Top Ten Christmas Movies of All Time

There are so many movies about Christmas that it's easy to get confused when trying to choose one to watch. The best movies can quickly get lost in the shuffle and become overshadowed by less desirable selections. Fortunately, lots of excellent Christmas movies have been made over the last 70 years or so. Here is a list of some of the top rated Christmas movies of all time.

10. Scrooged (1988)

"Scrooged" is a modern reimagining of Charles Dickens' novel "A Christmas Carol." Bill Murray stars as TV executive Frank Cross. Cross is a cold hearted, selfish man who puts his own lust for success ahead of the welfare of others. When he starts work on a live broadcast of "A Christmas Carol," set to be performed on Christmas Eve, strange things begin to happen. Like Scrooge, he endures visits from three ghosts; the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present and the ghost of Christmas yet to come. You shouldn't expect to be inspired by the story of this screwball comedy. But if you're looking for some laughs or just want to watch an updated take on a classic Christmas story, "Scrooged" is a good choice.

9. Trading Places (1983)

While not technically a Christmas movie, "Trading Places" has many hilarious scenes set during the Christmas season. "Trading Places" stars Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. This comedy is about a wager made between two millionaire stock brokers. Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy) believes that he can take a common criminal off the street and transform him into a successful stock broker. His brother Mortimer (Don Ameche) bets that he can't pull it off. The total amount of their bet; a mere dollar. They frame their managing director and star employee, Louis Winthorpe III, with charges of drug possession and theft. Meanwhile, they pick up homeless derelict Billy Ray Valentine off the streets, clean him up and give him a position with Duke and Duke. Thankfully, Louis Winthorpe and Billy Ray Valentine figure out what the Duke brothers are up to, and team up with a prostitute named Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Winthorpe's butler, Coleman (Denholm Elliott) to outsmart the Dukes. Trading Places might not have all the Christmas cheer you'd typically expect from a holiday movie. However, you'll likely feel some joy watching a drunken Winthorpe eating salmon out of a Santa suit.

8. The Polar Express (2004)

Based on a book by Chris Van Allsburg, "The Polar Express" is a 3D animated movie about a train that takes children to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. It stars Tom Hanks in multiple roles as the train conductor, Santa Claus, a hobo, a young boy, a father and an Ebenezer Scrooge marionette. The story is about a boy named Billy who just can't bring himself to believe in Santa Claus. The Polar Express arrives on Christmas Eve to pick him up, and Billy hesitantly steps on board. The resulting wild ride will have you clutching at your seat. "The Polar Express" has many heartwarming moments, as well.

7. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

"Meet Me in St. Louis" is about a family living in St. Louis, Missouri in 1903. Based on a short story by Sally Benson, "Meet Me in St. Louis" featured a young Judy Garland in the role of teenager Esther Smith. Esther falls in love with her next door neighbor, John Truett (Tom Drake.) She later discovers that her lawyer father, Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames) has decided to pack her family of seven off to New York, where he has been offered a better job. The entire family is traumatized by the news, but Esther is more disturbed than all of them, since the move would cut off her budding romance with John. "Meet Me in St. Louis" is a beautifully crafted period piece with glorious Christmas scenes, including a dance on Christmas Eve. This full color MGM movie includes the song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," sung by Judy Garland.

6. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Based on a book by Valentine Davies, the black and white film "Miracle on 34th Street" is about a young girl named Susan Walker (Natalie Wood), her cynical single mother Doris (Maureen O'Hara) and a department store Santa (Edmund Gwenn) who works for Macy's. Susan wants only one thing for Christmas; a real house with trees and a swing in the backyard. When it comes out that the Macy's Santa, who goes by Kris Kringle, believes himself to be the real Santa Claus, Susan begins to believe that he could grant her Christmas wish. However, a court case ensues, and lawyer Fred Gailey (John Payne) must prove that Kris really is Santa, or he will be packed off to an insane asylum. "Miracle on 34th Street" is an uplifting Christmas movie that will renew your faith in the human capacity for goodwill. Just a note: skip the colorized version and the 1994 remake of this Christmas classic movie.

