The Best Family Christmas Movies (+ Free Printable Checklist)

Christmas movies are a fun part of the holiday season for our family.

We start the countdown to Christmas by watching Home Alone on Thanksgiving day after dinner.

This has become a Thanksgiving tradition for our family and we really enjoy relaxing together and watching the adventures of Kevin McCallister.

After watching that first Christmas movie after thanksgiving dinner we love watching all of our favorite holiday movies and a few new ones.

While we don’t watch Christmas movies every night leading up to Christmas many families do. Some families even do 25 days of Christmas movies countdown each year.

Some have even made it into a sort of challenge to watch specific Christmas movies before Christmas.

So I thought it would be fun to make both a printable list of Christmas movies and an editable Christmas movie bucket list (or Christmas move challenge).

You can use the list of movies to create a Christmas movie bucket list, feel free to add any titles you want to your bucket list! (You’re not stuck using only the ones I included)

List of Christmas Movies

There are so many different Christmas movies out there and each person and family has their own favorites.

So while I could list all the movies that could possibly be related to Christmas I’m not going to.

Instead, I’m going to share some family-friendly Christmas movies, though kids might not love them all.

Each family has different preferences as far as movies their kids watch, so be sure to check out the movies before watching them as a family.

So grab some hot chocolate and see if you find any new movies to add to your Christmas movie bucket list. (You can get a free printable family Christmas movie checklist at the bottom of this post)

Family-Friendly Christmas Movies

Many of these movies can be watched on multiple streaming services during the holiday season. Some of the places people often forget to look for Christmas movies are Amazon Prime Video, and Roku Channel (they have free videos!).

Elf

Elf (with Will Ferrell) is one of my favorite Christmas movies. It follows Buddy as he travels from the north pole to new york city to find his dad.

The film is filled with silly moments that the whole family will love, it might even tempt your kids to try syrup with their spaghetti.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

There are several different movies that tell the story of the Grinch. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and The Grinch (2018) are the two most popular versions. We usually watch both of these movies each holiday season.

The 1966 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a short version of the book written by Dr. Seuss and is great if you don’t want to watch a full-length movie.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

My husband grew up watching the Muppet Christmas Carol each year and he still thinks it’s one of the best Christmas movies so we usually watch it at least once each Christmas season.

Arthur Christmas

Arthur Christmas is a fun animated movie that shares behind the scenes how Santa can deliver gifts to every child in one night. In the movie, one child is missed and Santa’s younger son Arthur faces many challenges trying to get the gift delivered before Christmas morning.

The Polar Express

The Polar Express is another favorite for family movie night. I grew up reading the book each Christmas and now we enjoy watching the movie at least once during the Christmas season. We listen to a few of the songs on our Christmas playlist.

Home Alone

Watching the Home Alone movies is the start of our Christmas movie watching.

I feel like the first two Home Alone movies are played on repeat at our house. My kids love these movies and I love the giggles and laughter they bring to our home.

The home alone movies are fun for the whole family to watch, with a lot of funny moments and a few touching ones as well.

The first Home Alone movie is where Kevin gets left behind while his family goes to Paris is one of our favorite movies.

It’s a favorite for many and there is even a new modern version of the original Home Alone.

Home Alone 2 Lost in New York

Home Alone 2 Lost in New York follows Kevin McCallister as he adventures in New York alone! This movie much like the first is filled with humor.

Kevin gets lost in the airport and ends up in New York City and those same bad guys from the first movie are there too.

The film is filled with the same creativity from Kevin and stupidity from the 2 criminals. We love watching Kevin take on the “bad guys”.

Often when watching the Home Alone movies we have to rewind and watch some parts over and over. It’s a great movie to get belly laughs from young kids as they watch Kevin take on the bad guys.

If you haven’t watched this Christmas movie yet (or even if you have) you need to add it to your list of Christmas movies to watch.

There is a Home Alone 3 but it’s not our favorite (so it doesn’t make the list!)

Noelle

Noelle is Disney Christmas movie that was released on Disney+ it’s all about Santa’s daughter Noelle and her brother who gets cold feet when he is supposed to take over as Santa.

It’s a cute different Christmas movie and reminds me of a lot of hallmark channel Christmas movies.

Christmas with the Kranks

When I was growing up we read the book Christmas with the Kranks aloud as a family and I still remember laughing at different parts. Even after reading the book first I really enjoyed this Christmas movie. It’s a good story about Christmas spirit and what might happen if you try to skip Christmas!

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

If you have little Frozen fans like I do then this shorter Christmas movie is a must for the holiday season. It’s a cute little show about Christmas traditions with our favorite Olaf and Sven as the main characters.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

If you’re looking for a Christmas classic A Charlie Brown Christmas is a classic for many. With the iconic characters and fun story it’s a classic movie to watch during the holiday season.

White Christmas

Another holiday classic and must-watch Christmas movie for me is White Christmas. It’s one of my holiday favorites. It’s not my husband’s favorite but he will watch it with me once each year. I just love the music, story, and everything.

