Take a break from gift shopping and decorating the tree. Let these movies put you in the holiday spirit, instead.
1942: Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn
Outside of Jesus and Santa, Bing Crosby is basically the king of Christmas. This musical about an inn that's only open on holidays gave us the song "White Christmas," which of course we're all dreaming of.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1943: The Song of Bernadette
The drama's lead, Jennifer Jones, won an Oscar for her portrayal of a woman having visions of the Virgin Mary. The film however lost the Best Picture race to Casablanca.
Buy It: $8, Amazon.com
1944: Meet Me in St. Louis
Judy Garland stars in this musical featuring the classic holiday tune, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
Buy It: $23, Amazon.com
1945: Christmas in Connecticut
Holiday romance is the focus of this Barbara Stanwyck film, which was remade for TV in 1992 with the help of director Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1946: It's a Wonderful Life
Every time this movie is on during the holiday season, an angel gets its wings.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1947: Miracle on 34th Street
If you ever spill the beans about Santa to a kid too early, this movie will restore their faith.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1948: 3 Godfathers
The story of the Three Wise Men retold as a Western and starring John Wayne is begging for a remake.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1949: Holiday Affair
Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum co-star in this romantic comedy set during the holidays. It wasn't a huge success when it was released, but still gets played at Christmastime.
Buy It: $8, Amazon.com
1950: The Great Rupert
Alternately titled A Christmas Wish, this movie involves an animated squirrel who helps improve the lives of two impoverished families.
Buy It: $6, Amazon.com
1951: A Christmas Carol
You know the drill. Guy hates Christmas and ghosts scare him straight.
Buy It, $10, Amazon.com
1952: Pluto's Christmas Tree
The classic Disney gang appears in this short film involving Mickey and Pluto trying to pick out the perfect Christmas tree.
Buy It: $65, Amazon.com
1953: Peter Pan
There isn't much Christmas in Peter Pan, but the magic is definitely there.
Buy It: $11, Amazon.com
1954: White Christmas
White Christmas wasn't just popular during the holiday season. It was the second highest-grossing film of 1954.
Buy It: $12, Amazon.com
1955: We're No Angels
Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray play three escaped convicts who learn how to be good while hiding out with a poor family in a French colonial town during Christmas.
Buy It: $25, Amazon.com
1956: Bundle of Joy
It may have nothing to do with Christmas, but try turning on this Eddie Fisher/Debbie Reynolds collaboration while the holiday feast is in the oven and you'll know why it's on the list.
Buy It: $16, Amazon.com
1957: All Mine to Give
Not the most joyful Christmas movie, All Mine To Give is based on the true-life story of six Wisconsin siblings who must take care of each other when both of their parents die.
Buy It: $13, Amazon.com
1958: Bell, Book, and Candle
Jimmy Stewart straps on his Christmas boots again for this love story set during the holiday season. He plays a publisher who falls under the spell of his witch neighbor played by Kim Novak.
Buy It: $9, Amazon.com
1959: Santa Claus
Also known as Santa Claus vs. the Devil, this Mexican import is probably one movie you should watch after the kids have gone to bed.
Buy It: $15, Amazon.com
1960: The Apartment
The action of this Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine Oscar winner culminates at a company Christmas party, which absolutely justifies it as a Christmas movie...right?
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1961: Babes in Toyland
Annette Funicello stars in Disney's take on the 1903 operetta of the same name by Victor Herbert.
Buy It: $8, Amazon.com
1962: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol
Same story, different medium. Magoo claims the honor of being the first animated holiday special ever produced for TV.
Buy It: $45, Amazon.com
1963: The Sword and the Stone
Disney once again ruled the holiday season with this magical tale of King Arthur, which hit theaters on Christmas day.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1964: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The fact that this movie still entertains kids in the age of Pokémon GO and 3D movies is a testament to how iconic it really is.
Buy It: $23, Amazon.com
1967: Fitzwilly
Dick Van Dyke stars in this heist movie about the household staff of an elderly heiress plotting to rob a department store on Christmas Eve.
Buy It: $20, Amazon.com
1968: The Little Drummer Boy
He had no gifts to bring, but this 1968 NBC TV special is the holiday gift that keeps on giving year after year.
Buy It: $40, Amazon.com
1970: Scrooge
Albert Finney won a Golden Globe for playing Ebenezer in this musical adaptation of the Dickens story.
