Top 10 Best Classic Christmas Movies

MsMojo

Grab some hot cocoa and cozy up for a sleigh ride through Tinseltown's most beloved holiday films! We're unwrapping our picks for the most cherished Christmas classics from Hollywood's golden age. From heartwarming tales to hilarious comedies, these timeless treasures have been spreading joy and cheer for generations.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to MissMojo, and today we're looking at the most beloved, Christmas themed Hollywood

00:11features of the 20th century. That's not counting classic TV specials like Rudolph

00:16the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

00:20Home Improvement star Tim Allen is a less-lovable dad as divorced workaholic Scott Calvin, but

00:32after Santa Claus falls off of his roof, he learns how to embrace cheer and work with

00:37his son while transforming into the new Father Christmas. The awkward gags throughout this

00:48magical process really showcase Allen's snarky comedic chops, and the imaginative

00:53rendition of the North Pole's business model made for a dazzling, heartwarming adventure.

01:11The Santa Claus had everything to be a Disney holiday classic, never mind a box office smash.

01:16There's a lot more division on the worth of its two sequels, and a Disney Plus series.

01:20Still, the success of the franchise, and many other holiday blockbusters, is owed to this

01:2590s family favourite.

01:43The Irving Berlin Music Holiday Inn made Bing Crosby a movie star for all seasons.

01:48The classic anthem introduced in its Christmas climax, in turn, inspired the film White Christmas.

02:10Crosby and Danny Kaye play a Broadway duet who learn that their old commanding officer's

02:14business is in trouble. As they mount a Christmas show to revitalise the inn, they find love

02:19in a pair of sisters and strife in brothers-in-arms. The movie is obviously full of lush production

02:25values, romantic farce, and unforgettable songs from Berlin.

02:29At the same time, it exemplifies holiday humanitarianism by recognising the sacrifices of World War

02:35II. It's a heady sentiment, but with musical spectacle alongside a noble message, White

02:40Christmas is a dream.

02:59If you have a disastrous family vacation story, Clark Griswold likely has you beat. The earnest,

03:04suburbanite may not stand a chance of salvaging Christmas between the insufferable extended

03:09family, decoration mishaps, and suspiciously delayed bonus check. At least the hysterical

03:14Chevy Chase is a more capable host than poor Sparky.

03:26Many rank the third instalment in the National Lampoon's vacation first in terms of riotous

03:31slapstick chaos. The satire of pressure and consumerism during the holidays nonetheless

03:36leaves room for wholesome payoffs. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is itself a tricky

03:42balance between cynical adult humour and festive charm, but pulls it all off as fun for the

03:47whole dysfunctional family.

03:56Film producer Tim Burton and legendary stop-motion director Henry Selleck came the ideal transition

04:02in holiday viewing. The Nightmare Before Christmas follows Jack Skellington's journey from Halloween

04:07Town to give Christmas a morbid makeover. Critics weren't wrong about the surreal macabre

04:25imagery being a little much for a kid's movie, and yet the imaginative design, unexpected

04:30heart, and amazing Danny Elfman soundtrack are as whimsical as any animated classic.

04:45The Nightmare Before Christmas has been a year-round pop culture staple since 1993.

04:50It just particularly resonates with those who want a break from sappier seasonal fare.

04:55But not the sincere message of joy to all. Who says the best family holiday fare has

04:59to be holly and jolly?

05:058-year-old Kevin McAllister is so overlooked by his oversized family that they accidentally

05:18leave him behind during a Christmas trip. He's finally the man of the house, then the

05:22hero of the hour, when a pair of bumbling burglars break in. At least they stole the

05:27audience's heart.

05:31Sure, Home Alone has always been controversial for its unsettling premise and violent slapstick,

05:44but the hilarity and heart made for an instant classic. It also made a superstar of Macaulay

05:48Culkin, who returned to the equally successful Home Alone 2, lost in New York.

05:59The standalone sequels, unfortunately, didn't fare as well with critics and audiences. Granted,

06:04the original Home Alone raised a high bar for a comedy to bring the family together.

06:155. Christmas in Connecticut

06:19A famous food columnist is forced, by her editor, to host an injured war hero for the

06:24holidays. Turns out, though, she's been exaggerating her cooking skills.

