The Best/Favorite Christmas Films...
From timeless classics to perennial favorites, this is a cherished treasure trove of my personal holiday recommendations...
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126 titles
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
- DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsReginald OwenGene LockhartKathleen LockhartAn elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsJudy GarlandMargaret O'BrienMary AstorYoung love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsCary GrantBetsy DrakeLurene TuttleNew Jersey couple Anna and Poppy Rose become foster parents to several kids born into less fortunate circumstances, including a desperately unhappy 13-year-old girl and a physically handicapped boy with a penchant for getting into serious trouble.
- DirectorRoy RowlandStarsEdward G. RobinsonMargaret O'BrienJames CraigA Norwegian farmer lovingly raises his daughter in rural World War II-era Benson Junction, Wisconsin.
- DirectorWalter LangStarsBetty GrableDan DaileyMona FreemanIn this chronicle of a vaudeville family, Myrtle McKinley (class of 1900) goes to San Francisco to attend business school, but ends up in a chorus line. Soon, star Frank Burt notices her talent, hires her for a "two-act", then marries her. Incidents of the marriage and the growing pains of eldest daughter Iris are followed, interspersed with nostalgic musical numbers.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMargaret SullavanJames StewartFrank MorganTwo employees at a gift shop can barely stand each other, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.
- DirectorRobert Z. LeonardStarsJudy GarlandVan JohnsonS.Z. SakallIn turn-of-the century America, Andrew and Veronica are co-workers in a music shop who dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsJune AllysonPeter LawfordMargaret O'BrienThe four daughters of a New England family fight for happiness during and after the Civil War.
- DirectorGillian ArmstrongStarsSusan SarandonWinona RyderKirsten DunstThe March sisters live and grow in post-Civil War America.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsBing CrosbyDanny KayeRosemary ClooneyA successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsSpencer TracyMickey RooneyHenry HullWhen a death row prisoner tells him he wouldn't have led a life of crime if only he had had one friend as a child, Father Edward Flanagan decides to start a home for young boys.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsBing CrosbyBarry FitzgeraldFrank McHughWhen young Father O'Malley arrives at St. Dominic's, old Father Fitzgibbon doesn't think much of the church's newest member.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsBing CrosbyIngrid BergmanHenry TraversAt a big city Catholic school, Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict indulge in friendly rivalry, and succeed in extending the school through the gift of a building.
- DirectorMark SandrichRobert AllenStarsBing CrosbyFred AstaireMarjorie ReynoldsAt an inn which is open only on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer.
- DirectorPeter GodfreyStarsBarbara StanwyckDennis MorganSydney GreenstreetA food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas.
- DirectorJohn LydeStarsEdward HerrmannNancy StaffordBailee Michelle JohnsonExperience the journey of Rose, an orphan who teaches the meaning of hope to all those around her. Share a slice of Christmas sweetened with friendship in this poignant story based on a classic holiday tale.
- DirectorJohn BradshawStarsLindy BoothPaul McGillionDerek McGrathAfter a fatal car accident, Carrie must earn her way into heaven when she's assigned as a guardian angel to struggling restaurant owner Scott and his daughter Abby.
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsPeter BillingsleyMelinda DillonDarren McGavinIn the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.
- DirectorBrian LevantStarsDaniel SternBraeden LemastersStacey TravisSix years later, Ralphie has his eyes fixed on a car. But trouble is sure to follow.
- DirectorJack DonohueStarsRay BolgerTommy SandsAnnette FunicelloMary Contrary is set to marry Tom Piper when he is kidnapped by Roderigo and Gonzorgo, two goons working for the evil Barnaby who wants to marry Mary for her inheritance.
- DirectorClive DonnerStarsDrew BarrymoreRichard MulliganEileen BrennanA young girl wakes up in the realm of Toyland, where she teams up with her family and friends to overthrow the evil villain, Barnaby.
