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Christmas is a unique time of year that gives your family much needed quality time to spend together.
It’s about decorating the tree, making Christmas wish lists, eating delicious food, and watching Christmas movies!
Over many years, Christmas movies have become an important ritual and staple activity in every household during this time of year. Christmas movies get us all in the Christmas spirit and excited about the family time that we spend together. A great Christmas movie will make you laugh, cry, and think about the true value of Christmas.
Choosing the right movie to keep your children entertained can also be great for when you need to prep dinner or wrap presents! It can be tricky and time-consuming to choose from a list of thousands of Christmas movie lists online. There is a lot to think about before you choose the right movies to keep the whole family engaged. You could spend hours debating which movies are appropriate and entertaining enough for your little ones. Thankfully, we have compiled a list that will help you with this decision making!
Below we have included a list of our Top 10 favorite Christmas movies for children. We have included a brief description of each and why we think it is a great choice. You can carefully select which you think would be appropriate for the age group of your children and their particular preferences in movies. And if that isn’t enough, we have also given you a brief list of the top features, we believe, every children’s Christmas movie should have.
You will have a long list of Christmas movies to keep the whole family entertained for the entire holiday in no time!
The list we have provided here is by no means exhaustive. The amount of Children’s Christmas movies to choose from is enormous! This list will be a great start for your family and will help you decide what kind of themes and movies you would like to see more of.
Home Alone
Kicking off our list of Top 10 Christmas movies for kids is the classic movie that everyone will have heard of; Home Alone. It’s not Christmas without this movie playing in your living room at some point!
Some have suggested that it’s the best Christmas movie of all time. You can be the judge of that one. Home Alone is an American comedy movie that was released in the year 1990. The main star of the show, Macaulay Culkin, plays an eight year old boy, Kevin, who is accidentally left behind by his family on their Christmas Vacation. During the vacation, he is left in his home, alone.
The movie follows his time spent there, looking after himself, and trying to defend himself and his home after two burglars break-in. Home Alone is the perfect movie for the entire family to enjoy because of its slapstick humor and heartfelt moments, too.
Pros:
+ Highly known
+ Perfect for the entire family
+ Comedy
Why We Like It – Home Alone is the perfect movie for all the family. It has features that everyone will enjoy, no matter their age! It’s sure to make you laugh, cry, and think about how important family is during Christmas time.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Number two on our list of the top Christmas movies for the children is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. This movie is strange and haunting, yet it’s precisely this reason why so many children, and families, love this Christmas classic. Released in 1993, it is an animated movie. Jack Skellington, the main protagonist, rules over Halloween Town.
Bored with his everyday job, he then stumbles across another world, ‘Christmas Town.’ He is so enchanted by the lights and Christmas spirit he decides to recreate this atmosphere for his villagers. This movie is funny, melancholy, touching, and a dark fantasy all in one. Many children love it because of the strange characters and land, producing a sense of dark illusion. If you are looking for a Christmas movie with a bit of a twist, then The Nightmare Before Christmas is for you! It’s suitable for the entire family to enjoy.
Pros:
+ For the whole family
+ Dark Fantasy
+ Humorous and Touching
Why We Like It – The Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect choice for your family if you want to watch a Christmas movie that is extremely different from the usual Christmas storyline found in so many other Christmas movies right now. If you’re looking for a touch of light-hearted darkness in your movie, then this is the one for you!
Elf
Elf was released in 2003 and since then has become a staple Christmas movie in almost every household each year. It is an American comedy that focuses on Buddy, a grown elf that was raised in the North Pole by Santa and his elves. He then ventures to New York City and meets his biological father. The movie follows the family story of reuniting and all of Buddy’s crazy adventures in this new and fascinating city.
It’s light-hearted and extremely funny but also touches on serious and heart-wrenching themes of abandonment and family breakdown. Not only will your children laugh at the funny antics Buddy gets up to in New York, but they will most likely learn a lot about how you should treat your family members and others around you. You will laugh a lot while watching Elf, but you may cry a lot too!
This is the perfect, feel-good movie for the entire family.
Pros:
+ Funny
+ Sentimental
+ For the entire family
Why We Like It – Not only is Elf one of the funniest Christmas movies out right now, but it has extremely sentimental themes dispersed throughout the story. Your children will think a lot about the value of Christmas and the Christmas spirit among family.
Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch stole Christmas
This 2000 rendition of the 1966 classic, is a favorite Christmas movie for families around the world.
The movie stars Jim Carrey as The Grinch, a green, furry creature that lives on a hill far away from the other villagers. While the entire town is preparing and getting excited for the holiday, the Grinch is secluded. The movie follows the storyline of how a 6-year-old girl helps the Grinch to change his views on the Christmas holiday. Throughout the entire movie, the Grinch gets up to a lot of ridiculous mischief, which is sure to give your children a lot of laughter. This is a movie that is suitable for the entire family!
Pros:
+ Perfect for the whole family
+ Funny
+ Interesting storyline
Why We Like It – The Grinch is a class Christmas movie for many reasons. Not only is it sure to give you numerous chuckles through the movie, but the story and development of relationships keep it interesting enough for the whole family to appreciate. It will definitely have your children thinking a lot more about the importance of friends and family during the Christmas period.
Jack Frost
Jack Frost is a 1998 American comedy Christmas movie. A father is killed in a car accident, only to return to life as a Snowman. Not only does he get up to a lot of mischief as a Snowman, but he reconnects with his son and teaches him valuable life lessons that he never got a chance to as a human. Near the end of the movie, Jack Frost starts to melt as Winter is ending.
The ending of the movie is incredibly sad yet heartwarming. It is sure to make you cry!
