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Jim Carrey, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Jim Carrey, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Best Christmas Movies to Watch with Your Family This Season

Cassandra Yany

Hey Hollywooders! With the plethora of Christmas movies available on TV and streaming services, it can sometimes be difficult to choose a film that the whole family will love.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Today we’re sharing our guide to the best movies to watch with your family this holiday season and where you can find them!

Family Christmas Movies: How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Since Dr. Seuss’ creation of “The Grinch,” the character has become a Christmas staple. The iconic 2000s live-action movie Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas is widely considered a Christmas classic. The comedy stars Jim Carrey as The Grinch, Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who, and Christine Baranski as Martha May.

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Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas takes viewers through The Grinch’s endeavors to ruin Christmas for Whoville, gives background as to why he despises Christmas, and ends with him learning to love and establishing friendships with the Whos. The film is full of fun scenes and hilarious jokes that will captivate the whole family!

The 2018 film Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch is an animated movie that puts a twist on the classic story, with narration by Pharrell Williams. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as The Grinch and Cameron Seely as Cindy Lou Who. It also features Kenan Thompson, Rashida Jones, and Angela Lansbury. This film focuses more on Cindy Lou Who and her family and why having a memorable Christmas is so important to them.

You can stream Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) on Freeform, and catch Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018) on Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas!”

Family Christmas Movies: Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

The 1994 Miracle on 34th Street is a remake of the 1947 film of the same name. The movie centers on a single mother, Dorey, living in New York City who has a young daughter named Susan. When looking for a new person to play Santa Claus at Cole’s Department Store, she comes across Kris Kringle, who gains the trust of the children who visit him and has uncanny resemblances to the real Santa Claus.

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Kris has a secret though— he is the real Santa Claus. He must then convince the skeptical Dorey and Susan, and an entire jury of his true identity. Miracle on 34th Street stars Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Mara Wilson, and Dylan McDermott.

Watch Miracle on 34th Street on HBO Max!

Family Christmas Movies: Klaus (2019)

Klaus is an animated Netflix film that tells an origin story of Santa Claus and how he started delivering toys to children on Christmas. The movie follows a mail carrier, Jesper, and a toymaker, Klaus, who team up to bring joy to the town of Smeerensberg. The town has had a long-running feud between the 2 main families— the Ellingboes and the Krums— which creates hostility in the town.

After Klaus finds a sad drawing from one of the Krum children and gives the child a toy to cheer him up, children give Jesper letters to deliver to Klaus so they can also receive a new toy. Klaus was written and directed by Sergio Pablos and stars Jason Schwartzman, J. K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, and Joan Cusack.

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Watch Klaus on Netflix!

Family Christmas Movies: The Santa Clause series

Disney’s The Santa Clause trilogy follows father Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) who becomes Santa Claus when he puts the Santa suit on after the former Santa falls off the roof. Throughout the first film, Scott must juggle his relationship with his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) and the responsibilities that come during his first Christmas season as Santa, all while convincing his ex-wife (Wendy Crewson) that he’s not crazy.

The Santa Clause 2 (2002) focuses on Scott as he temporarily steps away from the role of Santa to find a wife before Christmas Eve, or else he will no longer be Santa Claus. This film introduces Scott’s love interest Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Charlie’s half-sister (Liliana Mumy). The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006) is the 3rd and final film in the series, which brings Jack Frost (Martin Short) as he plays with time travel and tries to become the new face of Christmas.

The film series also stars Judge Reinhold, David Krumholtz, and Spencer Breslin. These movies are the perfect mix of entertaining, funny, and heartwarming, and make great picks for a movie marathon!

Watch all 3 The Santa Clause movies on Disney+!

Family Christmas Movies: The Home Alone series

One of the most iconic Christmas movies of the ‘90s, Home Alone follows a young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) who is accidentally left home by his family when they embark on their Christmas vacation. Kevin must then learn to navigate the freedom of being home alone while also stopping burglars who are trying to break into his house on Christmas Eve.

Home Alone (1990) also stars Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, and John Heard. New additions have since been made to the franchise, all with similar storylines. These movies include Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Home Alone 3 (1997), Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002), and Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012).

The most recent release to the Home Alone series, Home Sweet Home Alone, premiered on Disney+ earlier this year. Home Sweet Home Alone follows 10-year-old Max who is left behind from his family vacation after a complication with flight bookings. Home alone for the holidays, he must protect his house from burglars who are trying to steal his family’s priceless heirloom. The film stars Archie Yates, Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, and Kenan Thompson.

