List of theatrical Christmas films

Christmas films

List of theatrical Christmas films

TV and direct-to-video Christmas films

Christmas television specials (U.S.)

This is a list of Christmas-themed films which received a theatrical release.

Title	Year	Description
Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost	1901	The oldest known film adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, a five-minute silent short directed by Walter R. Booth
A Christmas Accident	1911	A grumpy old man is overwhelmed when the neighbor's daughter offers him her Christmas gift.
The Star of Bethlehem	1912	Retelling of the Biblical events leading up to the Nativity.
Santa Claus vs. Cupid	1915	Two men in Santa Claus suits are rivals for the love of the same woman. A desperate man becomes thief on a Christmas party.
Babes in Toyland	1934	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's adaption of Victor Herbert's operetta classic starring Laurel and Hardy, Felix Knight, Charlotte Henry and Henry Brandon.
Scrooge	1935	Early film adaptation of Dickens A Christmas Carol, starring Sir Seymour Hicks.
A Christmas Carol	1938	MGM's adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic story.
Beyond Tomorrow	1940	The first half of this fantasy film takes place on Christmas Eve as three old men befriend two strangers, a young man and woman, who return their wallets. Also titled Beyond Christmas when re-released in 2004.
The Shop Around the Corner		Unbeknownst to each other, coworkers become romantic pen pals at Christmastime.
Holiday Inn	1942	Musicians prepare for a white Christmas at a cozy lodge.
I'll Be Seeing You	1944	A war veteran finds romance with a furloughed prisoner during the holidays.
Christmas in Connecticut	1945	A columnist must entertain her boss and a returning war hero for the holidays. Remade for television in 1992.
It's a Wonderful Life	1946	After attempting to commit suicide on Christmas Eve, a man is rescued by a guardian angel and shown what his hometown would be like had he never lived.
Miracle on 34th Street	1947	Macy's Santa, with help from the U.S. Postal Service, restores a little girl's faith. Remade for television in 1955, 1959, 1973.
The Bishop's Wife		An angel helps a bishop rearrange his priorities during the Christmas season.
3 Godfathers	1948	At Christmastime in the Old West, three cowhands find a woman dying in childbirth, and deliver the baby to civilization in a retelling of the Biblical story of the Magi.
Holiday Affair	1949	Romance blooms between a young widow and a sales clerk at Christmastime.
Scrooge	1951	Dickens' ghostly meditation on Christmas, starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. Titled A Christmas Carol in United States and Canada.
White Christmas	1954	As in Holiday Inn, musicians bring Irving Berlin's lyrics to a New England lodge, this time in Connecticut. (The story is not a remake, however.)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians	1959	Santa works in outer space and battles demon sent by Lucifer to ruin Christmas. Known as one of the worst and weirdest films of all time.
Babes in Toyland	1961	Disney adaptation of the Herbert operetta.
Scrooge	1970	A musical adaptation of Dickens' tale, starring Albert Finney in the title role.
A Christmas Carol	1971	Oscar-winning animated adaptation, with Alastair Sim and Michael Hordern recreating their roles as Scrooge and Marley's Ghost, narrated by Michael Redgrave; produced by Chuck Jones.
Female Trouble	1974	A spoiled school-girl runs away from home at Christmas, gets pregnant while hitch-hiking, and ends up as a fashion model for a pair of beauticians who like to photograph women committing crimes.
A Christmas Story	1983	Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect gift.
Mickey's Christmas Carol		An animated adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic story starring classic Disney characters.
Gremlins	1984	A boy inadvertently breaks 3 important rules concerning his new Christmas present and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town preparing for Christmas.
One Magic Christmas	1985	At Christmastime, an angel shows a young mother the true meaning of the holiday.
Santa Claus: The Movie		The story of where Santa Claus came from and his attempts to save Christmas after his elf gets mixed up with an evil toy tycoon.
Less Than Zero	1987	College freshman returns home at Christmas time to find all his high school friends take drugs.
Lethal Weapon		Recently widowed undercover cop is teamed up with cop who's too old during the holidays to solve a murder.
Ernest Saves Christmas	1988	Ernest P. Worrell helps an aging Santa Claus find a successor.
Scrooged		A modern, dark-humored interpretation of Dickens' story, with Christmas spirits visiting a cynical, selfish TV exec, played by Bill Murray.
Die Hard		On Christmas Eve, New York City Police Detective Lieutenant John McClane arrives in Los Angeles to reconcile with his estranged wife, but also had to face 12 terrorists who set declared war and take by hostages the employees of the Nakatomi Corporation.
Prancer	1989	A farm girl nurses a wounded reindeer she believes is one of Santa's, hoping to bring it back to health in time for Christmas.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation		The Griswold family plans turn to disaster, this time at Christmas. Third film in the Vacation series.
Home Alone	1990	An eight-year-old boy is mistakenly left behind during Christmastime and has to defend his house against two burglars.
Maniac Cop 2		A Christmas slasher film sequel to Maniac Cop.
Die Hard 2		Again on Christmas Eve. Los Angeles Police Detective Lieutenant John McClane is waiting for his wife to land at Washington Dulles International Airport when terrorists take over the air traffic control system. He must stop the terrorists before his wife's plane and several other incoming flights that are circling the airport run out of fuel and crash.
All I Want for Christmas	1991	Two kids plot to reunite their estranged parents at Christmas.
The Muppet Christmas Carol	1992	Jim Henson's creations tackle Charles Dickens' festive favorite.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York		Kevin McCallister, now ten years old, mistakenly travels to New York City without his family on Christmas.