5. Holiday Inn (1942)

"Holiday Inn" is a black and white movie about a song and dance team comprised of Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) and Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale). Although Dixon is engaged to Hardy and had planned to retire with him to a farm in Connecticut, she breaks off their engagement and throws him over for Hanover. Hardy decides to keep his plans to start his farm, which go horribly awry. Meanwhile, Hardy comes up with a better way to make money from his farm property. He converts it to a winter resort and names it "Holiday Inn," which will provide live entertainment for its guests during the holidays. "Holiday Inn" is replete with Irving Berlin songs such as "White Christmas" and "Happy Holidays."

4. White Christmas (1954)

"White Christmas" is a full color VistaVision production featuring Bing Crosby as Bob Wallace and Danny Kaye as Phil Davis. Recently discharged from the U.S. Army, Wallace and Davis are nightclub performers who have teamed up with the sister act of Betty and Judy Haynes (Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen). The men's commanding officer General Tom Waverly (Dean Jagger) runs an inn in Vermont, and the entertainers decide to travel there to see him. There they learn that he's in financial trouble and think up a scheme to raise some money on his behalf; they will put on a huge musical show with their army pals. In addition to "White Christmas" this movie includes Irving Berlin songs such as "It's Cold Outside," "Sisters," "Blue Skies" and "Count Your Blessings."

3. A Christmas Story (1983)

"A Christmas Story" is a slice-of-life comedy about a little boy named Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) who lives in Indiana during the 1940s. Ralphie desperately wants a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas. The trouble is, when he asks his mother for the toy BB gun, she refuses, retorting "You'll shoot your eye out." Ralphie goes out in search of somebody to help him get his Christmas wish, including his school teacher and a mall Santa, only to hear "You'll shoot your eye out" from everyone he asks. "A Christmas Story" entertains the viewer with scenes from everyday American life. It describes the problems we all deal with as kids, such as bullying, sibling rivalry, peer pressure and our parents' feuds. And yet it portrays these events with humor and a ironic sense of joy.

2. A Christmas Carol (1951)

There have been several movie versions of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" made over the years. However, the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge is decidedly the best. It is vastly superior to MGM's 1938 movie version of "A Christmas Carol" featuring Reginald Owen as Scrooge. While MGM's version of the Dickens novel takes considerable liberties with the story (even showing Scrooge sacking Cratchit for crushing his hat and a judgmental ghost of Christmas past haranguing him about his lust for gold), the 1951 version is much truer to Dickens' original story. This version of "A Christmas Carol" adds several scenes, including one in which Scrooge prematurely leaves his dying sister's bedside, and misses hearing her say, "Promise me you'll take care of my boy," a wish he certainly would have honored if he had heard it. These additional scenes match the spirit if not the letter of Dickens' work, and help to fuel Scrooge's transformation and reformation. In "A Christmas Carol," Alastair Sim's performance as Scrooge is Oscar-worthy, and the performance of all the other actors are moving as well.

1. It's a Wonderful Life (1947)

"It's a Wonderful Life" is another movie that's loosely based on the story of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." The plot is about a young man named George Bailey who is forced to give up his plans for college and travel to take over his father's ailing Building and Loan business. Although he doesn't profit much from the Building and Loan, the company provides an invaluable service to the people of Bailey's town of Bedford Falls. It provides them with an affordable way to own their homes, and prevents them from seeking housing in Henry Potter's slums. However, when Bailey's Uncle Billy mistakenly misplaces $8,000 one Christmas Eve, Bailey becomes distraught and considers suicide. He is visited by an angel named Clarence who gives him a different way of looking at his life which renews his faith in humanity. Like Scrooge, Bailey gets a new lease on life, but in a different way.

For more great movie selections, read The Most Romantic Films of All Time.

Sources:

"Trading Places (1983)" MovieFone.com
"Scrooged (1988)" MovieFone.com
"The Polar Express (2004)" MovieFone.com
"Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)" MovieFone.com
"Miracle on 34th Street (1947)" MovieFone.com
"Holiday Inn (1942)" MovieFone.com
"White Christmas (1954)" MovieFone.com
"A Christmas Story (1983)" MovieFone.com
"A Christmas Carol (1951)" MovieFone.com
"It's a Wonderful Life (1947)" MovieFone.com