Watch the Home Alone movies on Disney+!

Family Christmas Movies: Jingle All The Way (1996)

Jingle All The Way is a 1996 comedy that centers on a father who sets out to buy his son the most popular toy for Christmas. Howard (Arnold Schwarzenegger) hopes that getting a Turbo-Man action figure for his son Jamie (Jake Lloyd) will make up for his workaholic tendencies. On Christmas Eve, Howard goes on an action-filled journey to find a Turbo-Man in which he must compete with Myron (Sinbad) who is also in search of the highly-coveted toy.

Written by Randy Kornfield and directed by Brian Levant, Jingle All The Way also stars Phil Hartman and Rita Wilson.

Watch Jingle All The Way on Hulu and Disney+!

Family Christmas Movies: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a classic family comedy for the holidays! The film follows the Griswolds as they prepare for their family’s Christmas and celebrate the holiday. This marks the 3rd film of National Lampoon’s magazine Vacation film series.

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase), is the source of most of the movie’s laughs. With family coming from out of town to visit, Clark is determined to create the best Christmas. This includes picking out a massive Christmas tree and putting together an extravagant light display that causes a citywide power outage in what has become one of the most iconic Christmas movie scenes.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation also stars Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, John Randolph, and Diane Ladd. The film is based on a short story by John Hughes called Christmas ‘59, which was published in National Lampoon magazine. It was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.

Watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on HBO Max!

Family Christmas Movies: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) 

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a Christmas musical that was released on Netflix in 2020. The fantasy film centers around a toymaker named Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) who is working to complete his new invention, which he thinks could change his and his family’s lives. When he finishes the creation— a toy matador— the doll comes to life and convinces Jeronicus’s apprentice to steal him along with Jeronicus’ invention book to avoid being mass produced.

Jeronicus then begins to struggle financially before the death of his wife who has fallen ill. This leads Jeronicus into a depression which affects his relationship with his daughter Jessica. When Jeronicus learns that he must produce a new invention in order to keep his shop, he enlists the help of his granddaughter, Journey, who he meets for the first time when she visits him for Christmas. The two team up to ensure that Jeronicus doesn’t have his ideas stolen from him again.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey stars Madalen Mills, Phylicia Rashad, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose, and Diana Babincova. The movie was written and directed by David E. Talbert. With its music and unique story, this film is different from any other Christmas movie and is bound to keep the whole family entertained!

Watch Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey on Netflix!

Family Christmas Movies: The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000)

The Ultimate Christmas Present is a Disney Channel Original movie starring Halle Hirsh, Brenda Song, Hallie Todd, Spencer Breslin, and John Salley. The movie takes place in Los Angeles, where main character Allie has never experienced a snowy Christmas. Allie and her friend Sam discover a weather machine in the woods that could finally bring snow to LA.

Allie turns on the weather machine in her house, waking up to a snow day the next morning. Allie lands herself a spot on the naughty list for her actions, as it turns out the weather machine belonged to none other than Santa Claus. When the snow begins to put a damper on Allie’s and Sam’s Christmas plans, they must put a stop to it with the help of Santa. The Ultimate Christmas Present was written by Hallie Einhorn and Michael Hitchcock, and directed by Greg Beeman.

Watch The Ultimate Christmas Present on Disney+!

Family Christmas Movies: Noelle (2019)

Noelle is a Disney+ original Christmas movie that focuses on Santa’s 2 children: Nick and Noelle. After Santa Claus’ untimely death months before Christmas, his son Nick Kringle (Bill Hader) is in line to take over his position. Nick, however, is not ready to become the new face of Christmas. His sister Noelle (Anna Kendrick), who has been put in charge of maintaining the Christmas spirit, tries to convince her brother that he is capable of following in his father’s footsteps. Along the way, however, it becomes apparent that Noelle may be more cut out for the role of Santa than Nick.

Noelle was written and directed by Marc Lawrence and stars Shirley MacLaine, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Billy Eichner, and Julie Hagerty.

Watch Noelle on Disney+!

Family Christmas Movies: A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

A Bad Moms Christmas is the sequel to the 2016 film Bad Moms starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn. A Bad Moms Christmas follows the hysterical antics of mom friends Amy, Kiki, and Carla as they try to take on the holidays. Being a mother is hard enough, but their lives become even more difficult when their mothers show up to celebrate Christmas.