Pros:
+ Perfect for the entire family
+ Funny
+ Heartwarming
Why We Like It – If you are in the market for a Christmas movie with some tear-jerking moments, then Jack Frost could be the right choice for you! This is a classic movie that families all over the world have enjoyed at Christmas time for years. It is funny enough to keep younger children engaged and thoughtful enough for your older kids too.
The Muppet Christmas
This 1992 classic Christmas movie is perfect for your entire family to enjoy. The Muppet Christmas is not just a regular Christmas movie; it is a musical also! It’s adapted from Charles Dickens’s novel A Christmas Carol. With all the affectionate characters of the Muppet story playing out the storyline of Scrooge, this is a perfect movie to curl up on the sofa with all the family.
Generally, it is a comedy, but there are also many moments in the film that will bring tears to your eyes. You will fall in love with the characters. After watching this, you will see why this has been one of the most loved Christmas movies for so many years!
Pros:
+ Great for the entire family
+ A retelling of an old tale
+ Humour
Why We Like It – If you are searching for a movie with a strong musical element for your children to watch this Christmas, then the Muppet Christmas is a great choice! They will laugh, cry, and be able to sing along to the memorable tunes.
Disney’s A Christmas Carol
This 2009 rendition of Dickens A Christmas Carol is a perfect children’s movie that will retell the old tale. This version of the Christmas Carol is suited towards older children rather than The Muppet Christmas for example. The latter being suitable for a younger audience. Disney’s A Christmas Carol is a retelling of the story of Scrooge with a hint of darkness thrown in.
Available in 3D, the pictures and cinematography in this movie is thrilling for the entire family. There is a lot of animation included to present the fantastical story. Even older kids who may not usually enjoy children’s Christmas movies will be able to appreciate the fascinating graphics and animation used in Disney’s A Christmas Carol.
Pros:
+ Great cinematography
+ A retelling of an old tale
+ Perfect for the entire family
Why We Like It – Disney’s A Christmas Carol is perfect for engaging both young and older children. The amazing cinematography and animation make this version of A Christmas Carol magical and fantastical!
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
Next up on the list is Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas. Although the whole family could certainly enjoy this one, it’s more suited for a younger audience. If you need an engaging movie for your little ones while you are preparing Christmas dinner, then this could be a great choice for you! Your smaller children will love seeing their loveable characters of Mickey, Donald Duck, and Pluto running around in Christmas outfits. The storyline presents themes such as kindness, love, and the magic of Christmas in a way that younger children will be engaged by.
This is a great educational choice for Christmas time also. The storyline reinforces the belief in Santa, allowing your children to engage in the exciting atmosphere on the lead up to Christmas morning!
Pros:
+ Perfect for younger children
+ Educational themes
+ Familiar Characters
Why We Like It – We know that young children will be glued to the TV while watching their familiar and favorite characters of Mickey Mouse partake in the excitement of Christmas! With many educational themes running throughout the movie, you won’t feel so guilty about having your little ones in front of the TV while you are busy preparing for the festivities.
Jingle All the Way
Jingle All the way is another Christmas movie that is perfect for your children and even adults in the family to enjoy! It is about a workaholic dad who sadly disappoints his family every year at Christmas.
It works with the themes of materialism that’s so apparent around Christmas time. Jingle All the way will have your children thinking about the real meaning of the holidays, while also enjoying a funny comedy!
Pros:
+ Educational Themes
+ Humour
+ Perfect for the entire family
Why We Like It – This is the perfect movie to allow the entire family to get together and really think about the real meaning of Christmas.
The Santa Clause
Last up on our list is the 1994 classic, the Santa Clause. In this movie, Tim Allen plays a corporate worker who suddenly transforms into Santa Clause. The movie follows the storyline of Tim Allen trying to learn the tricks of the trade and how to successfully pull off the organization and delivery of presents on Christmas Eve. He gets into all sorts of trouble while also reconnecting and spending time with his son.
This is a feel-good movie that will inspire the belief of Santa Claus and his elves!
Pros:
+ Great for the entire family
+ Educational Themes of family
+ Humour
Why We Like It – In The Santa Clause, there are many snippets of dark and more mature humor, making this perfect for the adults and the children in the family to enjoy!
What to look for in your kids Christmas movie
Choosing the right movies for your children to watch and enjoy at Christmas time can be a time-consuming activity! You need to make sure the content is suitable for their age group and that it will also be engaging enough to keep them entertained for those evenings sat in front of the TV.
There are many children’s Christmas movies out there that can be educational and enjoyable for the whole family. If you are still stuck on how to search for and choose the appropriate Christmas movie for your little ones, then look no further. Below we have compiled a short list of features you should consider.
Humour
If you want to keep your kids entertained while you prep dinner or wrap presents, then your movie needs to make them laugh! Christmas is a time for fun and laughter, and your movie selection should represent this.
Fantasy
Christmas is a magical time for children, and the best movies will represent this feeling. Christmas movies that have a touch of fantasy and magic will be the most entertaining for your children and will ensure that they will want to watch them again and again.
A touch of fantasy will keep the Christmas spirit alive and get your kids excited for Santa Claus coming on Christmas Eve night.
Educational Themes
Many of the Christmas movies that we have mentioned in the list above will have gentle educational themes placed throughout. Generally, the storylines of Christmas movies will touch on kindness, family time, and how you should treat others during Christmas. This is especially important for younger children who are just starting to become aware of these kinds of behaviors. Picking a movie that is entertaining and funny, while also teaching your children the real value of Christmas is very important!
And there you have it: our top ten favorite Christmas movies for kids and our favorite features that should be included in every movie. We have no doubt that you will be able to compile a long collection of movies that will be perfect for your entire family to enjoy this Christmas.