06:35Christmas in Connecticut is a rom-com rife with deception and misunderstanding. While

06:40this irked some moralistic critics in 1945, contemporary audiences embraced the hopeful

06:45depiction of World War II veterans. The film would enchant future generations with its

06:50creative farce and debatable gender politics. If nothing else, it's a delightful romance

07:05enriched by Dennis Morgan and Barbara Stanwyck's chemistry.

07:09Never mind the snowy New England backdrop, Christmas in Connecticut may very well have

07:13introduced the recipe for hallmark holiday heart-warmers, but its high-end entertainment

07:18still hits the spot.

07:234. Meet Me in St. Louis

07:26The construction of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition is observed by an affluent family

07:32with impeccable decorative taste. Meet Me in St. Louis is surely a marvellous production,

07:37romanticising a year's worth of holidays at the turn of the 20th century. By the time

07:49Christmas rolls around, the genuine nostalgia fills as full as the character arcs. The film

07:54wound up being the biggest MGM musical of the 40s, notably introducing classic songs

07:59like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Meet Me in St. Louis was a critical hit, scoring

08:18four Oscar nominations and continuing praise for its lush art direction and storytelling.

08:23Though most prefer to revisit Meet Me in St. Louis for year-end festivities, it's always

08:28worth celebrating.

08:333. Miracle on 34th Street

08:38If a movie can revive your faith in yuletide magic, the verdict is in for Miracle on 34th

08:44Street. Edmund Nguyen plays a suspiciously sweet department store Santa who claims to

08:48be the real deal. When this leads to competency hearings, the very nature of Christmas faith

09:09is cross-examined. It's both a delightful fantasy and a disarming critique of cynical

09:14holiday commercialism. No less importantly, it's sincerely driven by its characters and

09:32uplifting message for the child in everyone. It's notably launched a young Natalie Wood,

09:37but the lovable Nguyen claimed one of the film's three Oscars.

09:40The 1994 remake inspired a much bigger rift between critics and audiences. Nonetheless,

09:45the original Miracle on 34th Street is a unanimous crowd-pleaser.

09:492. A Christmas Story

10:00Based on Gene Shepard's satirical Parker family saga, A Christmas Story isn't exactly

10:04naive holiday nostalgia. That's exactly what makes it holiday nostalgia at its finest.

10:22Shepard himself lovingly narrates a quintessential suburban Christmas break

10:26for nine-year-old Ralphie Parker. The slice-of-life period piece hilariously spoofs

10:31the pressures of what was already a commercialised and ritualistic holiday by 1940. At the same time,

10:37the whimsical aesthetic, quirky characters, and prevailing heart remind us why we love

10:42the season anyway. Audiences certainly fell in love with little Peter Billingsley,

10:58who returned as Ralphie nearly 40 years later for A Christmas Story Christmas. This affirmed

11:04the witty and wondrous original as a nostalgic staple, regardless of viewers' own Christmas stories.

11:20Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

11:24Die Hard. The groundbreaking actioner is embraced as a tradition for its yuletide backdrop.

11:40Jingle All The Way. Arnold Schwarzenegger's comedy vehicle

11:43is an underappreciated satire of holiday consumerism.

11:54The Shop Around the Corner. Rival gift shop employees don't realise that they're each

12:04other's beloved penpal. Trading Places. Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd take on class

12:23conflict at what should be the season of giving. A Christmas Carol. Reginald Owen

12:36leads a loose but especially uplifting interpretation of Charles Dickens.

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13:11Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life is more than just a holiday heartwarmer.

13:15It's a humanistic study of the life and times of banker George Bailey,

13:19who recognises the lives he's touched when a guardian angel visits one tragic Christmas Eve.

13:25Such depth of character and thematic development represents the seasonal values of charity as

13:42timeless obligations. That kind of philosophical escapism didn't quite suit the social and

13:47critical climate of post-World War II America. From box office disappointment, however,

14:02It's A Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards and championed as a feel-good

14:07masterpiece. In fact, subsequent generations continue to celebrate it as possibly the

14:12masterpiece of old Hollywood's Christmas classics. What are your favourite movie-viewing

14:24traditions for the holidays? Gather around in the comments. Do you agree with our picks?

14:41Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo.

14:44And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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