Buy It: $9, Amazon.com
1971: The Homecoming: A Christmas Story
This Walton family Christmas special aired on CBS.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1973: The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas
Ted E. Bear goes on a quest to look for Christmas while his bear brethren sleep through winter in this NBC animated Christmas special.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1974: The Year Without a Santa Claus
Heat Miser and Snow Miser attempt to ruin Christmas for everyone in this stop motion classic adapted from a 1956 book by Phyllis McGinley.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1975: The First Christmas
Angela Lansbury narrates this stop motion animated TV special about a blind shepherd boy who has never seen snow.
Buy It: $20, Amazon.com
1976: Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Santa needs Rudolph's help to track down Baby New Year on New Year's Eve to prevent it from staying December 31 forever in this ABC TV special.
Buy It: $15, Amazon.com
1977: Nestor
Think Rudolph, but as a donkey with long ears, trying to make his way to Bethlehem.
Buy It: $18, Amazon.com
1978: Benji's Very Own Christmas Story
Benji helps an injured Kris Kringle rediscover the meaning of Christmas in this ABC TV special.
Buy It: $5, Amazon.com
1979: Jack Frost
The '70s were all about stop motion TV specials, so it's no surprise that NBC closed out the decade with this tale about Jack Frost becoming a human to be with the girl he loves.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
1980: Christmas Evil
There are a ton of Christmas-themed horror movies about psychotic Santas, and this one has developed a cult following since its initial release.
Buy It: $15, Amazon.com
1981: A Chipmunk Christmas
Alvin learns the true meaning of Christmas in this animated special with a soundtrack that landed on the Billboard charts.
Buy It: $22, Amazon.com
1982: The Snowman
This is an animated TV special based on the children's book by Raymond Briggs.
Buy It: $6, Amazon.com
1983: A Christmas Story
Ralphie and his family have become so synonymous with Christmas that TNT has aired a 24-hour marathon of it every year since 1997.
Buy It: $7, Amazon.com
1984: Gremlins
As adorable as Gizmo might be, mogwais make terrible Christmas gifts.
Buy It: $12, Amazon.com
1985: Santa Claus: The Movie
This Dudley Moore/John Lithgow movie explores the mythology of Santa and everything that he does.
Buy It: $12, Amazon.com
1986: Nutcracker
The Tchaikovsky ballet performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet company and filmed for the big screen makes for a stunning holiday viewing.
Buy It: $20, Amazon.com
1987: A Hobo's Christmas
Barnard Hughes plays a hobo who returns home to Salt Lake City during the Christmas season and attempts to salvage the life he left behind.
Buy It: $15, Amazon.com
1988: Scrooged
Bill Murray plays a pompous TV exec in this modern (for the '80s, that is) take on the Dickens story.
Buy It: $11, Amazon.com
1989: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Clark and the rest of the Griswold clan welcome their extended family to their house for Christmas and the results are hilariously disastrous.
Buy It: $9, Amazon.com
1990: Home Alone
Macaulay Culkin was catapulted into child stardom thanks to this John Hughes comedy about a boy who has to fend off robbers after he's accidentally left at home while the rest of his family is on vacation.
Buy It: $4, Amazon.com
1991: All I Want for Christmas
A brother and sister hatch a scheme to get their parents back together for Christmas.
Buy It: $13, Amazon.com
1992: Home Alone 2
Kevin McCallister accidentally gets on a flight to New York City when his family is on their way to Florida. That family really should've just stopped trying to go on vacations after the first incident.
Buy It: $16, Amazon.com
1994: The Santa Clause
Tim Allen transforms into Santa Claus after accidentally killing his predecessor…fun for the whole family.
Buy It: $7, Amazon.com
1995: Home for the Holidays
Sure, this one is technically about Thanksgiving but Holly Hunter playing a woman dreading spending the day with her family is something many people can relate to regardless of the holiday.
Buy It: $4, Amazon.com
1996: Jingle All the Way
Trying to secure the hottest holiday toy for your kid so close to Christmas is the stuff of nightmares, but watching Arnold Schwarzenegger attempt to do so is just funny.
Buy It: $8, Amazon.com
1997: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
Disney's direct-to-video sequel to their 1991 hit follows Belle, Beast and the castle staff preparing for their Christmas celebration.
Buy It: $13, Amazon.com
1998: I'll Be Home for Christmas
Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Jessica Biel co-star in this comedy about a guy who has three days to make his way from California to New York to have Christmas dinner with his father and step-mother.
Buy It: $6, Amazon.com
1999: Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
This direct-to-video anthology of Christmas stories features Mickey, Donald, Goofy and the rest of the crew.