- DirectorOwen HurleyStarsKelly SheridanKirby MorrowTim CurryBarbie (Kelly Sheridan) shows that if you are kind, clever and brave, anything is possible in this tale of Clara (Kelly Sheridan) and her amazing Nutcracker (Kirby Morrow), who set off on an adventure to find the Sugarplum Princess.
- DirectorRoy RowlandStarsMargaret O'BrienAngela LansburyGeorge MurphyWhile a man was in prison, a little girl who is very close to him was told that he was traveling the world. What will happen if she discovers the truth?
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyMaureen O'SullivanFormer detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsAlbert FinneyAlec GuinnessEdith EvansA musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.
- DirectorMichael SwitzerStarsDolly PartonRoddy McDowallBrian KerwinDolly Parton portrays a country-music performer who meets an untimely demise, but cannot enter heaven until she performs a good deed back on Earth: to reunite a workaholic widower with his children for Christmas.
- DirectorHenry WinklerStarsDolly PartonLee MajorsBo HopkinsA country-western singer on a trip through the Tennessee mountains runs into a reclusive backwoodsman and a witch.
- DirectorMichael SwitzerStarsGary SiniseJoely RichardsonGordon PinsentA high-powered Los Angeles lawyer returns to his estranged father's home in Maine where he faces tragedy, haunting memories and someone from his past.
- DirectorJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.Takeo NakamuraStarsJosé FerrerPaul FreesJune ForayAn orphan drummer boy who hates humanity finds his life changed forever when he meets three wise men en route to Bethlehem.
- DirectorJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsGreer GarsonZero MostelDavid JayAaron, the drummer boy, struggles to protect a bellmaker's great silver bells from seizure by Roman soldiers.
- DirectorJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsDanny ThomasMarlo ThomasEd AmesA cricket seeks to rescue a poor toymaker and his blind daughter from an exploitative miser.
- DirectorJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsJoel GreyTammy GrimesJohn McGiverWhen a town learns that Santa Claus has struck it off his delivery schedule due to an insulting letter, a way must be found to change his mind.
- DirectorJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsJackie VernonBilly De WolfeJimmy DuranteA living snowman and a little girl struggle to elude a greedy magician who is after the snowman's magic hat.
- DirectorEvert BrownBill MelendezStarsJonathan WintersJan HooksAndrea MartinThe continuing exploits of the famous snowman as he goes up against a more powerful force which threatens all of Christmas.
- DirectorJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsAndy GriffithShelley WintersDennis DayFrosty's kind of lonely, so the kids think of making him a wife, Crystal. But will Jack Frost let them be happy?
- DirectorLarry RoemerStarsBillie Mae RichardsBurl IvesLarry D. MannA young reindeer Rudolph lives at the North Pole. His father is one of Santa's reindeer and it is expected that Rudolph will eventually be one too. However, he has a feature which is a setback and causes him to be ostracized: his red nose.
- DirectorJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.StarsRoger MillerBrenda VaccaroPaul FreesAn outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.
- DirectorBurny MattinsonStarsAlan YoungWayne AllwineHal SmithThe classic Disney animated characters play the roles in this animated retelling of the Charles Dickens masterpiece.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsDebbie ReynoldsRicardo MontalbanGreer GarsonFanciful biography of the Belgian nun who briefly made the hit parade.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsDon DeForeAnn HardingCharles RugglesTwo homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
- DirectorGarson KaninStarsGinger RogersDavid NivenCharles CoburnAn unemployed woman discovers an abandoned baby on the steps of an orphanage, and accepts an offer to take responsibility for the child in return for a job.
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsDick PowellDebbie ReynoldsAnne FrancisA Hollywood screenwriter takes in a runaway girl who's more woman than he can handle.
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsAnthony FranciosaJane FondaJim HuttonA newlywed couple's honeymoon is disrupted by their friends' marital problems.
- DirectorJeremiah S. ChechikStarsChevy ChaseBeverly D'AngeloJuliette LewisThe Griswold family's plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.
