The Top 5 Christmas Movies to Watch This Year!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year again! I don’t know about you, but I love the holidays! There is no better way to ring in the season than to binge-watch a ton of Christmas movies with your family. As we dive fully into holiday mode let’s take a look at the Top 5 Christmas movies our readers say you must watch this season!

Christmas Movies

There are so many excellent Christmas movies out there. Some are funny, some are sappy, and some are just pure heart-warming classics. They have become part of our family traditions. While every family has a different idea of what the best Christmas movie may be, some films have become indisputable classics. 

We comprised a list of almost 20 famous Christmas movies and put it to our readers to decide which movies are the best of the best. The results are in, so let’s check out which movies made the Top 5 must-watch list this year! 

#5. It’s a Wonderful Life

It’s a Wonderful Life is a timeless classic Christmas movie. You’ll often find it topping most internet “best movie” lists. The message of this story is so moving! So many people around the world suffer from depression and many don’t know how to deal with the stress.

This is the very situation in which we find the main character, George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. He is overwhelmed by obligations and has given up on many of his own dreams to help his community. After $8000 to pay for the family business loan goes missing, George finds himself standing on the edge of a bridge ready to throw it all away.

Because of his family and friends’ prayers, George’s guardian angel, Clarence, comes to earth to stop him and show George what the town and people’s lives would have looked like without George. 

This movie has such a wonderful storyline. Mental health is often overlooked in society even though 1 in 5 Americans (52.9 million) suffer from some type of mental health issue.

All of us need to support one another, especially during the crazy holiday season. Sometimes the difference could be one person making an act of kindness. Everyone wants to feel loved and appreciated and it can sometimes be difficult to see the impact we have on other’s lives.

It’s a Wonderful Life sends the perfect message: that we are all important to someone and we are here on this earth for a reason. We just have to open our eyes to see the impact we make on others and to know that things can always get better if we just hang on.

#4. The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet Christmas Carol is considered one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time in my (Christina) household. I am so happy to see that I am not alone. I have watched many versions of A Christmas Carol in my life and none have come close to this one. 

The story of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a bit dark, which is why the addition of traditional muppet humor puts this version above all others. The main character Ebenezer Scrooge (played by the great Michael Cain), is a mean old miser who shuns the poor, treats his staff and only caring relative horribly, and hates Christmas.

One Christmas Eve, he receives an ominous visit from his old business partners Jacob and Robert Marley (played by Statler and Waldorf) who essentially come from a place beyond the grave that none of us would ever care to visit. In an effort to save Scrooge’s soul from the same horrific fate, the Marley brothers tell Scrooge he will be visited by three ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. 

As everyone knows, these hauntings help to scare Scrooge out of his selfish ways and transform him into a charitable and kinder man. It’s a wonderful story that has stood the test of time (179 years to be exact). It’s a reminder to all of us that no matter how far we fall, we can be redeemed. No matter how dark things may seem, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. We just need to be open to receiving the love that the season brings. 

I love the story of A Christmas Carol, but what is missing from all the other versions is being able to add some lightheartedness to the deeply intense plot line. The Muppet Christmas Carol does this with sheer brilliance and in a way that does not detract from the importance of the story’s message. If you are looking for a great movie to watch this year, be sure to check out The Muppet Christmas Carol on Disney+!

#3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a classic comedy that is so relatable and will have you in stitches.

The movie centers around Clark Griswold and his family as they prepare to host the perfect family Christmas (as if that exists!). Clark goes crazy trying to make everything perfect for the big day and attain the unattainable. 

As expected, things quickly go awry when Clark’s weird cousin Eddie and family show up uninvited to stay with them for Christmas and his Christmas bonus doesn’t arrive as expected.

How many of us can relate to Clark trying to keep the Christmas spirit alive while dealing with grumpy family members and the various mishaps that occur along the way? It can be hard to stay cheerful with all the craziness this season can bring but watching Clark press on even when his tree burns down, the turkey implodes, and none of the lights work on his house is somehow oddly empowering.

It’s a great movie to put into perspective the things that truly matter at Christmas and that is above all: the love of family. 

You can often find National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation playing throughout the season on cable TV. Be sure to put those little ones to bed first, this movie is better suited for older kids and adults due to some of the language used.

#2. Elf

Elf is the ultimate family Christmas comedy movie! I can remember our middle school playing this movie for us the day before Christmas break. It was one of the few movies that could captivate us young tweens and keep us entertained. 

We first meet Buddy as a grown man at the North Pole working with the elves in Santa’s workshop. Being a grown man amongst elves, Buddy feels out of place and comes to learn that he is actually a human who was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a baby.

He learns that his real father lives in New York City and goes on an adventure to find him. However, he quickly discovers that his father is a pessimistic businessman who has lost the true meaning of Christmas. Buddy’s job is not an easy one, but he spends his time trying to show his father that there is more to life than just work. Another good message for those of us who have difficulty unplugging and taking the time to relax with family.

Elf is a fun movie to watch with the whole family and after so many years it has become a holiday staple for most families! 

#1. Home Alone

The winner of our best Christmas movie list is Home Alone! It just doesn’t get any more classic than this 90s hit film!

After 8-year-old Kevin McCallister is banished to the attic for acting out on the night before the family’s big Paris vacation, he wakes to find that the entire family has left in a rush to the airport and forgotten all about him.

For a brief moment, Kevin thinks his wish for no family has come true and does everything an unsupervised child would do when left at home. The fun and games quickly end, however, when Kevin realizes his family’s house is being cased for a robbery.

He then sets out on a mission to protect the house at all costs from the robbers, and chaos ensues.

Home Alone is the perfect lighthearted family Christmas movie. It’s funny, heartwarming and entertaining. It’s no wonder this timeless classic has made it to the top of our readers’ must-watch list! 

There you have it! The Top 5 Christmas movies our readers say you have to add to your must-watch list this year! 

To read about some holiday traditions that are extra special to our writer team, click HERE and don’t forget to share your family traditions with us in the comments below! We would love to hear how you share the holidays with your families!

What Christmas movie did you vote for as the best of the best? Do you agree with our top 5? Let us know in the comments below and on Facebook what movies are part of your family’s holiday traditions!