Christmas is a magical time of year. It is filled with joy, laughter, and celebrations. It is also the perfect time to wrap yourself in a warm blanket and enjoy your favorite movies while sipping on a hot coffee.
Fortunately, there are hundreds of great Christmas movies that you can enjoy. At the same time, it can be overwhelming to watch all of these movies in a limited time. To help you out, we have compiled a list of the 20 greatest Christmas movies of all time.
All of these movies are binge-worthy and captivating. We are sure that you are going to love all of them. Let’s dive straight into the list of these amazing cinematic masterpieces.
List of 20 Best Christmas Movies in the World
| S.No. | Name of the Movies | Year of Release |
| 1 | Carol | 2015 |
| 2 | The Snowman | 1982 |
| 3 | Elf | 2003 |
| 4 | The Santa Clause | 1994 |
| 5 | Miracle on 34th Street | 1947 |
| 6 | Almost Christmas | 2016 |
| 7 | Bad Santa | 2003 |
| 8 | The Christmas Chronicles | 2018 |
| 9 | Four Christmases | 2008 |
| 10 | Holidate | 2020 |
| 11 | Home Alone | 1990 |
| 12 | Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence | 1983 |
| 13 | My Santa | 2019 |
| 14 | Noel | 2004 |
| 15 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | 1993 |
| 16 | The Polar Express | 2004 |
| 17 | Daddy’s Home 2 | 2017 |
| 18 | Six Weeks | 1982 |
| 19 | Surviving Christmas | 2004 |
| 20 | A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas | 2011 |
Details of Top 20 Best Christmas Movies in the World
- Carol
| Director | Todd Haynes |
| Producer | Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Christine Vachon |
| Cast | Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, Kyle Chandler |
| Release Date | November 20, 2015 (United States), November 27, 2015 (United Kingdom) |
| Countries | United Kingdom, United States |
| Language | English |
Directed by Todd Haynes, Carol is a romantic drama movie based on the 1952 novel “The Price of Salt” by Patricia Highsmith. The film showcases a forbidden affair between a young photographer and an older woman.
Set in NYC in the 1950s, this movie starts with the photographer Therese Belivet meeting a woman searching for a Christmas doll for her daughter. According to the BBC, Carol is one of the greatest films of the 21st Century.
- The Snowman
| Director | Dianne Jackson |
| Producer | John Coates |
| Cast | Animated Movie |
| Release Date | December 26, 1982 |
| Countries | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Snowman is an animated movie that your children are going to love this Christmas. Based on Raymond Briggs’s picture book of the same name, this movie was released in 1982. It went on to win various prestigious awards like Best Animated Short Film at the 55th Academy Awards, BAFTA TV Award, etc.
- Elf
| Director | Jon Favreau |
| Producer | Jon Berg, Todd Komarnicki, Shauna Robertson |
| Cast | Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Edward Asner, Bob Newhart |
| Release Date | November 7, 2003 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
Elf is a movie for those who want to have a laughter ride this Christmas. It narrates the story of a baby raised by Santa’s elves. Growing up, he heads to New York City to search for his biological father. Released in 2003, this movie was a huge commercial success at that time. It grossed more than $220 million against a budget of only $33 million.
- The Santa Clause
| Director | John Pasquin |
| Producer | Brian Reilly, Jeffery Silver, Robert Newmyer |
| Cast | Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, David Krumholtz, Peter Boyle |
| Release Date | November 5, 1994 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
The Santa Clause is a wholesome comedy movie released in 1994. The movie follows the story of a divorced father, Scott Calvin, who accidentally caused the original Santa Claus to fall from his roof and die. After that, he along with his son went to the North Pole. There they realized that now Scott has to fulfill the duties of Santa Claus.
- Miracle on 34th Street
| Director | George Seaton |
| Producer | William Perlberg |
| Cast | Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Jerome Cowan, Philip Tonge |
| Release Date | June 11, 1947 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
This one is an absolute Classic! Miracle on 34th Street was released way back in 1947. It is one of the most successful Christmas movies ever with three Academy Awards. The movie tells the story that took place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City. It also revolves around a departmental store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa.
- Almost Christmas
| Director | David E. Talbert |
| Producer | Will Packer, Mikael Hed |
| Cast | Kimberly Elise, Danny Glover, John Michael Higgins, Romany Malco, Mo’Nique, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union |
| Release Date | November 11, 2016 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
Almost Christmas is a heartwarming drama movie. Released in 2016, it revolves around the Mayers family. This dysfunctional family comes together for the Christmas holiday for the first time after the death of their mother. This holiday season turns out to be hilarious and chaotic for the Mayers family.
- Bad Santa
| Director | Terry Zwigoff |
| Producer | John Cameron, Sarah Aubrey, Bob Weinstein |
| Cast | Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, Brett Kelly, Lauren Tom, John Ritter, Bernie Mac |
| Release Date | November 26, 2003 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
You are going to love this movie if you are a fan of black comedy. The story follows Willie T. Stokes, an alcoholic man who poses as Santa Claus during the Christmas season and robs stores in the night. The movie takes a heartwarming turn when Willie meets Thurman, a troubled young boy who believes in the goodness of Santa.
- The Christmas Chronicles
| Director | Clay Kaytis |
| Producer | Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan |
| Cast | Kurt Russell, Judah Lewis, Darby Camp, Lamorne Morris, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Oliver Hudson |
| Release Date | November 22, 2018 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
The Christmas Chronicles is another Christmas movie that focuses on children. The plot follows two young kids, Kate and Teddy. On Christmas Eve, they accidentally destroyed Santa’s sleigh. Now, it is up to the children and Santa to deliver all presents on time.