- DirectorDavid MackayStarsHilarie Burton MorganMatt DallasGabriel TigermanA down-on-her-luck advertising executive becomes the custodian of Santa's famous 'Naughty or Nice' list.
- DirectorDick LowryStarsAnne HecheTate DonovanMichael MitchellManhattanite Catherine O'Mara (Heche) bonds with a young man who has run away from his father. When the father returns to New York a year later to sell his Christmas trees, he and Catherine cross paths.
- DirectorAllan ArkushStarsSean FarisEloise MumfordDaniel Eric GoldTraumatized by her mother's death, a 6-year-old girl stops talking but is cared for by her three uncles. The story unfolds as all of them find the importance of family.
- DirectorGiacomo CampiottiStarsAlissa JungPaz VegaAndreas PietschmannThe story of Mary, mother of Jesus.
- DirectorGary TrousdaleKirk WiseStarsPaige O'HaraRobby BensonJesse CortiA prince cursed to spend his days as a hideous monster sets out to regain his humanity by earning a young woman's love.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsRichard BurtonJean SimmonsVictor MatureIn the Roman province of Judea during the 1st century, Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio is ordered to crucify Jesus of Nazareth but is tormented by his guilty conscience afterwards.
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsVictor MatureSusan HaywardMichael RennieIn first-century Rome, Christian slave Demetrius is sent to fight in the gladiatorial arena and Emperor Caligula seeks Jesus' robe for its alleged magical powers.
- DirectorMaggie GreenwaldStarsNancy McKeonSteven EckholdtPaul DooleyThe life of Jane Berry was all materialist, until one Christmas Eve, she is involved in a car accident that changes her life forever. She wakes up to discover she is the mother of two, a wife and that her only job is in the house, besides her frequent volunteer work.
- DirectorBert KishStarsNicole EggertPatricia Mayen-SalazarBret AnthonyWhen Paula's high-school boyfriend returns to town during a rough week just before Christmas, she wonders what her life would have been like if she stayed with him.
- StarsKeith DavidRobert PowellJake CanusoA religious dramatic miniseries about God's creation and physical landmark events leading up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsMichael ParksUlla BergrydRichard HarrisExtravagant production of the first part of the book of Genesis. Its main highlights are the Garden of Eden, the first brothers, Noah and his family obeying God to build an ark for the Flood and Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsCary GrantLoretta YoungDavid NivenA debonair angel comes to Earth to help an Episcopalian bishop and his wife in their quest to raise money for the new church.
- DirectorMelville ShavelsonStarsLucille BallHenry FondaVan JohnsonA widower with ten children falls for a widow with eight, and they must decide about forming a huge, unconventional family.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsJeanne CrainGlenn LanganLynn BariA woman reminisces about her teenage years in the 1920s, when she fell in love with her teacher.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsDoris DayGordon MacRaeJack SmithDuring World War I, a teenage girl begins a romance with a college student, but his unconventional attitudes cause friction with her father.
- DirectorDavid ButlerStarsDoris DayGordon MacRaeLeon AmesMarjorie Winfield's engagement to Bill Sherman, who has just arrived home from fighting in World War I, serves as the backdrop for the trials and tribulations of her family.
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsBette DavisAnn SheridanMonty WoolleyAn acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a Midwestern family.
- DirectorPeter HarrisEric TillStarsFrank OzDave GoelzRichard HuntFozzie Bear surprises his mother on Christmas Eve by bringing the entire Muppet gang to her farm to celebrate the holidays.
- DirectorIrving RapperStarsFredric MarchMartha ScottBeulah BondiEpisodic look at the life of a minister and his family as they move from one parish to another.
- DirectorMatthew IrmasStarsTori SpellingDinah ManoffWilliam ShatnerAn ego-maniacal TV talk show host is determined to destroy the festive fun in the studio.
