The top 10 must watch Festive films
Some say it’s never too early to get into the Christmas spirit and If you’re one of the many who’s happy to just skip November, put your tree up, and start buying presents, chances are you’re probably already thinking about when you can watch classics like Elf, Die Hard, and The Santa Clause. No judgment here.
So (here at Clean Break) we’ve put together a list of the best holiday movies to watch after a nice long walk or Santa run, all available for you to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and more.
Don’t forget, no movie night is complete without a can of Progression Pale Ale!
Love Actually
This rom-com, about a bunch of interconnected love stories during the Christmas season, is great because of how over-the-top it is. Every famous British person who’s ever lived has a role in the madness, but the Bill Nighy story is secretly the most moving one IMO.
Die Hard with a vengeance
Every year, we’re burdened with many, many discussions about how Die Hard is actually a Christmas movie (is anyone really disputing that at this point?), but even that doesn’t take away from how great this action film is.
Bruce Willis plays John McClane, a cop trying to save his wife and other hostages at a holiday party that gets taken over by German terrorists.
How the Grinch stole Christmas
Jim Carrey plays Dr. Seuss’ classic Christmas-hating character, who emerges from his hovel one fateful year to ruin the holiday for the residents of Whoville. Carrey is at his Carrey-est here, hamming it up under all the green fur.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
This is not only the greatest Christmas Carol adaptation ever made, but it’s also one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made!
You already know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge (played here by Michael Caine), but it’s instantly made better by the presence of Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo, who acts as narrator.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Easily the most memorable of the Vacation films, this is a movie about a bunch of things going wrong for the Griswold family — but at Christmas!
Chevy Chase plays the beleaguered patriarch who’s determined to have a good holiday despite the presence of his wife’s crazy cousin, his thankless job, and malfunctioning string lights.
It's a Wonderful Life
What did we say about Christmas movies about depressed people? This classic follows George Bailey (James Stewart), a man considering ending his life on Christmas Eve.
He’s visited by a guardian angel who shows him what life in his town would have been like had he not been there. This is a solid watch if you want to feel good about humanity.
Home Alone
It doesn’t get more quintessentially Christmas than Home Alone, the movie about Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), a kid who gets accidentally left behind when the rest of his family goes on vacation for the holidays.
It’s all fun and games until a pair of bumbling burglars, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, end up involved in a dangerous feud with Kevin.
Elf
This modern classic stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human raised by elves in the North Pole, who travels all the way to New York one Christmas to find his biological father who is played by no other than Sonny Corleone (sorry I meant James Caan).
PS… The scene where’s he ran over by a car is worth it alone!
The Polar Express
Since computer animation has advanced so much in the years since this was released, the visual style of this movie is a bit outdated now, but at the time of its release, it was a huge deal that Tom Hanks, who plays the train conductor, did the motion capture for his character. The movie itself is still sweet, following a young boy’s journey on a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Maybe this year I’ll watch it myself.
Nativity
My kids love Nativity, and to be honest so do I. Why?
Well it’s just perfect for Christmas. The plot is simple and Martin Freeman is impressive as the lead teacher trying to stage a great nativity play and the kids playing his pupils all bring their own charm to the piece. Ashley Jensen and Pam Ferris add their own talents to the proceedings while Alan Carr is … well Alan Carr..
Get ready to sing Sparkle and shine as you dance around the living room!
