Holiday Movies: Top 10 Must Watch Christmas Movies

by Adrienne Bolton on December 21st, 2012 | 4 Comments »

We love our Christmas movies! Every night around 7 p.m., you'll hear someone at our house say, "Let's find a Christmas movie!" With the flexibility of winter break and the anticipation of Christmas, who wants to go to bed on time? Not us!

Most nights during winter break, you'll find a giant bed mattress in the middle of the living room floor. The kids call it a "camp out." I call it a mess! But, they love it, and it makes family movie night all the better!

A great movie can bring the whole family together. For just two hours, everyone has something in common. With a 14-year-old and an 8-year-old, it can be hard to find something for everyone. But, Christmas movies are a crowd pleaser! So grab the candy and popcorn!

Top 10 Must-Watch Christmas Movies

1. Elf

Will Ferrell! Enough said. It doesn't matter what Will Ferrell does, it's hilarious! He's a family favorite for sure, and this movie just never gets old. We all know there's two sides to Will Ferrell's humor. This movie is definitely on the kid approved side.

2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

I grew up watching the Griswold Family travel from Europe to Wally World. But, the Christmas movie is my favorite! There's just something extra special about watching Randy Quaid empty his RV waste in front of the Griswold home. I have two boys, so that scene wins this "old movie" (as my boys call it) major funny points!

3. Home Alone

I'm a huge Home Alone fan. Not a Home Alone 2 or 3 fan, but definitely the first one! It's a must every year.

4. The Original Christmas Classics

You just can't have a Christmas movie marathon without subjecting your children to the torture of clay animation. My youngest loves all of the old classics: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and his favorite, Rudolph and the Island of the Misfit Toys.

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

My kids aren't huge fans of the cartoon version of this movie, but they love the recent Jim Carey spin on a classic Christmas tale.

6. The Polar Express

Get out the hot chocolate for this one. You're not allowed to watch it without sipping on some cocoa. We love the book. We love the movie. Period!

7. The Santa Claus

We like all of them. We watch them over and over all month long.

8. Fred Claus

I always wonder if directors just let Vince Vaughn say any old thing he wants, because I just don't see how it's possible to script him. If there's a chance my kids can get a family friendly dose of this guy, we're taking it!

9. Arthur Christmas

A new family favorite! We just watched this sweet movie a couple of weeks ago, and we all loved it. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to. It's just got that feel good movie magic!

10. A Christmas Carol (2009)

My kids would never sit through the 1951 version. (Hello. They think The Griswolds are old.) But, I want the boys to have some of that classic Christmas history, and you just have to know A Christmas Carol! Not to mention the animation is fascinating!

So there you have it! A great list of reasons to have a Christmas movie marathon with your kids!

What is your favorite movie to watch with your kids during Christmas

Adrienne is a mom of two boys and blogger at www.themommymess.com, where she writes with an honest voice about the mess of motherhood, marriage, and homeschool. Be sure to connect with her on Facebook and follow her as @TheMommyMess on Twitter.