- DirectorTimothy BondStarsElisa DonovanSebastian SpenceCheryl LaddA wealthy and successful career woman gets a second chance in life when a magical wish transports her back in time eight years to when she walked away from her fiance to lead a business life in New York.
- DirectorEric TillStarsHenry WinklerDavid WayneChris WigginsIn an American town, an old bitter miser is given a ghostly chance at redemption on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorNadia TassStarsShailene WoodleyKevin ZegersDavid GardnerIn Colonial America, shortly before the American Revolution, a young girl tries to rescue a horse from an abusive owner.
- DirectorNadia TassStarsAnnaSophia RobbJordan BridgesRebecca MaderSet in 1904, "American Girls" revolves around Samantha as she moves in with her grandmother and learns how to become a proper Victorian young lady.
- DirectorJoyce ChopraStarsMaya RitterDavid Aaron BakerTory GreenMolly is a girl living in the year 1943 and WWII has brought many changes to Molly's life. An English girl comes to live with Molly's family to escape the bombings. They slowly become good friends.
- DirectorA. Edward SutherlandStarsHarry CareyC. Aubrey SmithCharles WinningerThe ghosts of three elderly industrialists killed in an airplane crash return to Earth to help reunite a young couple they initially brought together.
- DirectorDonald WryeStarsMarlo ThomasOrson WellesWayne RogersIn the spirit of "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), a young woman must give up her dream and remain in her small hometown as head of her family's Building and Loan business.
- DirectorCorey AllenStarsFred AstaireGary BurghoffJohn BynerThe mysterious owner of a costume shop rents a Santa Claus suit to three very different men: a math teacher trying to get the nerve to propose, a homeless restaurateur trying to hide from the mob, and a harried political speech writer visiting with his estranged wife and son. Their lives are inexorably changed by their experience of playing Santa Claus.
- DirectorPreston SturgesStarsEddie BrackenBetty HuttonDiana LynnAfter an all-night send-off party for the troops, a small-town girl with an awkward boyfriend wakes up to find herself married and pregnant, but with no memory of her husband's identity.
- DirectorCatherine HardwickeStarsKeisha Castle-HughesShohreh AghdashlooOscar IsaacA drama that focuses on the period in Mary and Joseph's life where they journeyed to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.
- DirectorJohn LydeStarsJacob BusterDarin ScottJacque GrayAs the sun beams brightly on the hills surrounding Palestine, one young shepherd boy thoughtfully considers the significance of the day. The child, crippled in a terrible accident, has always treasured his shepherd father's tale of that starlit night so many years before - a night filled with the wonder of angelic heralds and a tiny Bethlehem stable sheltering the chosen Messiah. Now, years since that sacred event, tales of Jesus of Nazareth's miraculous birth touch the young boy's faith. When he meets the gentle stranger in the hills - a man strangely familiar to him - the faithful young shepherd encounters a miracle of his own.
- DirectorGeorge StevensStarsJean ArthurJoel McCreaCharles CoburnDuring the World War II housing shortage in Washington, two men and a woman share a single apartment and the older man plays Cupid to the other two.
- DirectorIrving CummingsStarsShirley TempleJohn BolesRochelle HudsonWealthy Edward Morgan becomes charmed with a curly-haired orphan and her pretty older sister Mary and arranges to adopt both under the alias of "Mr. Jones." As he spends more time with them, he soon finds himself falling in love with Mary.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsShirley TempleRobert YoungAlice FayeA young girl lost in Shanghai is taken in by an American playboy and his girlfriend.
- DirectorDavid ButlerStarsShirley TempleJames DunnJane DarwellAn orphaned girl is taken in by a snobbish family at the insistence of their rich, crotchety uncle, even as her devoted aviator godfather fights for custody.
- DirectorAllan DwanStarsShirley TempleJean HersholtArthur TreacherA plucky little orphan girl gets dumped abruptly into her gruff, hermit grandfather's care, then later gets retaken and delivered as a companion for an injured girl.