- Four Christmases
| Director | Seth Gordon |
| Producer | Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman, Roger Birnbaum |
| Cast | Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Voight, Sissy Spacek |
| Release Date | November 26, 2008 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
Four Christmases is a light comedy movie with an interesting plot. It follows a couple named Brad and Kate. They decided to visit all four of their divorced parents’ homes on Christmas Day.
- Holidate
| Director | John Whitesell |
| Producer | McG, Mary Viola |
| Cast | Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Jake Manley, Jessica Capshaw, Andrew Bachelor, Frances Fisher, Manish Dayal, Kristin Chenoweth |
| Release Date | October 28, 2020 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
Holidate is a movie for the fans of romantic cinema. It follows Sloane and Jackson who meet on Christmas and decide to become each other’s “Holidate” for all major holidays throughout the year. The movie explores the complexities of modern-day dating.
- Home Alone
| Director | Chris Columbus |
| Producer | John Hughes |
| Cast | Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Catherine O’Hara |
| Release Date | November 16, 1990 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
This is probably the most popular film on our list of top 20 best Christmas movies. It is the first movie in the Home Alone franchise where Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin McCallister. Kevin is the boy who defends his home from a home invasion after his family leaves him behind on their Christmas holiday.
- Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
| Director | Nagisa Ōshima |
| Producer | Jeremy Thomas |
| Cast | David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano, Jack Thompson |
| Release Date | May 28 ,1983 (Japan) August 25, 1983 (United Kingdom) |
| Countries | Japan, United Kingdom, New Zealand |
| Language | English, Japanese |
Our soldiers have to experience the toughest of times during wars. Directed by Nagisa Ōshima, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence showcases the injustice POWs had to deal with during World War 2. Apart from the US, this movie was also released in Japan.
- My Santa
| Director | Sugeeth |
| Producer | Nishad Koya, Ajeesh O. K., Sajith Krishna, Saritha Sugeeth |
| Cast | Dileep, Manasvi Kottachi, Devanandha, Anusree, Sai Kumar, Sunny Wayne |
| Release Date | December 25th 2019 |
| Countries | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
If you are from India then you should definitely watch this movie. It is an emotional movie about a child Aisa Elizabeth. She lost her entire family except her grandfather in an accident. She always hopes that Santa is alive somewhere. One Christmas night, Santa arrives to meet Aisa and accompanies her to fulfill her wishes.
- Noel
| Director | Chazz Palminteri |
| Producer | Al Corley, Howard Rosenman |
| Cast | Penélope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Paul Walker, Alan Arkin, Marcus Thomas, Robin Williams |
| Release Date | September 12, 2004 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
Noel is another film that will take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride. The story revolves around a group of interconnected individuals whose lives intersect on Christmas Eve in New York City. The film lets you know about the true meaning of love and Christmas.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
| Director | Henry Selick |
| Producer | Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi |
| Cast | Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, Ed Ivory |
| Release Date | October 29, 1993 (United States) |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a famous animated film that you can watch at Christmas. It was the debut movie of director Tim Burton. This movie tells the story of Jack Skellington, the King of “Halloween Town” who goes to Christmas Town and becomes captivated by the holiday spirit. It is a dark fantasy movie.
- The Polar Express
| Director | Robert Zemeckis |
| Producer | Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, Gary Goetzman, William Teitler |
| Cast | Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, Eddie Deezen |
| Release Date | November 10, 2004 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
“The Polar Express” is an animated film released in 2004. It takes you through the story of a young boy who begins a magical train ride to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. The movie is filled with both joy and emotion. It is the perfect Christmas movie for the audience of all ages.
- Daddy’s Home 2
| Director | Sean Anders |
| Producer | Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, John Morris |
| Cast | Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, John Cena, John Lithgow, Mel Gibson |
| Release Date | November 10, 2017 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
What happens when two stepdads decide to team up to provide a perfect Christmas for their children? This is the plot of Sean Anders’s movie “Daddy’s Home 2” released in 2017.
- Six Weeks
| Director | Tony Bill |
| Producer | Peter Guber, Jon Peters |
| Cast | Dudley Moore, Mary Tyler Moore, Katherine Healy |
| Release Date | December 17, 1982 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
Six Weeks is a drama film that follows the emotional journey of a 12-year-old girl dying from leukemia and her friendship with a politician Patrick Dalton. Although the film was not successful at the box office it was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards.
- Surviving Christmas
| Director | Mike Mitchell |
| Producer | Betty Thomas, Jenno Topping |
| Cast | Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Catherine O’Hara |
| Release Date | October 22, 2004 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
This is a story about a millionaire who decides to relive his childhood memories by spending Christmas at his Childhood home. However, his childhood home is now owned by a different family. This leads to a series of funny situations.
A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas
| Director | Todd Strauss-Schulson |
| Producer | Greg Shapiro |
| Cast | John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris |
| Release Date | November 4, 2011 |
| Countries | United States |
| Language | English |
A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas” follows the hilarious adventures of Harold Lee and Kumar Patel during the Christmas season. The two friends tried their best to find a replacement for the Christmas Tree accidentally destroyed by Kumar’s Father-In-Law. Along the way, they encounter various bizarre and comedic situations.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can go for films like The Polar Express, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Snowman, etc.
Yes, there are plenty of funny Christmas movies like Elf, Home Alone, Bad Santa, etc.
All of these movies are available on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, etc.
Yes, you can opt for movies like Carol, Holidate, etc.
In our opinion, Carol is the best Christmas movie for the LGBT community.
