christmas worship. | The Dating Divas
The Fourth Wise Man

53. The Fourth Wise ManThis fictional story is set in Biblical times based on the classic book “The Other Wise Man”. It tells of a Magi named Artaban who sees the sign in the heavens and starts his journey to find the Messiah. With three precious gifts in hand, he seeks Jesus, only to keep missing him. After 33 years, he finally finds him on Easter Sunday.

Max Lucado teaches through story and Jacob's Gift is perfect. | The Dating Divas
Jacob’s Gift

55. Jacob’s GiftEager to participate in constructing a new synagogue, a young boy works diligently to create a manger to convince his rabbi he is qualified for the job. But when a needy couple takes refuge in the stable behind his family’s inn, Jacob offers them a precious gift instead.

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Shanelle

I am a reading, singing, shopping queen! (I'm very lucky that my handsome hubby likes shopping as much as I do) Married for 9 years and ready for forever, I love spending time with Brigham (my husband) and our 4 kiddos. I teach high school English during the school year and in the summertime, we love to go on adventures in the great outdoors.

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Recent Comments

  1. What a delightful collection of Christmas movies! There is something for everyone here…I like that! Thank you so much. Merry Christmas!
    Oh, I was intrigued by your mention of VidAngel. I was disappointed to find that it was an $8.00 per month subscription service.

    1. Judy – Thank you so much for your sweet comment! We hope you enjoy many Christmas movies this season!
      Thank you for the mention of VidAngel. They recently underwent major changes to the company and the information we have posted is no longer current. We will make sure to update that right away!

  2. I am 65 yrs old and worked at a community college for 30 yrs. Now retired, I have plenty of time to reacquaint myself with the wonderful man I fell in love with. We both love movies and Christmas. Our children of course, are grown and have families of their own. Your list of movies will provide all of us a chance to spend quality time with each other or just our spouses. I appreciate the time you have spent in preparing this for us. And now that I am aware of your website, you might be hearing from me again. Marriage is a life-long journey commitment and many find it difficult to persevere through the challenges. You have provided a place of refuge and support. I thank you for all that you are doing!

  3. Watch as many as I can for Christmas, I watch them all the time, not just for Christmas, they always make me feel better, I’m 82 and still love the Christmas movies, Thank You .

  4. SO many great movies in here!!!! Confession – my family ALWAYS watches “While You Were Sleeping” every Christmas! It’s one of our favs!!