The Nightmare Before Christmas	1993	The mascot of Halloween, Jack Skellington grows tired of having to be scary on Halloween and decides to try celebrating/hosting Christmas
Miracle on 34th Street	1994	A remake of the classic film.
Mixed Nuts		Craziness at a crisis hotline on Christmas Eve.
The Santa Clause		When Santa falls off his roof, a dad is required to take Santa's place.
Jingle All the Way	1996	A dad competes with others to get the sold out hot toy for his son.
How the Toys Saved Christmas		The story follows some toys as they struggle to avoid the heartless Mr. Grimm, that plans to auction off the toys to the highest bidder, and to find their true homes.
Home Alone 3	1997	A resourceful boy is left home alone and has to defend his home from a band of criminals.
I'll Be Home for Christmas	1998	A son in college has not been home since his mother died and his father remarried. His father offers his vintage car if he is home by a certain time for Christmas.
Jack Frost		A father passes away but comes back to life in the form of a snowman.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas	2000	A live action film of the Dr. Seuss classic.
The Family Man	2000	A wealthy bachelor wakes up on Christmas to find he's been transported to an alternate reality where he's a tire salesman with a wife and kids living in a middle class suburban neighborhood.
Serendipity	2001	A romantic comedy that begins on Christmas Eve circa 1991 and ends a decade later on the same day.
Friday After Next	2002	Craig and Day-Day go after a fake Santa who robs their house on Christmas Eve.
The Santa Clause 2	2002	A sequel to The Santa Clause; Santa must find a Mrs. Claus.
Elf	2003	A man raised as an elf in the North Pole searches for his father in New York City.
Bad Santa		A dark comedy about a thief disguised as Santa, who learns the meaning of Christmas.
Love, Actually		Eight very different couples and their love lives intertwine during a hectic month before Christmas in London.
Christmas with the Kranks	2004	When a suburban couple decide to forgo Christmas festivities, preferring to take a cruise to the Caribbean instead, their neighbours refuse to allow such Scrooge-like behaviour.
The Polar Express		A magical train takes a boy and other children up to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. An adaptation of the beloved children's book.
Surviving Christmas		A lonely millionaire pays a family $250,000 to spend Christmas with him by living in the home that he grew up in.
The Family Stone	2005	An uptight woman meets her fiance's free-spirited family for the first time over the Christmas holidays and chaos ensues.
Joyeux Noël		A film set around the informal Christmas truce on the Western Front during Christmas 1914.
Deck the Halls	2006	Rival neighbors duke it out when one of them decides to light his house up so it can be seen from outer space.
The Nativity Story		The Biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause		Santa battles Jack Frost to keep his title.
Unaccompanied Minors		Bored kids make up their own holidays while stuck in an airport after Christmas.
Fred Claus	2007	Santa's bitter older brother is forced to move to the North Pole.
This Christmas		The Whitfield family comes together for their first Christmas in several years.
What Would Jesus Buy?		A documentary focusing on the commercialization of Christmas.
Four Christmases	2008	A couple struggle to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day.
Nothing like the Holidays		A Puerto Rican family in Chicago gather for their possibly last Christmas together.
A Christmas Carol	2009	An animated motion-capture adaptation of the classic story.
Nativity!		Mr Maddens puts on the school nativity play.
Home for Christmas	2010	Set in the small Norwegian town of Skogli, this film looks at those who are desperately trying to (re)connect with their families.
The Nutcracker in 3D		Set in 1920s Vienna, this a tale of a little girl, whose godfather gives her a special doll one Christmas Eve. Live-action 3D adaptation of the ballet.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale		In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. A Spielberg-ian horror romp with an Christmas twist.
Arthur Christmas	2011	Santa's youngest son must deliver a bicycle to an overlooked girl before Christmas morning dawns. 3-D/CGI animated film.
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas		Stoner buddies Harold & Kumar cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold's father-in-law's prized Christmas tree.
Switchmas	2012	Ira Finkelstein wants to have his Christmas dreams come true. This film is also a Prince and the Pauper adaptation.
Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger		The children of St. Bernadette's enter the National 'Song for Christmas' competition.
Angels Sing	2013	A man tries to regain the holiday spirit after a tragic accident.
The Best Man Holiday		Sequel to the 1999 film The Best Man.
Black Nativity		A street-wise teen from Baltimore who has been raised by a single mother travels to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives.
The Christmas Candle		In 1890, an English village copes with the disappearance of a supposedly miraculous candle. Based on the novel by Max Lucado.
A Merry Friggin' Christmas	2014
Saving Christmas		Kirk (Kirk Cameron) endeavors to "put Christ back into Christmas".
Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?		The children of St. Bernadette's have to reunite their teacher with his fiancée.
A Christmas Horror Story	2015	The movie is a series of interwoven stories tied together by a framework story featuring William Shatner as a radio DJ.
Love the Coopers
Krampus		Comedy horror film based upon the legendary Christmas demon, and alter ego of Santa Claus
The Night Before
Almost Christmas	2016	Also known as A Meyers Christmas
Bad Santa 2	2016	A very bad santa again.
Office Christmas Party	2016

See also

• List of made-for-television and direct-to-video Christmas films
• List of Christmas television specials
• Christmas by medium
• Christmas music
• Lists of films
• Genre studies