Top 25 Christmas Themed Movies To Watch With Your Kids

Written by MomJunction
Last Updated on

Christmas time is finally here and with so much happening, it is also the time to share some wonderful kids Christmas movies with your little ones. You may already have a family tradition of watching Christmas based movies round the Holiday season, or maybe you are looking for some good movies that you can watch with your kids around this time.

If you are on the lookout for some good recommendations about best Christmas movies for kids, keep reading.

Top 25 Christmas Movies For Kids That You Should Definitely Watch With Them:

Here is our list of the 20 classic kids Christmas movies of all times that your tots will absolutely love to watch, and so will you:

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas:

Christmas Movies For Kids - A Charlie Brown Christmas

  • The movie A Charlie Brown Christmas revolves around the character named Charlie Brown and shows the various ups and downs in Charlie Brown’s life.
  • The movie shows the real feeling of Christmas as against the way it has been turned into a commercial thing in these times.
  • At the start, Charlie Brown is sad that Christmas has become more like a job for people, but is soon there are various things that make Charlie Brown happy again.
  • The movie also has some wonderful music that your kids will absolutely enjoy.

[ Read: Christmas Games For Kids ]

2. Elf:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Elf

  • As the name suggests, Elf is the story about an elf, who is actually a human but has been raised by elves.
  • When the elf, Buddy, finds out that he is not really an elf, he decides to go to New York city and find out his true biological parents.
  • But as he has been brought up as an elf, he does not know much of the human world.
  • The adventures that Buddy faces in the human world will make your kids laugh out loud and have a lot of fun.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas:

Christmas Movies For Kids - The Nightmare Before Christmas

  • The movie The Nightmare Before Christmas is not really a scary movie but a spooky movie that will also make your kids laugh and enjoy.
  • It is made as a stop-motion animated movie and is based on a poem by Tim Burton.
  • The Christmas movie for kids revolves around the pumpkin king of Halloween, Jack Skellington, who has become bored of doing the same thing over and over again each Halloween.
  • Now Jack discovers Christmastown and plans something different. He decides to kidnap Santa Claus and make things exciting.
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas is a fun movie that combines the best of the spirit of Halloween and the joy of Christmas.

4. Home Alone:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Home Alone

  • If you haven’t yet watched the movie Home Alone with your kids on Christmas, it is likely that you will turn it into a family tradition once you do watch it together on Christmas time.
  • It is one of the classic Christmas movies for kids that revolves around a family who head out for a Christmas vacation, but end up accidentally leaving their little boy alone at home.
  • Kevin realizes that his entire family has packed up and gone for the Christmas vacation to Paris that they were all planning to go on for days.
  • If that was not enough, two thieves realize that the house is empty and try to break in.
  • Kevin has to try and stop them from entering the house at all costs and keeps up a brave front.
  • The movie revolves around the many witty ways the little boy devises to keep the thieves out, and what actually happens when they do manage to get inside the house and come face to face with Kevin.

[ Read: Christmas Jokes For Kids ]

5. Jingle All The Way:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Jingle All The Way

  • In the movie Jingle All The Way, dad Arnold Schwarzenegger comes to face to face with his most dreaded and dangerous enemy, the huge crowd that is out to shop for Christmas.
  • The father has promised his kid the very popular Turbo Man action figure toy for Christmas, but it looks like there are no more toys available anywhere and it is simply out of stock.
  • He is so desperate to get that last toy for his kid that he is even ready to fight with Santa Claus for it.
  • The movie has some funny action scenes and a lot of laughs that will keep your kids and you entertained and laughing throughout.

6. The Santa Claus:

Christmas Movies For Kids - The Santa Claus

  • The movie The Santa Claus is about a father who is upset because his ex-wife has told their son that Santa Claus is not a real person at all.
  • On Christmas Eve, as the father is reading out The Night Before Christmas to his son, he hears someone who seems to be climbing on the roof.
  • It is actually Santa Claus, who gets startled when the father calls out and falls down. As Santa Claus vanishes, he leaves behind his sleigh with the eight reindeer attached to it.
  • Now that Santa Claus is gone, the father will have to take over his place and do what Santa Claus does on Christmas, by delivering presents to all the kids around the world.

7. Miracle On 34th Street:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Miracle On 34th Street

  • Miracle On 34th Street is about an old man who dresses up as Santa Claus at a local department store.
  • However, he is soon thought to be mentally unstable and is taken away to a mental home. At this time, a lawyer comes forward to help him by arguing he is the real Santa Claus.
  • It is also the story of a little nine year old girl who believes that you should always be kind and nice to those around you, and not just on Christmas, but in life.
  • It is one of the beautiful Christmas movies for children that has a message for kids as well as for adults.

8. Arthur Christmas:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Arthur Christmas

  • The movie Arthur Christmas revolves around the character who goes by the same name as Arthur Christmas.
  • Arthur lives in the North Pole with Santa Claus and it is his responsibility to make sure that all the kids around the world receive their Christmas presents on time.
  • The movie aims to answer the one most asked question that kids all around the world seem to have in relation to Christmas – how does Santa Claus manage to give gifts to all the kids on the same day all over the world?

