LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 29: Actor Tim Allen and his wife Jane arrive at the premiere of Walt Disney's "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" at the El Capitan Theater on October 29, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

It’s that time of year when everybody and their mother figures out how they want to spend the Christmas season, despite us not even being past Thanksgiving. Well, I for one already know what I’ll be doing to be all holly and jolly and that’s watching some Holiday movies. Though with so many films about the true meaning of the holiday season which ones made it on the nice list this year?

For simplicity, I will be ranking what I believe to be the top ten holiday movies of all time. I will also be fair and have no repeat movies so you won’t see all remakes though sequels are fair game. I’m also leaving out some television specials as they had no official release and the list would be unfair otherwise. So without further ado, here are the best Christmas movies that will have you counting down the days till Santa comes to town.

  • 10. Elf (2003)

    Starting our list at number ten is Elf staring Will Ferrell, this was a hard choice to put this here as I grew up watching Buddy as he tried to get his father to love him for who he is and I think the message is certainly a strong one as we see someone who has lost his faith in the holiday believe again. Though I do believe looking back the film is unable to hold up to some of the others on this list but is still a good film.

  • 9. 8 Crazy Night’s (2002)

    By far I believe this is one of Adam Sandler’s better movies. Not only does it show some love for Hanukkah, but despite being filled with toilet humor and offensive stereotypes the animated film does show us a man struggling with a tragic past and his attempts, or lack thereof with moving forward. You’re meant to hate the main character because he is a jerk. But you want to root for him as we see he can do better. 

  • 8. The Santa Clause (1994)

    Before you get mad and comment saying I have no idea what I’m talking about let me land. I think Tim Allen’s Santa Clause is a good movie. It has good elements of getting a look at what Santa does for a living and it certainly holds up in terms of age. But when you look at some of the other movie’s message and overall quality. I believe this is where this Christmas comedy falls short. This is equally as true when you look at the series as a whole because frankly speaking, they should have stopped at two films. With a new Miniseries premiering this month will this be the nail in Santa’s sleigh? 

  • 7. Krampus (2015)

    Now, this might be a debate because Krampus is a horror movie about the Central European folktale, but if Die Hard counts this should as well. For what it is I believe it is in a class of its own for showing the dark side of the holiday. People not being thankful for what they have and being overall hateful of course a movie about them being punished by a Christmas monster would be a sick movie! It doesn’t exactly reach the top five, but the upcoming Violent Night might replace one of these movies. 

  • 6. Klaus (2019)

    Klaus was a Netflix release that when it first came out, I did not give it the proper credit it deserves as not only does it put an interesting spin on how Christmas came to be, but it also shows an interesting spin of the jolly Santa Clause we know today. The animation is clean and it is ranked as one of the best Christmas movies by far. Despite this praise, I do believe the following on this list are simply better. 

  • 5 . Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

    Now in the middle of the pack is the follow-up to Home Alone, where we see Kevin McCallister once again get left behind this time however he is stuck in New York City. This might be a bit controversial, but despite how some may think, personally, I’d rank the film above its predecessor.  I believe that not only is the message of the film shown more clearly, but the comedy is a bit sharper as well. Now I’m not saying that there is something wrong with the original, but at times I feel as if some of the main points of the movie could have been better executed. But, for a film that was made nearly 30 years ago! As the film came out on November 15th It still holds up today. 

  • 4. Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

    Now some may consider this a television special. I am not one of those people. While there are many versions of Charles Dickens original work, I think this is one of the best versions. The film sticks to the source material while throwing its own spin on things. So, I think it earns its spot at number four. Though to be fair, I haven’t seen all the versions of A Christmas Carol so there may be a better one out there. But now we can move on to what I consider to be the top three best Christmas movies of all time. 

  • 3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

    This is personally one of the best Christmas series to date. My favorite going to the 2000 version as it has a good blend of humor alongside Jim Carrey who I think was the only choice for the role. However, while this might be my favorite version, I have to point out that the 2018 remake is close to being better in its own way. As its version of Whoville far outshines that of the 2000 version and the original. The scene of the Who’s cornering the Grinch as they finger snap and sing a killer version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen like some kind of West Side Story gang is funny beyond belief. I’m curious to see how the upcoming horror remake titled ‘The Mean One’ will hold up. 

  • 2. Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer.

    This is another film I am willing to turn a blind eye to as this is one of my favorite Christmas movies. The message of Christmas spirt going against corporate greed is one of the best showings I’ve seen in a holiday movie. That on top of loveable characters and songs that just get stuck in your head is part of the reason it’s ranked number two. Another reason and I am showing bias here is because this was one of the first Christmas specials I can remember watching so it holds a special place in my heart.

  • 1. The Polar Express (2004)

    This is the goat of Christmas movies, and you cannot change my mind. When Tom Hanks said he thinks only four of his movies are pretty good. I hope this is on his list. As the animation and musical numbers are clean throughout the movie, the message is spot on for having someone who wants to believe in the magic of Christmas struggling as he grows up and the cast of characters that you just fall for every year. This is the perfect movie to get you into the Christmas spirit. 

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