- DirectorEdward BuzzellStarsMargaret O'BrienLionel BarrymoreLewis Stone40 years since Richard, James, and Theodore insulted 'The O'Monahan' and he put a vexing blessing on them, all three have obtained their dreams of grandeur, but they all live in one house as bachelors. Into this grand house comes 7-year-old Sheila with a request that these three become her guardians. But they do not want her, and they let her leave. Then they discover that they need the property she has inherited, so they take her and O'Davern into the house with the express intention of relieving Sheila of her property so they can donate it to the University in their names and buy remembrance in the future. But Sheila cannot sell the property because of the 'little people.'
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsMargaret O'BrienRobert PrestonDanny ThomasMargaret O'Brien sings, dances and keeps the faith in this heartwarming musical drama co-starring Robert Preston, Danny Thomas and George Murphy.
- DirectorDelbert MannStarsDick Van DykeBarbara FeldonJohn McGiverA butler and the staff of an eccentric aged philanthropist whose family wealth is exhausted engage in larceny and crimes to maintain her lifestyle and provide funds for her charitable activities.
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsEddie FisherDebbie ReynoldsAdolphe MenjouAfter finding a baby outside an orphanage, a salesgirl receives sympathy from those around her, including her boss' son, as they all assume the baby is hers.
- DirectorGeorge StevensStarsFred AstaireGinger RogersVictor MooreRoguish gambler/dancer "Lucky" Garnett is challenged by his fiance's father to come up with $25,000 to prove he's worthy of her hand. But after he falls in love with a dance instructor, Lucky'll do anything to keep from earning the bucks.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsIrene DunneCharles BoyerMaria OuspenskayaA French playboy and an American former nightclub singer fall in love aboard a ship.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsCary GrantDeborah KerrRichard DenningA couple falls in love and agrees to meet in six months at the Empire State Building - but will it happen?
- DirectorJohn CromwellEdward F. ClineTay GarnettStarsClaudette ColbertJennifer JonesJoseph CottenWith her husband away to fight in World War II, a housewife must care for their two daughters alone.
- DirectorMorton DaCostaStarsRosalind RussellForrest TuckerCoral BrowneAn orphan goes to live with his free-spirited aunt. Conflict ensues when the executor of his father's estate objects to the aunt's lifestyle.
- DirectorWilliam DieterleGeorge CukorStarsGinger RogersJoseph CottenShirley TempleA soldier suffering from combat fatigue meets a young woman on Christmas furlough from prison and their mutual loneliness blossoms into romance.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantDoris NolanA young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother.
- DirectorNancy MeyersStarsKate WinsletCameron DiazJude LawTwo women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.
- DirectorJim FallStarsBonnie SomervilleShelley LongJordan BridgesAfraid to tell her family she's been dumped, Hillary hires an actor to play her fiancé during a four-day Thanksgiving weekend at her parents' house.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsCary GrantCarole LombardKay FrancisAfter a wealthy man finds out his wife is a gold digger, he meets and falls for a widowed mother, and complications ensue.
- DirectorGeorge StevensJean NegulescoStarsMax von SydowDorothy McGuireCharlton HestonAn all-star, large scale epic movie that chronicles the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
- DirectorGeorge B. SeitzStarsMickey RooneyJudy GarlandLewis StoneAndy has problems raising the last payment for a used car and juggling three pretty girls with an upcoming country club dance scheduled.
- DirectorGregory La CavaStarsWilliam PowellCarole LombardAlice BradyA scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler - but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsJune AllysonDavid NivenJessie Royce LandisThe spoiled daughter of a rich American family hires as butler an Austrian vagrant she finds on a pier, without knowing that he illegally jumped ship.
- DirectorBob GiraldiStarsKenny RogersDolly PartonCarolyn FallinNow-classic holiday special based around Rogers' and Partons' best-selling album, Once Upon a Christmas.