2013’s Best Christmas Movie Picks (19 This Year)

Last updated: December 22, 2013

1.  First, let’s start with the most obvious and my favorite Christmas video: the Holiday Yule Log. With a high-definition crackling fireplace and songs streaming in hour-long blocks — it’s more of a listen than a look. Click the arrow on the video below and get into the spirit while you view the movie list below. 🙂

2. Scrooged   Bill Murray is a cynical, selfish TV executive haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve. (1988)  4.4 of 5 stars on Amazon
3. Bad Santa   Miserable conman Billy Bob Thornton (Santa) and Tony Cox (his Little Helper) 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. (2004)  3.9 of 5 stars on Amazon
4. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas  Bitter and selfish, the Grinch decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, the sweet little folk who live at the bottom of his mountain home. When little Cindy Loo Who returns his hateful act with kindness, she melts the old miser’s heart. (1966)  4.3 of 5 stars on Amazon
5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation  The comic misadventures of the beleaguered Griswold family during Christmas. (1989)  4.6 of 5 stars on Amazon
6. A Christmas Story  This family comedy follows an Indiana schoolboy whose obsession with getting a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas leads to hilarious mishaps and consequences. (1983)  4.6 of 5 stars on Amazon
7. A Christmas Carol  In this adaptation of Charles Dickens’s tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve when he is visited by ghosts from Christmases past, present and future. (1938)  4.6 of 5 stars on Amazon
8. Elf  Will Ferrell (Buddy) as a young orphan who crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts on Christmas Eve is transported back to the North Pole and raised as an elf. Buddy later learns he is not really an elf. (2003)   4.6 of 5 stars on Amazon
9. Home Alone  When little Kevin McCallister is accidentally left behind when his family dashes off on a Christmas trip, he is left to defend his family’s home from two bumbling burglars until the relatives return. (1990)  4.6 of 5 stars on Amazon
10. Miracle on 34th Street  A cultured gentlemen with twinkling eyes, an ample belly and a snowy beard is hired as Macy’s department store Santa. He claims his name is Kris Kringle, and soon fills everyone with Christmas spirit — except for his boss…  (1947)   4.7 of 5 stars on Amazon
11. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (20th Anniversary Edition)  Jack, King of Halloween, finds Christmas Town. (1993)  4.6 of 5 stars on Amazon
12. A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered Deluxe Edition)  Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts gang discovers the true meaning of the season in this perennial holiday favorite. (1965) 4.7 of 5 stars on Amazon
13. The Muppet Christmas Carol  One fateful Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Together with kind, humble Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog) and his family, the Spirits open Scrooge’s eyes — and his heart — to the true meaning of Christmas. (1992) 4.3 of 5 stars on Amazon
14. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (and 6 other favorites)  Who’s got a nose for Christmas? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! Just in time for the holidays, here comes Rudolph in the most beloved special of all time! Packed with a sleigh full of memorable songs and unforgettable characters, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lights up the hearts of young and old alike. (1976) 4.6 of 5 stars on Amazon
15. Frosty the Snowman The original celebrated holiday classic brings plenty of yuletide cheer with the hot and cold story of the jolly happy soul with a corn-cobb pipe and two eyes made out of coal. (1966)  4.5 of 5 stars on Amazon
16. Holiday Inn  Bing Crosby plays a song and dance man who leaves showbiz to run an inn that is open only on holidays. Fred Astaire plays his former partner and rival in love. (1942) 4.6 of 5 stars on Amazon
17. The Family Stone  Join the eccentric Stone family for a holiday gathering filled with unexpected surprises. Before the festivities are over, love affairs will unravel, new ones will form, outrageous secrets will be revealed and the family will come together like never before. (2005) 3.8 stars of 5 on Amazon
18. It’s a Wonderful Life  George Bailey has so many problems that he is thinking about ending it all – on Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all of his good deeds over the years. (1947) 4.8 of 5 stars on Amazon
19. The Bishop’s Wife  Cary Grant stars as an angel come to earth in answer to the prayers of a struggling young bishop. (1947) 4.7 of 5 stars on Amazon

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Quick note of interest to close this 2013 post: several of the overall ratings of the classics went down since we first posted this list last year, while ratings of movies starring A-list actors went up. Moving the needle of an Amazon rating isn’t easy, so we think it’s worth noting.

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