9. A Christmas Story:

  • A Christmas Story is a movie that tells the story of a nine year old boy who is called Ralph.
  • Ralph wants a BB gun as a gift for Christmas, but when he asks his mother for it she refuses him completely.
  • Still wanting the gun, Ralph writes to Santa Claus, asking for the gun as a present, but even Santa refuses to give him the gun.
  • While Ralph is sad and worried that he will not get the BB gun as a present, there is another surprise in store for him.

10. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation:

Christmas Movies For Kids - National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

  • The movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is an extremely funny movie that revolves around the character Clark Griswold.
  • All Clark wants is to have a simple and traditional Christmas celebration with his family.
  • But instead, it seems that everything is set to go just wrong and nothing seems to work for him the way he planned it.
  • Clark’s brother comes up and parks his RV in the driveway, creating many problems, while his cat gets electrocuted with the wires that are used to light up the Christmas tree.
  • With so much going on and so much drama happening, it seems Clark will not really have that quiet, traditional and simple Christmas time he was hoping for after all.

[ Read: Christmas Stories For Kids ]

11. Merry Christmas Olivia:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Merry Christmas Olivia

  • Merry Christmas Olivia is a story that revolves around a very popular kids’ character named Olivia. Olivia is a pig and is 6 and ¾ years old.
  • The movie is a collection of eight stories that are all related to the celebration of Christmas and the winter season.
  • The many episodes and stories that are included in this movie are ‘Olivia Claus,’ ‘Olivia And The Family Photo,’ ‘Olivia’s Snow Day,’ ‘Olivia’s Ice Spectacular,’ ‘Olivia Makes Magic,’ ‘Olivia Makes A Wedding Gift,’ ‘Olivia’s Good Luck’ and ‘Olivia And The Babies.’
  • The movie is a collection of a number of cute and fun movies that will keep your kids entertained.

12. Shrek The Halls:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Shrek The Halls

  • If your kids have watched any of the Shrek movies before, they will already be familiar with the main character as well as the many other characters in the movie.
  • The movie Shrek The Halls is a special holiday edition movie that is shorter in duration than the other Shrek movies.
  • In this particular kids Xmas movie, Shrek tries to make sure that the first Christmas that he is going to celebrate together with his family turns out special. But as he knows nothing about how to celebrate Christmas, he finds that it is quite a difficult task.
  • In order to be able to give his family the experience of the perfect Christmas, he follows a book called Christmas for Village Idiots, which leads to a lot of funny incidents.

13. How The Grinch Stole Christmas:

Christmas Movies For Kids - How The Grinch Stole Christmas

  • The movie How The Grinch Stole Christmas is an animated movie that is based on the book by the same name by the author Dr. Seuss.
  • In this animated version, Boris Karloff does a line by line reading of the same book.
  • The main character in the movie is the Grinch, who tries to make sure that he can do everything in his power to stop Christmas from happening.
  • Your kids will love to see how much effort the Grinch puts in and what eventually happens.

14. The Muppet Christmas Carol:

Christmas Movies For Kids - The Muppet Christmas Carol

  • The movie The Muppet Christmas Carol is an interesting interpretation of the very popular story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
  • The main characters in the movie are Bob Cratchit, whose wife is Miss Piggy. Bob Cratchit has a miserly employer whose name is Ebenezer Scrooge.
  • In the movie, one of the characters also appears as Charles Dickens who helps to tell the story as the narrator.
  • The story does stay true to the original story while adding some new and interesting elements to the same too.

15. Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Curious George A Very Monkey Christmas

  • The movie Curious George: A Monkey Christmas is a very sweet story that your kids will absolutely love.
  • It tells the story of George and the Man who wears the yellow hat and how they both try to go on with the preparations for Christmas.
  • George ends up meeting with various accidents before the actual day of Christmas and in the process, both he and the man learn a lot of things about Christmas and what it means.
  • Both George and the man with the yellow hat also find it very difficult to understand what they should gift each other. However, they soon realize what the other means to them and come to understand the importance of the other in their life.

[ Read: Christmas Presents Ideas For Kids ]

16. Mickey’s Christmas Carol:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Mickey’s Christmas Carol

  • The movie Mickey’s Christmas Carol is another very cute and popular version of the very popular original story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
  • In this adaptation of the movie, Mickey Mouse plays the role of Bob Cratchit.
  • It is a best Christmas movie for kids that also includes various other shorter stories.
  • One of the stories that it has is ‘Pluto’s Christmas Tree’ that is about the two chipmunks Chip and Dale who live in a tree that Mickey cuts down.
  • It also includes a story called ‘The Small One’ that tells the story of a boy and his donkey.
  • The other story that is also included as part of this movie is ‘Santa’s Workshop’ in which Santa and his elves make an appearance.

17. The Dog Who Saved Christmas:

Christmas Movies For Kids - The Dog Who Saved Christmas

  • The movie The Dog Who Saved Christmas is the story about a K-9 dog named Zeus who is now retired and who now can’t seem to be able to bark anymore.
  • He is determined that he has to protect his family’s home so that he is not sent away to the dog pound.
  • Just as the main character in the movie Home Alone, Zeus also attempts to stop burglars entering a house.
  • He does so by dropping various Christmas ornaments on their head and putting flour on them.

18. Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure

  • If your kid loves Dora as so many kids across the world do, then this movie will be just the perfect watch for Christmas.
  • Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure is a movie that is holiday season based and an adventure based movie, just as the name suggests.
  • In the movie, Swiper tries to steal the Christmas star that Dora has put up at her party.
  • Also, in this party, Santa Claus puts Swiper on the naughty list.
  • Dora has to help Swiper to become good and get his name off the naughty list. To do so, Dora has to travel through time along with Swiper so that they can both discover the true meaning of Christmas.

19. White Christmas:

Christmas Movies For Kids - White Christmas

  • The movie White Christmas is a musical that is a classic Christmas movie.
  • It has the song called White Christmas which is the main highlight of the movie.
  • The movie revolves around a team that is into song and dance and who team up to help and save the Vermont ski lounge that is on the verge of ending its business.
  • The movie is a musical, which means that it is filled with lots of singing and dancing, and will keep your kids and your entire family entertained.

20. Elmo’s Christmas Countdown:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Elmo’s Christmas Countdown

  • Elmo is a very popular kid’s character who is loved by kids all over the world.
  • In the movie Elmo’s Christmas Countdown, Elmo is seen along with various other celebrities who will entertain your kids as well as the entire family.
  • The boxes in Stiller The Elf’s Christmas tree shaped Christmas Counter Downer get scattered. As a result, both Elmo and Stiller the elf fear that Christmas won’t happen to them anymore.
  • To help things, Elmo and Abby Cadabby both step in to help things up and make the elf believe in the spirit of Christmas again.

[ Read: The Christmas Story For Kids ]

21. Santa Buddies:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Santa Buddies

  • All kids love dogs and this movie that features pups and dogs is sure to be a favorite with your kids, especially around the time of Christmas.
  • Another excellent Christmas movie for children where Santa Buddies, Santa Claus and his doggy friend Santa Paws are seen working at the North Pole.
  • While working, they both notice that the special Christmas spirit icicle has started to melt, as people have started believing less and less in Christmas now.
  • Both Santa Claus and Santa Paws put their hopes on Puppy Paws, who they feel will be able to spread the message of how Christmas and its meaning is so important and why kids and adults should believe in it.
  • However, Puppy Paws does not want to do so much work and wants to be just a simple puppy.
  • In order to avoid so much responsibility, Puppy Paws goes away to the human world, where he realizes that people have stopped believing in Christmas. As a result, he himself starts to make people believe in the spirit of Christmas again.

22. Gremlins:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Gremlins

  • The movie Gremlins is the story of a teenager who lives in a small town.
  • As a Christmas present, the teen gets a very cute furry creature, which, the teen finds out soon, comes with a catch.
  • The teen can’t get the creature wet, and should definitely not feed him anything after it is midnight.
  • The movie is a mix of fantasy as well as horror and will keep your kids and the entire family glued to the screen.

23. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

  • Which kid does not love or does not know about Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, and if your kid too has sung the song sometime or loves the reindeer, this movie is a must watch.
  • The movie Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is the story of a young reindeer who gets bullied a lot by all the other reindeers. Rudolph has a very red nose, as a result of which the other reindeers make fun of him and do not let him play with them.
  • Very soon after being asked to not play with the other reindeers, Rudolph makes friends with a prospector and an elf who is actually planning to become a dentist.
  • Together, Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, the prospector and the elf who wants to be the dentist, end up reaching an island that belongs to all the toys that are considered as misfits.
  • As Rudolph has been bullied earlier, he understands the plight of these toys and decides to do something to help them all.
  • On the eve of Christmas, as the weather is very cold, it becomes very foggy. Even as Santa Claus gets worried whether or not he will be able to fly, he spots the red nose of Rudolph the reindeer, and has a plan.
  • What follows will make your kids love the movie even more and absolutely fall in love with Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.

24. The Polar Express:

Christmas Movies For Kids - The Polar Express

  • The movie The Polar Express is an animated movie that is based on the book of the same name.
  • The movie begins when a young boy is shown as being unhappy and goes off to sleep in his bed.
  • Even as he is about to fall asleep, he can suddenly hear a noise and realizes that a train has just almost come up outside his window, which in itself is something he finds very unbelievable.
  • The movie takes the boy on an adventure and a magical journey that has its destination at the North Pole.
  • The name of the train is Polar Express, and once inside, he meets a lot of other children who have also boarded the train just like him.
  • While on the train, the boy learns a lot about things such as friendship, love, courage, sacrifice, adjustment and so on.
  • It is a best Christmas movie for kids that also teaches the kids a lot about the true spirit of Christmas.

25. Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol:

Christmas Movies For Kids - Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol

  • The movie Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol is an animated movie that is based on the ever popular original class A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

The 25 movies mentioned here are all based around the theme of Christmas, so make sure you do watch them with your kids this holiday season and enjoy the celebrations.

Moms, if you have any particular kids Xmas movies that your little ones love, do share them as recommendations here for other moms and their kids.

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