This gets controversial.
By Alex Smith
The first thing you should note is that I have not seen every Christmas movie ever made, and as I needed to write this article by December 5th, I haven’t had a lot of time to binge-watch a ton of them. When quantifying how good each of these movies are, I separated my judgment into three categories: “Christmas Rating” (how well the movie evokes the Christmas spirit), “Plot Rating” (how well-crafted and engaging the plot of the story is), and the “Bonus Rating” (It wouldn’t be fair to include a comedy rating when Die Hard is on this list, or to include an action rating when Charlie Brown is being graded, so the this is where the movie’s own specialty can be assessed). The categories were scored out of ten to one decimal place, and then were calculated into an average for each film. Enjoy, and if there are any on this list that you haven’t seen before, I would highly recommend you include them in your annual seasonal viewing.
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
(Graphic source: IMDb)
You have to give this one some respect, as it attempts to thread the delicate needle between being a Christmas movie and a Halloween movie. This half-and-half attachment to two completely contrasting sets of tropes leaves it lacking a proper embrace of Christmas spirit, which Christmas movies’ prime objective is to emulate. Regardless, the nostalgia of it, the well-crafted plot line, plus the exceptional graphics for being 32 years old, cements it as an all time classic.
Plot Rating: 9.0/10
Christmas Rating: 6.4/10
Animations: 7.2/10
Score: 7.4/10
7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
(Graphic source: IMDb)
Nowadays, this movie is forgotten about because of its two remakes – both of which I have yet to see, but I think that the multiple remakes of this story is a testament to how embedded it is in the Christmas season. The low rating for the plot is only to be attributed to how short it is – it’s only about 40 minutes long, and therefore the plot is fairly shallow, but it’s impossible to say it isn’t iconic.
Plot Rating: 5.4/10
Christmas Rating: 9.3/10
Originality: 8.6/10
Total: 7.6/10
6. Die Hard (1988)
(Graphic source: Rotten Tomatoes)
If Home Alone is a story about a kid trapping his house while he learns a lesson about loving his family (on Christmas), then a story about a guy saving a shopping mall while he learns a lesson about being there for his family (on Christmas) should be considered a Christmas movie too. Essentially, it’s the same story but just from the perspective of Mrs McAllister. It’s a great movie – especially if you love fast-paced action films – and Alan Rickman was amazing as the villain Hans Gruber. Great acting all around, great plot, however, I’ll admit that violent action films aren’t exactly synonymous with the Christmas spirit.
Plot Rating: 9.0/10
Christmas Rating: 5.9/10
Action: 8.5/10
Total: 7.8/10
5. Home Alone (1990)
(Graphic source: Rotten Tomatoes)
I could understand how this might feel a little low on the list, but you need to understand that the movies earning spots ahead of it are nothing short of sensational. I was also always slightly against this film because of how spoiled and bratty Kevin was – I rooted for the burglars. Regardless, the plot was great, and the creativity of the writing, with all the traps and decoys, was uniquely brilliant, not to mention Joe Pesci, Macaulay Culkin, Daniel Stern – a generational cast and equally superb acting.
Plot Rating: 8.5/10
Christmas Rating: 6.5/10
Creativity: 9.2/10
Overall: 8.2/10
4. Muppet’s Christmas Carol (1992)
(Graphic source: The Varsity Cinema)
A movie that is infectious with the Christmas spirit. The music and Christmas vibes are great, but what separates it from some other movies on this list is that it leaves nothing lacking in the plot. The lighthearted, childish mood of the Muppets, coupled with the literary brilliance of Charles Dickens, plus the legendary Michael Caine singing while surrounded by Muppets, are all things that make it a truly unique piece of art.
Plot Rating: 9.0/10
Christmas Rating: 8.8/10
Comedy: 8.2/10
Total: 8.8/10
3. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
(Graphic source: IMDb)
Christmas. Heritage. An absolute masterpiece of cinema when it comes to elevating the Christmas spirit, reflecting on every aspect of the holiday, both societal and emotional. Snoopy gives in to commercialism, the gang reconciles over a tree and sings Christmas carols together, and Linus gives us a full monologue of the nativity story. Not to mention, I would say that it has the best, most sentimental, most iconic soundtrack in any Christmas movie ever made.
Plot Rating: 7.5/10
Christmas Rating: 9.8/10
Music: 9.5/10
Total: 8.9
2. Elf (2003)
(Graphic source: IMD)
Personally, it hurts not putting this one at number one. It’s hilarious from start to finish, filled to the brim with everything Christmassy, and even had poignant messaging scattered throughout it about how people ought to come together at Christmastimes and the importance of prioritizing who you are over what you should be. It’s Will Ferrell’s best movie ever made and one of the best comedies in existence – if you haven’t seen it somehow, take the opportunity this year, and you’ll be having maple syrup on spaghetti in no time.
Plot Rating: 9.2/10
Christmas Rating: 9.3/10
Comedy: 9.5/10
Total: 9.3/10
1. A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (2017)
(Graphic source: IMDb)
Let me explain the premise: it is a brilliantly orchestrated piece of theater/cinema which portrays an extremely faulty and unfortunate theater group as they attempt to act out their “A Christmas Carol” play. Each actor and stagehand is either incredibly stupid or just completely caught up in behind-the-stage mishaps, causing non-stop hilarious drama between the cast members, an accidental armed robbery, and Little Timmy to get concussed. Every actor has their own personality and gets caught up in some comedic subplot, all while they attempt to complete their Dickensian theater production. I can not urge you to watch any of the movies on this list as much as this one – barrels of laughs from start to finish, and of course filled to the brim with Christmas spirit. Watch it!
Plot Rating: 9.5/10
Christmas Rating: 9.1/10
Comedy: 9.6/10
Total: 9.4/10