It’s a Wonderful Life

Each year when I was young we watched It’s a Wonderful Life on Christmas eve. Set in the small town of Bedford Falls, this movie shares the story of George Bailey.

George Bailey takes over the family’s business when his father dies and there are many challenges to the point he thinks of ending it all.

When he falls on hard times at Christmas an angel Clarance comes down and shows him what his town and family would look like if he had never been born.

This is the movie where we get many classic Christmas quotes including the quote “whenever a bell rings an angel gets his wings”.

It is a slower movie so little ones and slightly older ones might find it hard to watch the whole thing without falling asleep or getting bored.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Alvin and the Chipmunks came out in 2007 and is a fun family movie, with fun Christmas songs sung by the Chipmunks.

There is an older show called Alvin and the Chipmunks: Christmas With The Chipmunks that came out in 1981 that is also a fun classic Christmas film.

Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas

If Curious George is a favorite or if you have young kids A Very Monkey Christmas is a short movie they will love watching. Just be ready for the Christmas Monkey song to be stuck in your head.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

The first time I saw this Christmas movie was after getting married, it was a movie my husband grew up watching. It’s quickly become a family favorite.

The crazy story of the Griswold family is one of our favorites and a must on any ultimate Christmas movie list. (The Christmas lights scene is one of my favorites!)

Frosty the Snowman

This movie is a holiday classic and a must-watch during the holiday season. The classic animation, Christmas song, and Frosty are a must for this time of year.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol

My kids love Mickey mouse and this version of the Christmas Carol is one of our favorites. It’s a great holiday movie that even young kids will enjoy watching. Plus it helps get kids to get familiar with the story of a Christmas Carol with a fun animated version.

The Santa Clause

The most wonderful time of the year wouldn’t be the same without The Santa Clause movies and Scott Calvin.

Follow the story of how Scott Calvin becomes Santa Calus thanks to Santa falling off his roof, wearing the suit, and the escape clause.

Watching the three Santa Clause movies during the Christmas season is one of my favorite holiday traditions. I think the Santa Clause trilogy might be some of the best Disney Christmas movies.

A Christmas Story

For many families watching A Christmas Story is a must during the holiday season. The young boy Ralphie dreams of the perfect Christmas gift, dodges a bully, and more as he tries to make it to Christmas with his hopes intact.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

This 1964 classic Christmas movie about our favorite red-nosed reindeer is a must-watch for kids during the holiday season.

Borrowed Hearts

Growing up Borrowed Hearts was my sister’s favorite movie. The 1997 movie follows the story of a hard-working single mom and her daughter. She dreams of purchasing a home for them and her daughter wants to live in her doll house.

Her boss a most eligible bachelor needs to rent a family. Yes, it ends with them in true love or as true love as you can get in a romantic Christmas movie.

Pete’s Christmas

How would you like to live Christmas Day over and over and over? What would you learn from the experience and what would you change? That’s the story of Pete’s Christmas and the lesson it teaches. You can watch this Christmas movie on amazon prime.

The Santa Clause 2

While the first Santa Clause movie is my favorite the second one is still a fun movie to include on your Christmas movie bucket list.

Mrs. Miracle

The movie Mrs. Mircale is based on a best-selling book and shares the story of a Widowed father who is struggling and his housekeeper (or should we say matchmaker) Mrs. Mircale who has miraculous skills around the house and wonderful advice.

The Christmas Box

Based on the book The Christmas Box written by Richard Paul Evens this 1995 film is dated but is a perfect holiday movie about the true meaning of Christmas and serving others.

Jingle All the Way

This show is silly but it also reminds the audience about the true meaning of Christmas and what’s really important. The dad in this movie is so worried about getting the right gift for his son that he misses out on so many things.

Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Year

This Christmas Winnie the Pooh movie is fun for little ones to enjoy during the holiday season. We don’t watch this one every year, but when our kids are in the Winnie the Pooh phase it’s a must.

Hallmark Christmas Movies

I love watching Hallmark movies during the Christmas season, they make the perfect Christmas movie night for me (not my kids).

There are so many different Hallmark Christmas movies and they are releasing new ones each year so I’m not going to include any specific titles in this post. Instead, pick a favorite or a new movie and enjoy watching it.

If you really want to get into the Christmas romance movie watching be sure to check for the yearly Christmas movie schedules for Hallmark Channel and Lifetime channels.

Christmas Movie List Printable

The free printable Christmas movie checklist is editable. You can print it with the titles I have chosen or you can change some of them (or all of them) to the Christmas movies you want to watch. There is space for 26 different titles.

I hope you enjoy this free printable checklist of Christmas movies. Please keep this printable for personal use only and have a wonderful Christmas!

More posts you might enjoy:

Christmas Knock Knock Jokes for kids (+Free Printable)
Christmas color by number worksheets
Disney Animated Movies Bucket List

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