Top Five Holiday Films
Year after year, these yuletide flicks are guaranteed to entertain the entire family.
By Christopher Healy
- Miracle on 34th Street
1947
Ed Wynn's twinkly-eyed Kris Kringle is perhaps the most lovable screen Santa ever. You'll have no problem understanding why the film's other characters go through so much trouble to prove—in a court of law, of all places—that he really is the man from the North Pole.
- A Christmas Story
1983
This pitch-perfect 1940s period piece, with its folksy narration and joyously retro set pieces, resonates with children of any era. The story is so full of universal holiday experiences (the torture of stringing lights, the horrible outfit your parents make you wear) that any viewer can find something to relate to.
- Elf
2003
In one of the most hilarious films—yule-themed or not—of the past decade, Will Ferrell gives us what might be his best performance as Buddy the elf. Out of his element in a nonmagical New York City, Buddy is gleefully goofy in everything he does. Even while spoofing the holiday-movie genre, Elf has all the heart of an earnest Christmas classic.
- Scrooge
1951
Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is the best-known holiday tale of all time, but out of the many big-screen interpretations, this is the one to watch. The reason is Alistair Sim's bravura performance as an Ebenezer Scrooge who so revels in his meanness and greed that his transformation is all the more miraculous.
- The Santa Clause
1994
If kids can get past the bit where jolly old Saint Nick, well, dies in the very beginning, the rest of this bubbly comedy is pure holiday fun. The twist it brings to the long-standing Santa story—namely, that new people have morphed into the magical gift-giver over the course of history—sparks the imagination.
- Keywords:
- holiday movies
