The Christmas season is the perfect time to spend with family and friends. As you enjoy this time of year, you may also relax by watching Christmas movies. There are plenty to choose from, but some stand out. Furthermore, there are 10 that you won’t want to go without seeing this year.
10: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
This movie was released in 1989 and starred comedic guru Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, head of the Griswold household. In this edition, Clark once again bumbles his way through good-intentioned efforts to make the perfect Christmas for his family. The extended family’s arrival complicates his holiday plans, as hilarity ensues.
9. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Both a Halloween and Christmas movie, this 1993 film has a good message of what makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year. Santa Claus helps Jack Skellington convince the Pumpkin King that the heart of Christmas is alive.
8. A Christmas Carol
There are numerous versions of this enduring Christmas tale. The 1951 version is arguably the best retelling of Charles Dickens’ book. Moreover, Alastair Sim brilliantly plays miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who goes from “Bah Humbug” to recognizing his humanity and the specialness of Christmas.
7. The Apartment
This Christmas movie from 1960 has little to do with Santa Claus. It stars Jack Lemon and Shirley McClain as they enjoy an office Christmas party together. There’s plenty of laughter and some precarious situations in this film.
6. Elf
This zany, silly film is perfect if you want roll-on-the-floor laughter. Will Ferrell is brilliant as Buddy the Elf, who leaves the North Pole in search of his father, who turns out to be on the naughty list. Buddy helps bring the Christmas spirit to his father and saves Christmas in the process.
5. The Muppet Christmas Carol
The second “A Christmas Carol” adaptation on the list, the Muppets version, is a heartwarming one. Starring Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit and numerous other Muppet characters, this movie surprisingly follows the book closely, all while giving viewers some added humor and emotion. Michael Caine is fantastic as Scrooge.
4. Home Alone
What happens when burglars try to steal from a home where an inventive, precocious little boy has been left alone? This is what “Home Alone” portrays. Kevin McAlister is inadvertently left home by himself when his family takes a Christmas trip to Paris. Furthermore, Kevin makes the most of the situation, including defending the family home with a series of booby traps.
3. Miracle on 34th Street
This 1947 version is a must-see Christmas movie. In it, a young girl named Susan meets the real Kris Kringle, but she refuses to believe he’s Santa. However, Edmund Gwenn’s portrayal of St. Nick is convincing to her and movie viewers.
2. A Christmas Story
“You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!” This is one of the most famous movie quotes of all time, and it comes from this beloved holiday film. This nostalgic tale follows Ralphie, who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. This movie is undoubtedly full of laughs and emotion.
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1. It’s a Wonderful Life
Lastly, this one is still the king of Christmas movies. This iconic 1949 film follows good-hearted but beleaguered George Bailey, played by legendary actor James Stewart. After a series of disappointments, George laments that he wishes he had never been born. His guardian angel, Clarence, then shows him how much he has meant to the world.
Thus, make sure you have these 10 movies on your schedule of events this Christmas. Watch them all this year with your family.
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