The countdown has officially begun! Today the tree is going up and my ban on Christmas films has been lifted. My husband doesn’t really care about Christmas but I love every second of it. This year, Penny has a better understanding of what is going on and the big day is becoming more and more magical. Our festive PJs have been bought, I’ve booked our pantomime tickets and I’ve already ordered a tower of profiteroles from M&S for Christmas day. One of my favourite things to do at this time of year is to cosy up on the sofa under a mountain of blankets, grab a huge mug of hot chocolate, light my Yankee candle (this year I’m loving Frosty Gingerbread) and watch a Christmas film with the tree lights twinkling in the background. Here is a list of 24 Christmas films to watch as we countdown to the big day…
Arthur Christmas (2011)
“How CAN Santa deliver billions of presents to the whole world in just one night? With an army of one million combat-style Field Elves and a vast, state-of-the-art control centre under the ice of the North Pole! So how could this incredible operation have MISSED one child?! To Santa’s young son, Arthur, it threatens to end the magic of Christmas. With retired Grandsanta, a rebellious young elf, an old sleigh and some untrained reindeer, Arthur sets out in a crazy mission to deliver the last present! Deck the halls with excitement, fun and wonder in this new Christmas classic!” – Sony Pictures
Starring – James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent & Bill Nighy
Running Time – 92 Mins
Rating – U
Currently available on Netflix
The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
“After accidentally crashing Santa’s sleigh, a brother and sister pull an all-nighter to save Christmas with a savvy, straight-talking St. Nick” – Netflix
Starring – Kurt Russell, Darby Camp & Judah Lewis
Running Time – 1 Hour 44 Mins
Rating – PG
Currently available on Netflix
The Polar Express (2014)
“Late on Christmas Eve night, a boy lies in bed hoping to hear the sound of reindeer bells from Santa’s sleigh. When to his surprise, a steam engine’s roar and whistle can be heard outside his window. The conductor invites him on board to take an extraordinary journey to the North Pole with many other pyjama-clad children. There, he receives an extraordinary gift only those who still believe in Santa can experience.” – Amazon
Starring – Tom Hanks
Running Time – 100 Mins
Rating – U
The Holiday (2006)
“Two women trade homes only to find that a change of address can change their lives. Iris is in love with a man who is about to marry another woman. Across the globe, Amanda, realises the man she lives with has been unfaithful. Two women who have never met and live 6000 miles apart, find themselves in the exact same place. They meet online at a home exchange website and impulsively switch homes for the holiday.” – Sony Pictures
Starring – Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet & Jack Black
Running Time – 138 Mins
Rating – 12
Available on Netflix from December 7th
White Christmas (1954)
“Two talented song-and-dance men team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. One winter, they join forces with a sister act and trek to Vermont for a white Christmas. The real adventure starts when Crosby and Kaye discover that the inn is run by their old army general who’s now in financial trouble, and the result is the stuff dreams are made of.” – Amazon
Starring –
Running Time – 115 Mins
Rating – U
Scrooged (1988)
“Television executive Frank Cross, is the meanest, most selfish man on Earth. He will stop at nothing to increase his network’s ratings, even if it means that his staff works on Christmas Eve. It will take three spirits – the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future – to show Frank that he needs to change.” – Amazon
Starring – Bill Murray
Running Time – 96 Mins
Rating – 12
A Christmas Prince (2018)
“Christmas comes early for an aspiring young journalist when she’s sent abroad to get the scoop on a dashing prince whose poised to be king…” – Netflix
Starring – Rose McIver & Ben Lamb
Running Time – 1 Hour 32 Mins
Rating – PG
Currently available on Netflix
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1993)
“The Muppet Christmas Carol is guaranteed to put you in a holiday spirit that will stay with you forever. Enjoy the incredible spectacle of Kermit the Frog as Bob Crachit, Miss Piggy as Emily Crachit and Michael Caine as Scrooge.” – Disney Life
Starring – Michael Caine
Running Time – 1 Hour 22 Mins
Rating – U
Navity (2009)
“Shabby, under-achieving primary school teacher Mr Maddens works at a school that competes annually with a local private school for the best production of the Christmas nativity play. Tired of always playing second fiddle to his arch rival, Gordon Shakespeare, Maddens idly concocts a white lie centred around his ex-girlfriend, Hollywood producer Jennifer, in which he boasts that she is coming to see his play with a view to turning it into a film.” – Amazon
Starring – Martin Freeman, Marc Wootton & Ashley Jenson
Running Time – 106 Mins
Rating – PG
Currently available on Netflix
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
“You Better Watch Out! He’s green… he’s mean… and he hates Christmas! The Grinch is a bad-tempered hairy green creature, who lives inside a cave atop Mount Crumpit, overlooking the village of Whoville. As the Whos of Whoville frantically prepare for their yuletide celebrations, The Grinch decides to put a stop to Christmas once and for all, and steals all their presents and decorations on Christmas Eve… only to finally come to learn that the true spirit of Christmas goes much deeper than tinsel and toys.” – Amazon
Starring – Jim Carrey & Taylor Momsen
Running Time – 101 Mins
Rating – PG
Deck The Halls (2006)
“For Cloverdale, Massachusetts optometrist Steve Finch, no time of the year can compare to the glory of the Christmas season. And, for many years now, he’s carried on a series of heartfelt but hokey Yuletide traditions that his family but Steve’s Christmas bliss is suddenly destroyed when slippery car salesman Buddy Hall moves in next door and Steve finds himself going toe-to-toe with his new neighbour.” – Amazon
