10 of the best Christmas movies – and no, Love Actually isn’t one of them
It is no small irony that the one time of the year when we seem to have the time to put up our feet and watch a lot of TV, that TV shuts up shop for the “non-ratings” period and sets us adrift. Television can be cruel in that way.
But before we get into the weeds of our task – to find the best Christmas movies, made-for-television Christmas films, and Christmas television specials of all time – let’s knock out some housekeeping.
The greatest Christmas special of all time? A Charlie Brown Christmas.Credit: Apple TV+
First, the classics. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947). In the space of just four years, Hollywood cranked out three films that top Christmas lists everywhere. And, of course, White Christmas (1954).
And then there is Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), a film so astonishingly awful that it almost defies reason and good sense. But it is the only sci-fi Christmas movie to ever make the history books, and despite its awfulness, it is still somehow one of the all-time Christmas classics.
Somewhere in between, however, there sits an assembly of the great, the glorious and the wonderfully eccentric, those future Christmas classics whose company Stan’s new Christmas movie Nugget Is Dead? A Christmas Story aspires to keep.
Some are films with which you could play Christmas Movie “bingo”, ticking off tropes and clichés such as returning to a hometown, a baking scene, carollers at the door, a charity (or “town”) event at risk, meeting in a Christmas tree market, a delayed flight or a scene in ugly Christmas sweaters.
Judy Garland and Tom Drake in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).Credit: Warner Bros
Others are simply timeless classics that have, for many families, formed the fabric of the holiday season. Herewith, please find, with our Christmas compliments, the best and the boldest of the Christmas movies (and TV specials) of all time.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
The apex predator of the Christmas special genre, a timeless classic in which the hapless and put-upon Charlie Brown sets out to find the meaning of Christmas, in an increasingly commercial world. Directed by Bill Melendez, it features a beautiful blend of Christmas music and jazz from the Vince Guaraldi Trio, and one of the most deeply heartfelt conclusions of any Christmas story. Apple TV+
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964).Credit: Videocraft/Rankin-Bass
Die Hard (1988)
Putting Die Hard in a list like this is unleashing the dogs on the biggest argument at the Christmas table. But here’s the thing: of course it’s a Christmas movie, even if it was released in July of ’88. (Ever heard of Christmas in July?) It has all the ingredients, including a family fractured by the holiday season, an earnest dad trying to get back to his family, a Christmas-ruining villain and – eventually – a happy ending. Not all Christmas gifts come wrapped in conventional packaging. Disney+
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992).Credit: Disney+
An Unexpected Christmas (2021)
There are too many Hallmark movies to mention, but this is the standout of their library, about a couple who split but then, thanks to bad Christmas timing, both end up at his family’s house, where they are assumed to still be a couple. It ticks all the bingo boxes, but it has both unexpected heart, good humour and natural chemistry between its leads, Tyler Hynes (Jamie) and Bethany Joy Lenz (Emily).
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
The first of four masterwork stop-motion specials from Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass – the others are The Little Drummer Boy (1968), Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970) and The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) – it follows Rudolph, rejected by the reindeer pack, as he heads off with Hermey, a misfit elf, and prospector Yukon Cornelius, to face a raft of challenges on their way to the Island of Misfit Toys. Apple TV+, Amazon Video
Da Kath and Kim Code (2005)
Christmas comes to Fountain Lakes, an Incy-Wincy Davinci Code-sized conspiracy follows and Kath and Kel are in rehearsals with the Jazzy B dancers for Michael Buble’s performance at Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne. This telemovie, a spin-off from the hit series Kath & Kim was never conceived as a Christmas film but, with guest appearances by Rove McManus, Rhonda Burchmore and The Wiggles, it takes its place among the classics. Netflix
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
An understated classic, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, who must, on Christmas Eve, face the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet-to-Come, as punishment for his poor treatment of employee Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog). Directed by Brian Henson, the film also features Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, Dr Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, and Gonzo. Disney+
Not your mother’s Frosty … Frosty the Snowman gets a fresh take in Hot Frosty (Dustin Milligan).Credit: Netflix
Hot Frosty (2024)
Not quite a classic, but the newest Christmas movie on the market also appears to be one of the most popular globally. A Netflix original, Hot Frosty is a twist on the Frosty the Snowman tale: that is, an enchanted scarf brings a snowman to life, except in this case, Frosty is a hunk. This ticks all the boxes, good and bad, for the genre. Netflix
Bush Christmas (1983)
Nobody would have credited Australia with inventing the Hallmark Christmas genre, but with a family property on the market and everything riding on the outcome of a horse race, maybe we did. This is a small-town drama about a struggling Aussie family, a bunch of horsy kids, including Nicole Kidman, in her first film role, and a race against time to fulfil a Christmas wish. Prime Video
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Produced and conceived by Burton, directed by Henry Selick and with music by Danny Elfman, this is a gorgeously gothic stop-motion animated fantasy film in the tradition of Rankin-Bass, about the King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), who discovers Christmas Town and conspires to take over the holiday season. The film also stars Catherine O’Hara and William Hickey. Disney+
Jones Family Christmas (2023)
Australian family matriarch Heather Jones (Heather Mitchell) manages to get her disconnected, discombobulated family under the one roof for Christmas only to be evacuated as bushfires loom close to their country property. From director Stef Smith and writer Tegan Higginbotham, this is a charming and heartfelt Christmas movie about relationships, materialism and human connection. Stan