The family is gathered around on the couch, snuggled up in matching pjs. The Christmas tree sparkles in the corner of the living room, next to the burning fireplace that gives the winter night a warm feel inside the house. Hot chocolate is handed to everybody, and somebody grabs the TV remote to put on a Christmas movie. There’s a lot of debate on which Christmas movie should be put on for such a perfect night. I’ll give you my top 10 best Christmas movies for such a perfect night, starting from my 10th pick all the way down to my number one favorite Christmas movie.
10. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (free to stream on Apple TV)
This 30-minute-long movie, or some would call it a short film, is a classic. This movie has the warm feeling that all Charlie Brown specials have. It shows the beautiful true meaning of Christmas and is enjoyable for the whole family to watch. The only reason this movie is at the #10 spot is because of how short it is. It’s a mandatory watch every Christmas, but the movie might be over before you’re halfway through your hot chocolate.
9. “Daddy’s Home 2” (Netflix)
I can see how many people will disagree with this movie being in the top 10. However, this movie is a great sequel to a great movie, and happens to have a great Christmas twist to it. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are two actors who complement each other well. This movie is perfect to have on while you’re building a gingerbread house or baking Christmas cookies.
8. “Last Christmas” (Netflix)
Out of all the movies on this list, this is the one that is probably the least known. It came out in 2019, and I have watched it every Christmas since then. I prefer most Christmas movies to be joyful, but this movie will bring a tear to your eye. This romantic film has a crazy plot twist that will make you watch the movie again because you’ll wonder how you missed all the signs. It’s a great one to watch for something different than the predictable ending Christmas movies.
7. “Meet Me Next Christmas” (Netflix)
This is the newest movie on the list, and that’s the only reason it’s not higher. Released last year, this Netflix original has a little bit of everything. It has a perfect mix of comedy and romance without being a cheesy Christmas movie. It features the music group Pentatonix, so there’s great music throughout the entire movie. Also, it has a great ending that shows the importance of following your heart and not just fate.
6. “The Santa Clause” (Disney)
When you think of Christmas movies, Disney’s “The Santa Clause” is usually one of the first ones that come to mind. The first one is fantastic, and there’s no better idea for a movie than somebody becoming Santa Claus. As a little kid watching this movie, it made me wish my dad would become Santa Claus. Even though this list is my top 10 movies, all the “Santa Clause” movies and the new show based on the movies that Disney released can all fit into this six-spot as one big group. You can take a whole week and watch all “The Santa Clause” movies, and that would be a great week to get into the Christmas spirit.
5. “The Polar Express” (HBO Max)
The most nostalgic movie on this list fits perfectly into the 5th spot. Watching this movie reminds me of being in elementary school and having pajama day and hot chocolate in class. We watched this film every year in elementary school, and the hot chocolate song will always have a special place in my heart. Everybody has their own connection with this movie, and that’s what makes it so special. Also, this movie was a huge step forward in filmmaking as a whole. Tom Hanks plays several characters, and the motion capture technology for the animation was all new and different for filmmaking.
4. “Christmas Chronicles” (Netflix)
This movie gets me in the Christmas spirit every year. This is the best “newer” Christmas movie to come out when Netflix released it in 2018. The movie is perfect from start to end, and the soundtrack just elevates it even higher. The jail scene is one of my favorite Christmas scenes of all time. There’s a great story and meaning to the movie that anybody can relate to because we all feel like it’s hard to get as excited for Christmas as we did when we were kids. However, the movie shows us how special the Christmas spirit really is.
3. “Home Alone” (Disney)
My top three are all “classics.” When I list “Home Alone” at three, I mean the original movie and not any of the other ones. Unlike “The Santa Clause,” this movie stands on its own, and it should be in everybody’s top three. We all wish as kids we could have the house to ourselves for a couple of days and do “grown-up” things. That’s what makes this movie so fun because as we grow up, our point of view of the movie changes. We see ourselves as the kid at first, putting up all these boobytraps and having fun, but as we get older, we see ourselves as the parents worried about the kid and all the crazy things he’s going to do. This movie is just great in so many ways, and I love watching it every time it comes on.
2. “Elf” (HBO Max)
Christmas is my favorite holiday, and Will Ferrell is one of my favorite actors. Therefore, a Will Ferrell Christmas movie will forever be one of my favorites. This movie has some of the best quotes of any Christmas movie that I find myself saying like “Son of a nutcracker!” The movie also does an excellent job of keeping the comedy from being too dumb, so I could watch it as a little kid and still watch it now. There’s nothing better than watching Buddy the Elf take on New York City.
1. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (HBO Max)
This will forever be my number one Christmas movie. I watch this movie several times during the Christmas season. The comedy will never get old, and I think I could quote almost the entire movie. The film is more targeted towards young adults and older, but there is a cleaner version that gets aired on TV. It seems like the older you get, the better the jokes get. This movie will forever be a Christmas classic and a must-watch every year.