Of all the Christmastime traditions, watching your favorite holiday movie is often the true marker that Christmas is really here. From the classic childhood favorites to the not-so-traditional modern flicks, here’s our handy list of the top 10 Christmas movies to get you in the holiday spirit.

[10] How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
There are few cartoons a grown man can get away with watching, and this is one of them. Sure you can play it off like you're a tough guy, but don’t be shy; you’re not the only one who grows a little misty every time the Grinch’s heart swells three times it’s normal size. Plus it's one of those rare instances where the movie resonates as well as the book.

[9] Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
What would Christmas Eve be without those creepy “animagic” figures singing and dancing on TV? This loveable favorite follows a misfit Rudolph who’s shunned by his fellow reindeer and embarks on a treacherous journey through the North Pole to help Santa deliver his toys on Christmas Eve. Oh, you know the story, that's why this is a classic.

[8] Bad Santa (2003)
Who says a movie has to be all sugar plums and dancing fairies to become a Christmas classic? Not Billy Bob Thornton, who plays a deliciously naughty Santa Claus who robs department stores on Christmas Eve with his trash-talking Little Helper. Very rarely will you find a Christmas classic that’s rated R, but even despite the foul language and sexual content, Bad Santa still manages to deliver an inspiring holiday message about the true spirit of Christmas.

[7] Elf (2003)
Will Farrell plays a man raised by elves who leaves the North Pole in order to find his real family. While you watch Farrell grow up on screen, you'll find Elf a hilarious and touching movie that’s destined to become yet another Christmas classic you’ll enjoy for years to come. On a side note, Farrell doesn't streak butt naked in this movie.





[6] A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
We know just how you feel, Charlie Brown. If you thought Christmas was too commercial in 1965, just think how depressed you’d feel today. This is perhaps the only movie in the bunch that makes you want to find a sad, limp tree and smother it with love and care. A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of those movies that only gets better with age as we all fight to remember the true meaning of Christmas as the years go by.




[5] It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
No holiday season would be complete without watching James Stewart discover what life would be like if he was never born and help a friendly angel get his wings. No matter how many times you see this classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life still manages to be just as powerfully heart-warming as it was the first 10 times you watched it.





[4] Scrooged (1988)
Billy Murray stars in this modern take of the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge as a network executive who treats everyone around him like garbage. When he’s put in charge of a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol, his own life starts to mimic that of the original Dickens’ story as ghosts from his past return to teach him a lesson. The humor is dark and some of the language makes it an adults-only movie, but that’s all the more reason to add this to your classic Christmas movie list.




[3] Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Let’s be honest, no one’s going to believe a goofy old man who claims to really be Santa Clause; but that doesn’t keep you from rooting for Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) in this touching movie about a little girl who does everything she can to save him from a life in the loony bin. The bonus with this one is that once you’ve talked your husband into sitting through It’s a Wonderful Life, it’s much easier to convince him to stay and watch Miracle on 34th Street.




[2] National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
The holidays are crazy, and no one does crazy better than the Griswold family. In Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) tries to cope with a near-disastrous Christmas that includes a holiday bonus that never comes, an unexpected trailer full of his hillbilly cousins, and an outdoor Christmas display that continuously fails to work. By the end of the movie you feel so sorry for Clark that it’s hard not to fight back a little tear when his beloved Christmas display finally lights up the entire block in all it’s Christmas glory.



[1] A Christmas Story (1983)
No other movie quite sums up the incredible highs and crushing lows of your childhood Christmas memories quite like A Christmas Story. The story of Ralphie’s quest played by Peter Billingsley to convince his parents and even Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect gift for a little boy is one of the few stories nearly every grown-up kid can identify with—and probably the only time you’ll ever get turned on by a lamp.