The best Christmas movies, ranked

India Ismael|December 16, 2021

Christmas movies are a surefire way to get anyone, including Scrooge and the Grinch, into the spirit of the holiday season. Here are my picks for the best Christmas movies, ranked, along with some of their most iconic quotes.

  1. A Christmas Carol

“Bah! Humbug!” — Ebenezer Scrooge

  1. Miracle on 34th Street

“Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day. It’s a frame of mind.” — Kris Kringle

  1. Die Hard

“If this is their idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year’s.” — John McClane

  1. Dr. Suess’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas

“4:00, wallow in self-pity. 4:30, stare into the abyss. 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one. 5:30, jazzercise; 6:30, dinner with me. I can’t cancel that again. 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing. I’m booked. Of course, if I bump the loathing to 9, I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness.” — Grinch

  1. It’s a Wonderful Life

“You see George, you’ve really had a wonderful life.” — Clarence Odbody

  1. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

“Give this to Kevin (x13).” “Kevin’s not here (x10).” “KEVIN!” 

  1. Eloise at Christmastime

Bill: So, how’s that Christmas list coming?

Eloise: Still one or two items short.

Bill: How many you got so far?

Eloise: 73. What? I think it’s nice to give Santa lots of options.

  1. Last Christmas

“I just don’t want you to drop dead in front of the customers. I don’t have enough tinsel to cover your corpse. Get to work, elf.” — Santa

  1. The Santa Clause 2

“You know what, I totally put myself out there doing that. And that was not an easy thing to do, and if you’re the kind of man that can’t support a woman’s ambition, then I don’t think there’s any reason to continue this date.” — Tracy (crazy blind-date)

  1. Christmas with the Kranks

“Free Frosty! Free Frosty! Free Frosty!” — Neighbors

  1. White Christmas

“I want to wash my hands, my face, my hair with snow.” — Betty Haynes

  1. The Holiday

“You’re supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for God’s sake!” — Iris

  1. Elf

“SANTA! Oh my God! Santa, here?! I know him! I know him!” — Buddy

  1. Arthur Christmas

“I threatened the elves. Told them I’d feed them to the polar bears.” — Grandsanta

  1. The Polar Express

“Why, to the North Pole, of course! This is The Polar Express!” — Conductor

  1. Home Alone

“How can you give Kris Kringle a parking ticket on Christmas Eve? What’s next, rabies shots for the Easter Bunny?” — Santa Claus

  1. The Santa Clause

“Charlie, stay away from those things. They’re reindeer, you don’t know where they’ve been. They all look like they’ve got key lime disease.” — Scott Calvin

Shorts

  1. A Charlie Brown Christmas

“I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” — Linus

  1. Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice

[talking to a large reindeer] “Hey, Bambi! I told you that if I ever saw you again, I’d mount your head on my wall!” — Noel

  1. Frosty the Snowman

“We evil magicians have to make a living too.” — Professor Hinkle

  1. Merry Madagascar

“Shake it off, Private. She might look like a tall drink of water, but she’ll spit you out like a cup of bad eggnog.” — Skipper

  1. Prep & Landing

“This is it, people! 364 days of planning, one night of perfect execution.” — Magee

 

These memorable moments in our favorite holiday movies bring out the happiness and joy of the season. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!