Buy It: $9, Amazon.com
2000: The Grinch
Jim Carrey went green to ruin Christmas for all the Whos in Whoville in this live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss's 1957 book.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
2001: Call Me Claus
Whoopi Goldberg steps into Santa's shoes in this TV movie, which was also Nigel Hawthorne's final performance.
Buy It: $14, Amazon.com
2002: Santa Clause 2
Tim Allen returns as Santa in this sequel where he finds out he has to find a Mrs. Claus.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
2003: Love Actually
And just like that, Billy Mack's "Christmas is All Around" is in your head once again. You're welcome. If holiday romance isn't your thing, 2003 was also the year that gave us Elf.
Buy It: $7, Amazon.com
2004: The Polar Express
Chris Van Allsburg's 1985 children's book of the same name was adapted to the big screen as a 3D computer-animated flick featuring the voice of Tom Hanks.
Buy It: $11, Amazon.com
2005: The Family Stone
An all-star cast including Diane Keaton and Sarah Jessica Parker was assembled for this dramedy about a woman who has trouble fitting in when she goes home to meet her boyfriend's family at Christmas.
Buy It: $4, Amazon.com
2006: The Holiday
Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet do a house swap during the Christmas season and find love during their time away.
Buy It: $15, Amazon.com
2007: Holiday In Handcuffs
Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas schedule has become an annual tradition and often includes original movies starring familiar faces. Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez co-star in this one about a woman who kidnaps a man and convinces him to pretend to be her boyfriend at her family's Christmas dinner.
Buy It: $14, Amazon.com
2008: Four Christmases
Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon play a couple who are forced to visit their dysfunctional families for Christmas when their vacation plans get canceled at the last minute.
Buy It: $5, Amazon.com
2009: A Christmas Carol
As if playing the Grinch wasn't enough, Jim Carrey steps into the role of Scrooge in this 3D computer animated motion-captured adaptation.
Buy It: $7, Amazon.com
2010: November Christmas
John Corbett and Sarah Paulson star in this TV movie about a Rhode Island town that comes together to help an eight-year-old girl with a life-threatening illness celebrate Christmas a few weeks early.
Buy It: $16, Amazon.com
2011: Arthur Christmas
Santa apparently has a son and this 3D computer-animated film tells his story. The voice cast includes James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Bill Nighy.
Buy It: $4, Amazon.com
2012: It's Christmas, Carol
The late great Carrie Fisher stars as the spirit guide in this Hallmark original movie about a ruthless CEO who learns the true meaning of Christmas.
Buy It: $8, Amazon.com
2013: The Best Man Holiday
A sequel to 1999's The Best Man, this film finds the original crew reuniting to celebrate Christmas together.
Buy It: $10, Amazon.com
2014: Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever
Aubrey Plaza gives a voice to the Internet-famous cat in this Lifetime original movie.
Buy It: $4, Amazon.com
2015: The Night Before
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie play three friends who reunite every year on Christmas Eve for a little debauchery until their priorities (sweetly) change as they get older.
Buy It: $15, Amazon.com
2016: Office Christmas Party
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman lead an ensemble cast of colleagues at an office where the Christmas party turns into an insane night.
Buy It: $11, Amazon.com
2017: A Bad Moms Christmas
As if the combo of Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, and Mila Kunis wasn't amazing enough, now they've gone and tossed Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines and Susan Sarandon into the mix. Please do this for every holiday.
Buy It: $20, Amazon.com
-
Prince William and Princess Kate Are Prioritizing Their Children's "Happiness" Amid Kate's Diagnosis, Source SaysThe little ones come first.
-
Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo and Judy Greer Had the CUTEST '13 Going on 30' ReunionI'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the movie has turned 20.
-
21 Spring Essentials in Madewell, Banana Republic, and Shopbop's Flash SalesDon’t let these can’t-miss sales pass you by.
-
A Definitive Ranking of Margot Robbie’s Top 10 Movie RolesShe's got a knack for playing complex women.
-
The Best Bollywood Movies of 2023 (So Far)Including one that just might fill the Riverdale-shaped hole in your heart.
-
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2023: Everything We KnowCue up Mike Reno and Ann Wilson’s “Almost Paradise."
-
Who Is Gerry Turner, the ‘Golden Bachelor’?The Indiana native is the first senior citizen to join Bachelor Nation.
-
‘Virgin River’ Season 6: Everything We KnowHere's everything we know on the upcoming episodes.
-
The 'Barbie' Movie Poster Is Already This Year's Most Iconic MemeYour daily dose of internet comedy.
-
Documentaries About Black History to Educate Yourself WithTake your allyship a step further.
-
The 60 Best Musical Movies of All TimeAll the dance numbers! All the show tunes!
