Happy Monday loves! It’s Christmas week as you know and since I am in the Christmas spirit I started thinking about my all time favorite Christmas movies to watch. I found it pretty interesting that out of the 12 I came up with, only 2 of them are on Netflix!
I also own a lot of these, but as you might guess, I have them in storage. Luckily though, I have Elf on DVD so I can watch that one to my heart’s content all week long leading up to Christmas.
Some of my picks you can watch with your kids, but some are best for adults. If you watch any of these that you hadn’t seen before, let me know what you thought!
Without further ado, here are my 12 Best Christmas Movies {in no particular order}:
Elf
After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity.
How many times can one watch this movie? The limit does not exist. I absolutely love Will Ferrell and he’s brilliant and hilarious in this movie. One of my favorite lines he says, “Smiling’s my favorite”.
A Christmas Story
In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.
This one never gets old and one of my favorite props is that notorious leg lamp. I saw an ornament of one at Target, hilarious! {This one also goes hand in hand with Home Alone}
Bad Santa
A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.
This movie always makes me laugh from start to finish. The little kid was so adorable and made me laugh a few times. Billy Bob is effortless in his role and Lauren Graham did a good job as well. It’s weird seeing her in this role too because now I’m watching her being goody two shoes on Gilmore Girls, but I digress.
Four Christmases
A couple struggles to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas.
I love Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. They make this movie so worthwhile and their chemistry on screen is obvious. One of my favorite scenes is when Vince’s brothers wrestle him in the living room, I laughed til I cried.
The Family Stone
An uptight, conservative businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family’s annual Christmas celebration and finds that she’s a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.
This movie has a great cast and I love any movies with Rachel McAdams and Diane Keaton. Meeting the boyfriend’s parents is pretty nerve racking so I’m sure a lot of us can relate.
Nothing Like The Holidays
A Puerto Rican family living in the area of Humboldt Park in west Chicago face what may be their last Christmas together.
I just love this movie so much! For one, I’m Puerto Rican so I can relate to everything they say, eat and the traditions they celebrate. Even though it’s in Chicago, Puerto Rican culture is still pretty strong in this film’s setting. John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, the late Elizabeth Peña and Jay Hernandez are in this movie, so it’s bound to be good. It’s funny and it has a really good message.
The Holiday
Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other’s countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.
Being single for as long as I was, I could totally relate to these women! If only I had swapped homes with someone just to get out of my comfort zone. Kate Winslet is amazing in this role and Cameron Diaz is just as amazing. Never mind Jude Law and Jack Black, they are adorable good guys.
The Family Man
A fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.
I have a soft spot for Nic Cage. I will always watch his movies, just like JLO. I found out that Nestor also loves him so that made me jump with joy inside. I never get tired of this movie and Tea Leoni is great and perfect as a mom.
Love Actually
Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
When I first watched this movie, I didn’t like it. Mainly because their accents were too thick for me to understand them. Then when I used subtitles, I was able to understand it better and I fell in love with the movie. Plus who doesn’t love Hugh Grant? {It’s on Netflix}
The Spirit of Christmas
A woman falls in love with a man who is somewhat unavailable.
This one is on Netflix! I watched it last week and absolutely loved it. I’ve never seen the main characters, but they did a great job. The storyline was good too and it leaves you guessing all the way to the end.
The Polar Express
A young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express. During his adventure he learns about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.
I loved this movie so much! It’s one of those feel good movies and you can watch with your family for the holidays, it’s perfect. I would’ve added The Grinch but I’m afraid I haven’t watched that one yet!
Christmas Vacation
The Griswold family’s plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.
I don’t know how many times I watched this movie as a kid, but I need to watch it some more this week. Chevy Chase is awesome in this series and Beverly D’Angelo is flawless. I love the message this movie has about holiday expectations not turning out superb {his light show decoration on the house}, but as long as you have family that’s really what matters.
What are some of your best Christmas movies? Share with me in the comments!
