It’s the most wonderful time of the year—to indulge in Christmas filmography fun! Undoubtedly, Christmas cinema is the most recognizable genre of seasonal media. Whether it has made its way into cherished annual traditions or serves as a simple guilty pleasure, most can think of at least one Christmas flick that stands out to them in some way once the happiest season of all rolls around. If you need inspiration for deciding which Christmas film will define your holiday this year, The Blue and Gold has picked out the most loved Christmas and holiday flicks. The following list consists of timeless classics, nearly forgotten favorites and even some unconventional obscurities.

🕯 Classic films: 🕯

• “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
• “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
• “White Christmas” (1954)
• “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965)
• “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (1966)

🔔 Adaptations of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”: 🔔

• “Scrooge” (1970)
• “A Christmas Carol” (1938)
• “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” (1983)
• “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992)
• “A Christmas Carol” (2009)

🎅 Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment: 🎅

• “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964)
• “The Little Drummer Boy” (1968)
• “Frosty the Snowman” (1969)
• “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” (1970)
• “The Year Without a Santa Claus” (1974)

🌟 Walt Disney Studios: 🌟

• “Babes in Toyland” (1961)
• “The Small One” (1978)
• “The Santa Clause franchise” (1994, 2002, 2006, 2022)
• “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)
• “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas” (1999)
• “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas” (2004)
• “Prep & Landing franchise” (2009, 2010, 2011)
• “Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special” (2016)

🎁 Other modern films: 🎁

• “A Christmas Story” (1983)
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989)
• “Home Alone” (1990)
• “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992)
• “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994)
• “Jingle All the Way” (1996)
• “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
• “Elf” (2003)
• “Christmas with the Kranks” (2004)
• “The Polar Express” (2004)
• “Arthur Christmas” (2011)
• “The Grinch” (2018)
• “Klaus” (2019) ~ Netflix original
• Hallmark films ~ Found on numerous streaming services, including their official app

⛄ Bonuses! ⛄

• “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944)
• “Gremlins” (1984)
• “Edward Scissorhands” (1990)
• “The Man Who Invented Christmas” (2017)

📣 Some of your favorite Christmas films are currently on their merry way to the silver screen! The following are the dates on which three different programs are hosting certain re-releases for this holiday season. 

🍿 Now in theaters: 🍿

❄ Through Flashback Cinema ~ Owned by Stone Theaters:

• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” — December 10 and 13
• “It’s a Wonderful Life” — December 17, 20 and 24 (Christmas Eve)

❄ Through Fathom Events ~ Owned by Regal, AMC and Cinemark:

• “A Christmas Story” ~ 40th Anniversary — December 10 and 13
• “Christmas With The Chosen: Holy Night” (2023) — December 12 through 17

❄ Through Regal Holiday Classics:

• “Elf” ~ 20th Anniversary — December 9
• “The Grinch” (2018) — December 10 and 23
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” — December 16
• “The Polar Express” — December 17