We’ve been listening to Christmas music for weeks (mainly “All I Want for Christmas Is You”), so it’s about time we start watching some of the best family Christmas movies. And since there are so many—from classics to animated films—we put together a list of our favorites, including Elf, I’ll Be Home for Christmas and Arthur Christmas. Keep scrolling for 68 family-friendly Christmas movies, which are all streaming on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+.
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1. ‘SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN’ (1970)
Who’s in it? Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn (voices)
What’s it about? Through the narration of a mailman, this film tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. He tells the tale of a small baby named Kris who was left on the doorstep of the Kringle family (yes, those Kringles). When Kris grows up, he wants to deliver toys to the children of Sombertown, but is faced with obstacles that make the task (almost) impossible.
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
2. ‘HOME ALONE’ (1990)
Who’s in it? Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O’Hara
What’s it about? After 8-year-old Kevin acts out the night before a family vacation to Paris, his mother makes him sleep in the attic. When he’s accidentally left (you guessed it) home alone by his family the next day, he’s happy to have the house to himself. However, it’s not long before he must protect his family’s house from a pair of evil (and clumsy) burglars.
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3. ‘JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY’ (2020)
Who’s in it? Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose
What’s it about? Sing and dance along to this fun musical, which tells the tale of a talented toymaker and his delightful granddaughter, who helps him find joy again after a heartbreaking betrayal.
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4. ‘THE PREACHER’S WIFE’ (1996)
Who’s in it? Whitney Houston, Denzel Washington
What’s it about? A neglected preacher’s wife gets spiritual guidance from the most charming guardian angel of all time.
CBS
5. ‘RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER’ (1964)
Who’s in it? Burl Ives, Billie Mae Richards, Stan Francis, Janis Orenstein (voices)
What’s it about? Sam the Snowman narrates a tale of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being cast out for being different, teams up with Hermey (an elf who wants to be a dentist), to look for a place that will accept them. After a scary encounter with the Abominable Snowman, they stumble upon a whole island of misfit toys and need to ask Santa for help.
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6. ‘JACK FROST’ (1998)
Who’s in it? Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston, Joseph Cross, Mark Addy
What’s it about? A father who can’t keep his promises to his son dies in a car accident. But one year later, he’s back as, um, a snowman. Now that they can do all the things they’ve missed when Jack was human, can he make things right with his son before he’s gone forever?
COLUMBIA PICTURES
7. ‘CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS’ (2004)
Who’s in it? Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd
What’s it about? With their daughter away, the Krank family decides to opt out of Christmas altogether (to their neighbor’s dismay). But when she decides to come home, chaos ensues as they try to figure out how to celebrate the holiday at the last minute.
WARNER BROS.
8. ‘ELF’ (2003)
Who’s in it? Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel
What’s it about? As a toddler, Buddy was mysteriously transported to the North Pole and raised by Santa’s elves. Now, he’s on a mission to find his real dad—Walter Hobbs—in New York City. (Did we mention Walter is on the naughty list?) As you can imagine, things don’t go well.
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9. ‘THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS’ (1993)
Who’s in it? Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey (voices)
What’s it about? Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, has become bored with the spooky holiday (we can’t relate). One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and becomes so infatuated with the idea of Christmas that he decides to try and create his own version.
WALT DISNEY PICTURES
10. ‘THE SANTA CLAUSE’ (1994)
Who’s in it? Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Eric Lloyd
What’s it about? It’s Tim Allen (again) at his finest. When he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, he’s transported to the North Pole to assume the role before the following Christmas arrives, much to the delight of his son.
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