Once conflict arises Amy, Kiki, and Carla, along with their mothers, must learn how to put their differences aside in order to maintain a loving relationship with one another, while still enjoying Christmas. A Bad Moms Christmas also stars Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines, and Susan Sarandon, and was written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. This movie is rated R and contains mature themes/jokes, so it is better suited for older members of the family!

Rent or buy A Bad Moms Christmas on Amazon Prime Video!

Family Christmas Movies: Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020)

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square is a Netflix musical that consists of 14 original songs written by country music legend Dolly Parton! Dolly also stars in the film, along with Jenifer Lewis, Josh Segarra, Jeanine Mason, Mary Lane Haskell, and Christine Baranski. The film was directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen, with a screenplay written by Maria S. Schlatter.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square takes place in a small town where affluent Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski) tries to displace the residents and sell the town’s land to a mall developer. Regina is then visited by an angel (Dolly Parton) who, along with the local citizens, tries to convince her to change her mind and bring back holiday cheer to the town.

Watch Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square on Netflix!

Family Christmas Movies: Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (1999) & Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas (2004)

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas and Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas both follow Disney characters Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, and their families during the holidays. Both movies are comprised of shorts focusing on different characters that include stories like Goofy and his son Max waiting on the roof for Santa Claus and Minnie and Daisy risking their friendship to compete in an ice skating competition.

Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas and Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas feature the voices of Wayne Allwine, Russi Taylor, Tony Anselmo, Bill Farmer, and Tress MacNeille.

Watch Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas and Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas on Disney+!

Family Christmas Movies: Elf (2003)

One of the most beloved Christmas comedies, Elf follows the story of Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell), who ventures into New York City to find his real father when he learns that he is not truly an elf. Buffy has grown up in the North Pole, surrounded by Christmas all the time after he was adopted by one of Santa Claus’ elves.

@classic.retroElf ❄️ “Santa is coming to town !” ❄️ (2003) #fyp #foryourpage #elfmovie #tiktok #comedу♬ original sound – Classic Retro ✨

In New York, Buddy attempts to form a relationship with his new family while trying to get the new people he’s met to believe in Christmas again. Elf was written by David Berenbaum and directed by Jon Favreau. The movie stars James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Daniel Tay, and Bob Newhart.

Watch Elf on HBO Max!

Family Christmas Movies: The Polar Express (2004)

The Polar Express is a computer animated film that explores the meaning of believing and creating sincere friendships when you most need them. The movie centers around a young boy who has become skeptical of Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve, he hears a train pull up to his house, which he learns is the Polar Express. After reluctantly boarding the train, the boy joins other children on the train and they journey to the North Pole.

After making friendships on the train, the boy goes on adventures to help his friends make sure that they will all get to the North Pole to see Santa on his big night. By the end of his lengthy trip, the boy’s belief in Santa Claus is restored and he wakes up to a cheerful Christmas morning with his family. The Polar Express is filled with fun musical numbers that family members of all ages will enjoy. The movie stars Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, and Jimmy Bennett, and was directed by Robert Zemeckis, who wrote the film along with William Broyles Jr.

Watch The Polar Express on HBO Max!

Family Christmas Movies: Eloise at Christmastime

One of the cutest Christmas movies, Eloise at Christmastime is based on the 1958 children’s book of the same name by Kay Thompson and is the sequel to the 2003 movie Eloise at the Plaza. Six-year-old Eloise (Sofia Vassilieva) is living every child’s dream of residing in a penthouse in a New York City hotel. As Christmas approaches, Eloise begins to prepare for the holiday with her Nanny (Julie Andrews) while the hotel is preparing for the wedding of the owner’s daughter.

When the bride and groom-to-be arrive at the hotel, Eloise notices something fishy about the groom. She then meddles her way in to make sure that the bride is not making a huge mistake by marrying her fiancé. Throughout the chaos, Eloise learns that her mom might not make it home in time for Christmas. With the help of her friends at the hotel, Eloise tries to put a stop to the wedding while still attempting to have a great Christmas.

Eloise at Christmastime was written by Elizabeth Chandler and directed by Kevin Lima. The movie also stars Kenneth Welsh, Gavin Creel, Sara Topham, Christine Baranski, and Jeffrey Tambor.

Watch Eloise at Christmastime on Xfinity Stream!

We hope that these movies allow you to sit back, relax, and enjoy quality time with your family this holiday season!

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Cassandra Yany
Cassandra Yany

Movies in theaters