10 Best Christmas Movies of All-Time: Which is Your Favorite?

With Halloween but a distant memory, all attentions turn to Christmas; a statement that will excite some and scare others. Whichever side you fall on, you can’t deny that Christmas is a time for enjoying films and creating memories with family. With this in mind, what’s the best Christmas movie to enjoy this year? Thanks to Ranker, we can see the movies that people have voted as their favorites. Do you agree?

#1: Home Alone

Taking top spot, just as it does on many polls around the world, we have Home Alone. Released in 1990, this family festive favorite has a little bit of everything; comedy, entertainment, action, and drama. If you happen to be in the small group who haven’t seen it, Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin, is accidentally left alone at home on Christmas as the McCallister family fly to Paris. Although fun at first, Kevin is soon the subject of a robbery by two clumsy criminals.

#2: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

In second place, we have the Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Chevy Chase classic. Released just one year before Home Alone, this one is actually the third movie in the wider franchise but stands alone as a funny movie for all the family. Join the Griswolds (and a future The Big Bang Theory star) as they navigate what turns out to be a disastrous festive season.

#3: A Christmas Story

Although not as well-known as the others in this list, A Christmas Story is loved by many. Based on the semi-fictional anecdotes (and short stories) of Jean Shepherd, this 1983 movie was directed by Bob Clark and is guaranteed to be found on the TV right through the season.

#4: Elf

Will Ferrell has cemented himself as one of his generation’s greatest actors; with a wide range of outlandish and crazy characters, he’s the place many people go to cheer themselves up. At Christmas, that place is Elf. As a human among elves, Buddy the Elf is told about his real father which sees him go on an adventure to New York. Although clearly a hilarious movie, the story of a man trying to forge a relationship with his father while falling in love has something for adults too.

#5: It’s a Wonderful Life

To round off the top five, we have the very definition of a ‘classic’. Despite being released way back in 1946, it’s still played in homes around the world each year. Based on The Greatest Gift, a short story, It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of a man who has given up on achieving his dreams. Instead, he wants to help others. On Christmas Eve, he decides to commit suicide…but not before his guardian angel can intervene, and then show him just how much of an impact he’s had on the people around him.

What other films are in the top ten?

• #6: A Charlie Brown Christmas
• #7: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• #8: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• #9: The Santa Clause
• #10: Die Hard (let the debate begin!)

Tell us your favorite Christmas movies!