A List of 10 Great Christmas Movies to Watch at Home

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Lots of food, the start of the college football bowl games and no work for at least two days. It’s also because I give the best gifts. I get to give all the cool, noisy toys to my niece and nephews because those toys aren’t coming home with me, they’re going to their house! There are also some other traditions besides ol’ Uncle Billy giving the best gifts. For instance, playing “who gets the swirly?” For those of you that don’t know, a swirly is when you get turned upside down over the toilet and get your head flushed. It’s great fun for all the family. Works great for younger cousins, nieces, nephews and even sometimes (like this year perhaps) older sisters….. And probably my favorite Christmas tradition is the Family Movie! We all pile in one car (how, I’m not sure) and drive the 45 minutes to the only theater in town and enjoy some popcorn and two hours of relative quiet. Of course, this was a lot easier when movie tickets were $2 a piece and the popcorn was just about free. Now with the price of gas up, movie tickets out of control and popcorn prices soaring due to biofuels, who can afford to go to the movies? Well, not to worry. The jolly ol’ staff here at Zaphu has you covered! Here are our top 10 Christmas movies (that you can rent or buy for cheaper than a movie ticket) to get you through. Who knows, you might even start a new tradition.

1.   Santa Claus: The Movie

I loved this movie when I was kid! Lollipops that make you fly?! This tale begins with the origins of old St. Nick before jumping to modern (1985!) times. A couple of elves have to compete for the head assistant job and one ambitious elf, builds a toy building machine while the other opts for the time proven path of hand crafted. The modern elf wins the battle, but it turns out that his toys just aren’t up to the standard. In order to show Santa and the elves his worth, he strikes out on his own. Unknowingly he falls into the designs of a toymaker that wants to corner the market on Christmas, but Santa gets some help from unlikely sources! I’ve read a few reviews that weren’t so good, but trust me. This one is worth a watch.

2.   Elf

Buddy Elf, what’s your favorite color? I’m mean, is there a better way to answer the phone than this?? No! Of course not! Even if you’re not a big Will Ferrell fan, this is sure to bring laughs to the whole family. An unusually large elf brings chaos to the North Pole community, until he is told that he is actually a man. He’s sent to discover his true identity and takes us a long for the ride. Though he’s full grown, Buddy has a child’s innocence and has to travel to New York to meet his biological dad. As it turns out, his family really doesn’t do Christmas and it’s up to Buddy to bring the true spirit of Christmas back to New York. It’s infectious. Roll with it.

3.   A Christmas Story

This movie is my all time favorite Christmas movie. I was so pissed when my cable messed up the 24 hr showing last year. I called an demanded I get the entire month free. Who could forget the classic triple dog dare, or the awesome leg lamp? I mean, Hallmark even has an ornament of it! The story is told by an older Ralph that is remembering his favorite Christmas as a kid. Ralphie is trying to convince everyone that the Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect gift, but he is continually met with the “you’ll shoot your eye out!” response. Watch Ralphie as he tries to persevere through frozen flag polls, bullies and hubcaps! This will always be a classic. Everyone in your family will love this movie. Everyone. P.S. This is Bill’s favorite Christmas movie!

4.   Scrooged

You might want to wait for the little kiddies to go to sleep, but older ones should be OK. This is classic Bill Murray and you won’t be disappointed (Lost in translation, ahem). This modern take on Dickens’ story has Murray play Frank Cross, a TV executive that has lost his way. He gets a visit from his former boss and then on to the three spirits. You know the story, but it comes to life a whole new way in this one. Probably one of the greatest scenes ever involving a toaster. P.S. This is Franklin’s favorite Christmas movie!

5.   Christmas Vacation

OK, admit it. You knew this one was going to be on here Cousin Eddie and all! Join Clark and the family and the laughs start as soon as the movie. You know the Griswold family has bad luck, but this? Clark holds on through obnoxious family members and snooty neighbors because he knows that when his Christmas bonus check comes in he’ll have the money to put in a new swimming pool! Ahhhhh. If only things were that simple. This movie offers continuous laughs and is sure to remind you that your family isn’t that bad.

6.   Die Hard

What about this movie doesn’t scream Christmas? A wisecracking cop, John McClane, heads to an office Christmas party to meet up with his wife so they can work some things out when everything hits the fan. McClane finds himself in the middle of a terrorist plot and has to pick off the bad guys one at a time. The fast paced action is sure to deliver and of course the one-liners are famous. If you’ve got time you’ll want to check the sequels too, though they aren’t necessarily Christmas movies.

7.   Gremlins

Gremlin-rita anyone? Afterall, what is more Christmas-y than something green in the blender? A father is looking for the perfect gift for his son when he comes across an amazing Chinese creature. However, there are three rules that he must follow. 1) Don’t get him wet, 2) keep him away from sunlight and 3) don’t feed him after midnight. Of course the kid tries to follow the rules (his name is Billy, go figure), but it isn’t long until an accident happens and then there is a lot of trouble. You’ll have to watch the movie to find out what the consequences are and if Kingston Falls will ever be the same. It’s funny, but I think the consequences are the same if you feed Franklin after midnight….hmmm. P.S. This is Sam’s favorite Christmas movie!

8.   Home Alone

This film propelled Macaulay Culkin to super stardome (for a little while anyway) in the early ’90s and is a classic. It starts off by introducing us to a little boy that doesn’t exactly get along with his very large family and is having some trouble getting ready for his holiday trip. Once he finds out that he’s been left “home alone”, he seems to have it made. Now he can watch the big kid movies, eat what he wants and stay up as late as he wants. Unfortunately for him, there are a couple of crooks that have their eyes on his house and the big one. As the crooks start to put the clues together though, he has to put together some pretty nifty defenses. Will he make it?? Everyone will enjoy this one, even the kiddies. You might want to explain that it is make believe though so you don’t end up with a paint can in the face…just FYI.

9.   The Muppet Christmas Carol

Kermit the Frog stars as Bob Cratchit and Michael Caine as the penny pincher Scrooge in this 99% muppet cast. It’s one of the best renditions of Dickens’ classic that you’ll find out there. This is a very kid-friendly version of the somber tale and will have the entire family singing “no cheeses for us mices” before it’s over. Oh, and the Great Gonzo (always one of my favorites) plays Charles Dickens himself….well, kind of.

10.   The Santa Clause

When a divorced father (and it just so happens, a toy company exec) has his son over for Christmas he’s thrilled. However, his son isn’t too happy to be there. Until of course, the jolly old elf himself falls off the roof and disappears. His son talks him into putting the pants on, but he doesn’t read the fine print. An big wig like him should know to read the “clause”, right? The rest of the film takes us through another year as he has to deal with his ex-wife and her boyfriend, who think he’s playing with his son’s imagination while he puts on unexplained weight and very fast growing beard!

P.S. Apparently Riley’s favorite Christmas movie didn’t make the cut. Check out Love Actually if you’re interested in a female-friendly flick with a British based cast.

There are a ton of Christmas movies out there. So if you have one that you and yours watch every year, let us know! Does it come with a story? Even better.