My family started a new tradition a few years ago – we temporarily suspend our usual evening streaming routine one night each week during the holiday season to watch a Christmas movie together. Now, with three years under our belt, we seamlessly integrate our beloved holiday classics with some newly discovered festive flicks. Along the way, we’ve stumbled upon some hidden gems and, admittedly, a few duds.
Here’s a curated selection of our family favorites, coupled with additional recommendations from the MetroFamily team, that your family might enjoy.
We wish you and your loved ones a holiday season filled with joy and cinematic magic!
Christmas movies for the whole family:
- A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) G “It’s not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.”
- A Christmas Story (1983) PG
- Arthur Christmas (2011) PG
- Christmas Chronicles series (2018, 2020) best suited for ages 9 & up
- Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009) PG
- Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018) PG
- Elf (2003) PG “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”
- Home Alone series (1990) PG
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) PG “No one should be alone on Christmas.”
- Klaus (2019) best suited for ages 6 & up
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947, 1994) PG
- Noelle (2019) G
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) G “I told you, storytellers are omniscient. I know everything!”
- Olaf’s Frozen Adventure (2018) G “Some people are worth melting for.”
- The Polar Express(2004) G “The thing about trains, it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.”
- The Santa Clause series (1994) PG “Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
Classics perfect for toddlers:
- Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas (2009) best suited for ages 3 & up
- Prep & Landing series (2011) G “This is it, people! 364 days of planning, one night of perfect execution.”
- Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) best suited for ages 4 & up “Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
- Frosty the Snowman, best suited for ages 3 & up
- Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (1999) best suited for ages 3 & up
- Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas (2004) best suited for ages 5 & up
- The Snowy Day (2016) best suited for ages 2 & up
- Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002) G “Santy Claws! That’s him! Though I always thought he was taller.”
Holiday flicks teens & tweens will love:
- Die Hard (1988) R
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) best suited for ages 9 & up
- It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) best suited for ages 9 & up “No man is a failure who has friends.”
- The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) PG
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) PG-13 “Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.”
- Snowball Express (1972) G
- Spirited “We haunt someone, change them into a better person and then we sing about it.”
- White Christmas (1954) best suited for ages 8 & up
Unconventional holiday films you might not have watched:
- 8-Bit Christmas (2021) PG
- Alien Xmas (2020) best suited for ages 6 & up
- Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas (2015) best suited for ages 5 & up
- Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977) best suited for ages 5 & up
- Jack Frost (1998) PG
- Jingle All the Way (1996) PG
- Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) PG
- A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) G
- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) PG
- Pete the Cat: A Very Groovy Christmas (2018) best suited for ages 4 & up
- Prancer (1989) G
- If You Give a Mouse a Christmas Cookie (2016) best suited for ages 4 & up
- Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) PG
*Age recommendations based on guidance from Common Sense Media.
Born and raised in the Oklahoma City metro and a graduate of the Gaylord College of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma, Lindsay Cuomo has worked for MetroFamily since 2014 covering local stories, people and events. Lindsay is a mom to three school-aged boys and calls Moore, Oklahoma home.
