On a cold December day, there is nothing cozier than cuddling with your family while sipping hot chocolate by the fire and watching your favorite Christmas movies. My family tends to watch the same Christmas movies over and over again each year, but they never seem to get old. Although there must be hundreds of holiday movies now, this is a list of my top 15 family Christmas movies.
Most of these movies are shown on cable throughout the holiday season. I’ve listed where you can stream each movie, and you can also check out many of them on Blu-Ray or DVD at your local library. For an extra special Christmas movie experience, watch one at the Alabama Theatre Holiday Film Series December 12-22, 2025. Check their schedule so you don’t miss your family’s favorite Christmas movie.
1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Grinch
There are now three great movies telling the story of the Grinch, and you can choose based on your mood. For a simple and quick movie, watch the original 1966 cartoon version that will steal your heart in 26 minutes. Love a loud comedy with real people? Try Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. If you are looking for something a little different with modern music, the 2018 version of The Grinch is for you.
Alabama Theatre, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas
This is a classic feel-good Christmas story. From Charlie Brown’s ability to find beauty in a tiny, bare Christmas tree to Linus’s wisdom about remembering “what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” the details are too good not to watch every year.
Alabama Theatre, Apple TV
3. Frosty the Snowman
I grew up with a VHS tape of the 1969 television version of the magical, jolly Frosty. My sister and I must have seen him melt a hundred times. Frosty is still a Christmas classic that deserves to be watched again and again.
Amazon Prime, Apple TV
4. Home Alone
There are now 6 Home Alone movies, but of course the first one is the best. The story is clever and sweet, and my kids roll with laughter when Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) outsmarts two thieves who attempt to break into his home while his family is away for Christmas.
Alabama Theatre, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Disney Plus
5. The Polar Express
A train ride on the Polar Express takes a young boy on a North Pole journey that will give us all hope in Christmas magic.
Alabama Theatre, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
6. Elf
There is no better way to find Christmas cheer than watching Buddy the Elf. This adopted, oversized elf leaves the North Pole to find his biological parents. His journey into the real world is marked with hilarious mishaps as he tries to instill North Pole joy into New York City.
Alabama Theatre, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
7. Mickey’s Christmas Carol
This family-friendly twist on the classic Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol allows your children’s favorite characters to teach them about loving others and spreading joy, especially at Christmas time.
Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Disney Plus
8. The Santa Clause
This Tim Allen movie now has 3 installments and a television series. Again, the original movie is the best. An unbelieving father finds himself taking Santa’s place. In the process, he not only saves Christmas, but also restores both his joy and his relationship with his son.
Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Disney Plus
9. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The 1964 television stop motion version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is another VHS movie that was on repeat in my childhood home at Christmas time. There are few characters more endearing than Rudolph, Hermey the misfit elf, Yukon Cornelius, and the Abominable Snow Monster. They all set out to find where they belong, only to find that they belong with each other.
Alabama Theatre, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
10. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is based on an excellent book that was made into a movie in 1983 and then creatively remade in 2024. I must admit that the 2024 version is my favorite and had me in tears by the end. When a town known for its picture-perfect pageant gets a new pageant director and “the worst kids in the history of the world” star in the pageant, everyone learns a Christmas lesson about true love and grace.
Apple TV, Starz
11. Eloise at Christmas Time
Eloise is a six-year-old who lives in a penthouse at the Plaza Hotel in New York. In this special Christmas story, she carries on with her usual antics that will have your family giggling.
Amazon Prime
12. A Christmas Story
This iconic Christmas movie follows nine-year-old Ralphie on his quest to get a Red Ryder BB gun and the chaos that ensues when he does. Viewing this film is now a beloved Christmas tradition for many families.
Alabama Theatre, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
13. Miracle on 34th Street
When a department store Santa claims to be the real Kris Kringle, he must defend his identity in court. As a result, he restores the city’s belief in Christmas magic. Both the original 1947 film and 1994 remake are great movies and deliver the feel good feeling we’re all looking for around the holidays.
Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Disney Plus
14. The Star
In The Star, your kids will enjoy hearing the story of Jesus’s birth from the animals’ perspective. This sweet and funny film features many well known voices and a great soundtrack.
Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Netflix
15. It’s a Wonderful Life
In this 1946 Christmas classic, George Bailey contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve. His guardian angel shows him how different the lives of his friends and family would be if it were not for his positive influence and impact. While this is an amazing must-see movie, I would recommend waiting until your children are at least nine years old, given the suicide references and mild violence.
Alabama Theatre, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
What is your family’s favorite Christmas movie?