Starring –
Running Time – 95 Mins
Rating – PG
Currently available on Netflix
Jingle All The Way (1996)
“A father vows to get his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. However, every store is sold out of them, and he must travel all over town and compete with everybody else in order to find one.” – IMDB
Starring – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Running Time – 86 Mins
Rating – PG
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
“Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated feature finds Pumpkin King Jack Skellington thinking the grass is greener over in Santa Claus’s holiday. He marshals all his goblins and ghouls to take over Christmas, but alas–poor Jack belongs to Halloween. An amazing visual and musical feast that should be seen at least twice to catch all the kinks and quirks in the nooks and crannies. Now digitally restored and remastered with state of-the-art technology, The Nightmare Before Christmas is deeper, darker and more brilliant than ever–just as Tim Burton originally envisioned it.” – Amazon
Starring – Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon & Catherine O’Hara
Running Time – 73 Mins
Rating – PG
Christmas Inheritance (2018)
“To inherit her father’s company socialite Ellen must first visit his small hometown, where she learns the value of hard work and helping others…” – Netflix
Starring – Eliza Taylor, Jake Lacy & Andie MacDowell
Running Time – 1 Hour 44 Mins
Rating – PG
Currently available on Netflix
Jack Frost (1998)
“Aspiring rock singer Jack Frost has been struggling for years to make it big, often missing out on time with wife Gabby and son Charlie along the way. While driving to a music mogul’s party one wintry evening, Jack realizes that his family is more important than his career, and turns his car around – only to plunge to his death when he swerves off the road in a blizzard! One year on, an angry and depressed Charlie is still mourning for his father. Deciding to make a snowman in the garden, Charlie gives it his dad’s old scarf – only for the snowman to come to life as a reincarnated Jack.” – Amazon
Starring –
Running Time – 97 Mins
Rating – PG
Currently available on Netflix
Jingle All The Way (1996)
“A father vows to get his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. However, every store is sold out of them, and he must travel all over town and compete with everybody else in order to find one.” – IMDB
Starring – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Running Time – 86 Mins
Rating – PG
Home Alone (1990)
“Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister embarks on a hilarious, madcap mission to defend the family home when two bumbling burglars try to break in–and find themselves tangled in Kevin’s bewildering battery of booby traps.” – Amazon
Starring – M
Running Time – 98 Mins
Rating – PG
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
“A remake of the 1947 ‘feel good’ classic, telling the heart-warming story of a young girl’s desire for a fully-functional family, complete with a father and a baby brother. The girl, Susan, confides in Kris Kringle (Sir Richard Attenborough), the kindly old man who is acting as the grotto Santa in the department store managed by her mother. Kris Kringle, however, believes he is the genuine Santa Claus and this devotion to the cause makes him very popular indeed, leading to record profits for the store. This annoys rival retailers so much that they try to discredit the so-called Santa, leading eventually to a court case in which Kringle and his lawyer try to prove that he is the real thing.” – Amazon
Starring –
Running Time – 109 Mins
Rating – U
The Night Before (2015)
“On Christmas Eve, three lifelong friends spend the night in New York City looking for the Holy Grail of Christmas parties.”
Starring – Joseph Gorden-Levitt, Seth Rogen & Jillian Bell
Running Time – 1 Hour 41 Mins
Rating – 15
Home Alone 2 – Lost In New York (1992)
“Kevin McCallister gets separated from his family at Christmas time again. This time, they’re in Florida and he’s in New York, and the two bumbling gangsters from ‘Home Alone’ are out of jail and on Kevin’s trail.” – Amazon
Starring – M
Running Time – 115 Mins
Rating – PG
Love Actually (2003)
“As a man and his young son adapt to the death of the man’s wife, new romantic possibilities loom, with various characters facing similar problems of the heart, many of their lives intersecting as events unfold.” – Amazon
Starring – Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth & Emma Thompson
Running Time – 134 Mins
Rating – 15
The Santa Clause (1995)
“Tim Allen stars as Scott Calvin, a cynical toy company executive who is forced to take over the job of Santa Claus when he and his son Charlie witness the previous incumbent falling off a roof. Soon Scott finds himself putting on weight, growing a white beard and fulfiling his obligation to deliver presents to all the children around the world. He even finds himself reluctantly getting into the spirit of things!” – Amazon
Starring – Tim Allen & Judge Reinhold
Running Time – 94 Mins
Rating – U
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
“It’s A Wonderful Life is the ultimate ‘feel-good’ film. Starring the unforgettable James Stewart as George Bailey, the man who receives the greatest Christmas gift of all. A superb ensemble cast includes Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore; this high-spirited Christmas tale is directed by the immortal Frank Capra and ranks as an all-time favourite of fans and critics alike.” – Amazon
Starring –
Running Time – 168 Mins
Rating – U
Elf (2003)
“Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human being who has spent his whole life believing himself to be an elf. Brought up by Santa and his elves at the North Pole, Buddy has spent the last 30 years happily working in Santa’s toy workshop. But when his ungainly size starts to become a liability in the elf-sized working environment, Santa suggests that Buddy head to New York City to find his biological father.” – Amazon
Starring –
Running Time – 93 Mins
Rating – PG
Did your favourite Christmas film make the list?
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