Yule laugh, yule cry: The 25 best Christmas movies

OK, some may consider this in the “Die Hard” vein, but “Gremlins” is much more clearly a Christmas movie. Gizmo is a Christmas present for Billy. Families have Christmas trees up and the town is full of Christmas décor. This is a pretty dark Christmas comedy, but it’s quite fun while also a little gory in a cool way. “Gremlins” is definitely a Christmas movie, if an unusual one.

As violent as the gremlins are, they have nothing on Kevin McAllister. When Harry and Marv, aka the Wet Bandits, try to rob the McAllister home, when the young Kevin is left alone, it does not go well for them. The criminals face a series of extremely violent tricks and traps, and yet somehow this was a massively successful family movie. A family movie where you see a man step on a nail.

We’ve frontloaded this list with a few violent Christmas films, but we promise you the list gets a little more cheerful and bright as it goes on. Krampus, a figure of European folklore who punishes the naughty around Christmas with more than a lump of coal, has gotten more play in recent years. Naturally, they had to eventually make a Christmas-themed horror film about the ghastly beast. It’s a straight-up horror film, and probably the best Christmas-focused horror movie.

They’ve told this story a few times, but we have to include the iconic one in the bunch. You know the story. A man claims to be the real Santa Claus, and ends up on trial for it. Are there a bunch of letters written to Santa brought into the court room for evidence? You know it, and while that may be a bit of a spoiler, it’s also a quintessential film scene, and not just for Christmas movies.

For many, this is the Christmas movie of record. If you like your yuletide season a tad askew, or have Goth tendencies, you probably really dig “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” It’s Tim Burton’s sensibilities combined with some really impressive stop-motion animation. Even if you aren’t fully on its wavelength, you have to admire the look of the movie.

So many versions of “A Christmas Carol” have been done. And yet, the one we include is the one featuring the Muppets. Why? Because it’s the best one, duh. It’s a lot more fun than most takes on the story, and they still have a solid Scrooge in Michael Caine.

Around 1994, Tim Allen was at his peak. “Home Improvement” was super popular, and it gave him a movie career. Until “Galaxy Quest,” his best-known film role was as the star of “The Santa Clause.” When Allen kills Santa, he magically becomes the new Santa. If you were a kid in 1994, this was probably a favorite of yours to watch in December.

The animation style of "The Polar Express" isn't for everybody. Some find it uncanny and unpleasant. However, Robert Zemeckis is a fan of pushing the envelope of technology. At least this is a fairly fresh story, and it also stars Tom Hanks in multiple roles. "The Polar Express" also clearly has fans, as it's the fourth-highest-grossing Christmas movie of all-time.

You may not this of this Netflix offering as a movie, but that’s how it’s categorized. It’s different than a lot of movies. Primarily, it’s about Bill Murray, the living legend, trying to make a Christmas party work. Songs are sung. Celebrities show up. Also, it’s directed by Sofia Coppola. It’s a movie that doubles as a Christmas special like the days of yore, but it definitely belongs here.

This movie was remade with Whitney Houston as “The Preacher’s Wife,” but we are going with the original. It’s a film that culminates in a midnight mass on Christmas Eve, and it doesn’t get much more Christmas-y than that. “The Bishop’s Wife” is played by Loretta Young, but in truth the real star of the show is Cary Grant as a suave, Cary Grant-esque angel who helps the bishop out around the holiday season.

Here’s another classic from the black-and-white era, but they’ve been making Christmas movies for a long time. It goes without saying that any movie with “Christmas” in the title got consideration for this list. “Christmas in Connecticut” is a fun, crackling romantic comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck, one of the biggest stars of her era.

Will Ferrell has a few iconic roles at this point, but Buddy the Elf is definitely up there. In terms of modern Christmas classics, “Elf” has definitely worked into the regular rotation. Ferrell plays a human who was raised as an elf, and his introduction back into the “normal” world away from the North Pole has its ups and downs. It also has a ton of enthusiasm from Buddy.

Nancy Meyers puts a ton of work into the look of the houses that she puts in her movies. Now, imagine that combined with the aesthetic options available for Christmas. “The Holiday” has quite the quartet at the center of it, as the movie stars Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black.

This is an incredible goofy movie, and maybe it’s a little silly. Still, that’s not always a bad thing for Christmas. Don’t you want to see Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad mug a bit in a broad ‘90s Christmas comedy? Not every bit works, but it feels like a solid Christmas comedy.

We’ll say it: “Christmas Vacation” is the best of the “Vacation” movies. It’s probably not even close. The Griswold family are at their worst, which means they are at their best from a comedy perspective. That, of course, includes Randy Quaid as Uncle Eddie, who steals the show.

Technically this is our second adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” but it’s a slightly skewed take. It really just takes the whole “Curmudgeon is visited by three ghosts” idea and runs with it. This is darker and features far more cynical humor than most versions of Dickens’ tale. Plus, it stars Bill Murray. He’s pretty much perfect for a role like this.

Sure, the song “White Christmas” first rose to prominence in a different movie, “Holiday Inn.” However, it’s back in this movie, of course, given the song borrows its name. Plus, unlike “Holiday Inn,” there is no blackface in this movie, which is a huge plus.

Christmas is a time for family, but family isn’t always the best thing about the holiday. This Christmas ensemble movie features a woman played by Sarah Jessica Parker meeting her boyfriend’s family for the holidays the first time. Let’s just say the family can be a bit much. This is a movie that didn’t make a huge splash right away, but it’s reputation keeps growing.

There are a few dark comedies centered around Christmas out there. It’s about the juxtaposition between the holly and the jolly of the holidays with more morbid ideas. “Bad Santa” features Billy Bob Thornton as a criminal who gets a job as a Santa to case a place for a robbery. It’s a dark, raunchy comedy that was successful enough to spawn a sequel.

Want something  a little more lowkey? Well few directors are more lowkey than Joe Swanberg. One of the practitioners of “mumblecore,” the film is a small story about a woman (Anna Kendrick) going to stay with her older brother. The film is entirely improvised, which is how Swanberg likes to make movies.

Thanks in part to a lapsed copyright, “It’s a Wonderful Life” has become a Christmas staple. That’s despite the fact it’s about a sad man who is planning to commit suıcide. Then an angel shows him what life would be like had he never been born. Also, that man is played by Jimmy Stewart, and the director is Frank Capra, which is quite the duo for a film.

Yes, this is a very, very old-school movie. It’s pre-code even, which allowed them to get away with things that movies couldn’t do for decades after. What’s really notable about it, though, is that this is the film debut of Katharine Hepburn. Yes, a legendary career began with the Christmas movie “A Bill of Divorcement.” Clearly, it worked out for her.

With a title like “Christmas Holiday,” this sounds like a delightful little movie, right? Actually it’s a dark film noir film. Seriously. Based on a novel by notable author W. Somerset Maugham, it’s worth seeing if only to check out Gene Kelly in a role that calls for him to be the villain.

OK, we’ve given you a lot of old movies. We know that. Let’s go with a new one. “Last Christmas” is based on the George Michael song of the same name, to an unexpected degree. We won’t say too much. Emilia Clarke is charming in the lead, though, and while it has its emotional moments, it has enough bit to avoid being maudlin or sappy.

Netflix is making Christmas movies left and right these days. Most of them are decidedly adequate. They know around the holidays people just want to watch something Christmas related. If that’s the case, why not watch “The Christmas Chronicles?” It has one big thing going for it: Kurt Russell plays Santa Claus. You’re sold, right?