Fact or Fiction: The Greatest Christmas Movies Of All Time

Fact or Fiction: The Greatest Christmas Movies Of All Time
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Holiday · Movies

By BrainFall Staff - Updated: April 9, 2024

It all started when the Christmas movie The Shop Around the Corner was released in 1940, proving that there’s a massive audience for holiday films, especially ones about Christmas. Several other Christmas classics came out during the 1940s, like Holiday Inn (1942), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Christmas in Connecticut (1945), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and Holiday Affair (1949). More Christmas films were also released in the ’50s, including the classic White Christmas (1954). These films paved the road for the future of holiday films.

However, aside from the release of Dr. Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), we would not get a second Christmas movie boom until A Christmas Story (1983). That film is not only one of the best Christmas movies ever, but it also kick-started a movement of the best Christmas movies ever. Before long, we were watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), Die Hard (1990), Home Alone (1990), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), The Santa Clause (1994), Elf (2003), Bad Santa (2003), and The Polar Express (2004).

The idea that a Christmas movie could be a legitimate work of art was proven in the ’90s, and now it’s your turn to show just how much you know about the best Christmas movies ever.

Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time

The greatest Christmas movies of all time date back to the 1940s when It's a Wonderful Life changed the way we would watch holiday movies. From National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to How the Grinch Stole Christmas, some of the greatest films of all time just so happen to be Christmas movies too.

Even action and comedy movies like Die Hard and Bad Santa are able to join the ranks, alongside Christmas classics like Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. It can be a romantic comedy or a dark tragedy, just as long as a holiday movie captures the Christmas spirit.

Fact or Fiction: The Greatest Christmas Movies Of All Time

As we deck the halls and tinsel up our homes, it's hard to ignore the reel-y festive cheer that Christmas movies bring to our screens. We all have our festive favorites that have become as much a part of our holiday traditions as the twinkling lights and mistletoe kisses. Whether it's the hilarious predicaments of a father-turned-Santa in "The Santa Clause" or the decorative rivalry in "Battle of the Bulbs," Christmas movies have a special place in our hearts—and on our watchlists.

A cozy living room with a crackling fireplace, twinkling Christmas lights, and a beautifully decorated tree surrounded by presents

With the holiday season in full swing, we at BrainFall.com ask ourselves: "Which Christmas classics truly deserve to be crowned the greatest of all time?" We’ve made our list, checked it twice, and are on a quest to find out which yuletide films are naughty or nice. From the heartwarming tales that restore our faith in the magic of Christmas to the zany comedies that leave us in stitches, every film unwraps a unique blend of holiday spirit.

So, grab your cozy blankets and hot cocoa, and join us on this merry-and-bright cinematic sleigh ride. We're here to sleuth out the fact from fiction in the bustling snow globe of holiday cinema. It's a tough job with all these cinematic gifts to unwrap, but hey, someone's got to do it! Let’s jingle all the way to find out if your holiday favorite is the crème de la crème of Christmas joy or if it's time to mix up your festive film playlist.

Reel Yuletide Legends: Unwrapping the Classics

A cozy living room adorned with twinkling lights, a crackling fireplace, and a towering Christmas tree surrounded by presents

We're peeling back the wrapping paper on these festive flicks to reveal what makes them the greatest Christmas movies of all time. Get ready to relive the magic, the merriment and, yes, the occasional mayhem!

Old-School Charmers: From Capra to Crosby

It’s not Christmas until George Bailey has clamored through Bedford Falls, right? It’s A Wonderful Life has taught us to cherish what we have, demonstrating the ripple effects of kindness. And who could forget that heartwarming courtroom scene in Miracle on 34th Street? We're talkin' about the ultimate confirmation that Santa is real – whoops, spoiler alert. We tip our festive hats to Bing Crosby too! Holiday Inn introduced "White Christmas," while White Christmas itself gave us all the holiday feels with those dreamy song-and-dance numbers. Pure old-school bliss!

Modern Marvels: Big Laughs, Bigger Hearts

Let's be real: Elf turned Will Ferrell into our oversized, syrup-loving Santa’s helper – and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Ferrell's infectious energy makes us want to belt out Christmas carols in the middle of a crowded mall. Then there's Home Alone. Our boy Kevin McCallister, duking it out with burglars? That’s just prime Christmas comedy gold. We're still setting boobie traps hoping to catch our annoying cousins off-guard.

Action-Pack(ed) Stockings: Explosive Festivities

Surprise – Die Hard is a Christmas movie. There, we said it. When Bruce Willis does his Yuletide-yippee-ki-yay, it's like Santa coming down the chimney with explosives instead of presents. And for an irreverent twist, Billy Bob Thornton puts the 'bad' in ‘Bad Santa’ - a con man in a Santa suit? Sounds like our last office party (kidding, we keep it classy)! These films may not scream "traditional Christmas," but they certainly pack an explosive punch to our holiday watch list.

The Naughty List: Holiday Misfits and Mayhem

Gather around, holiday cinephiles! It's that time to celebrate the rogues and rebels of Christmas movies that bring us cheer in the most unconventional ways. From devilish creatures causing havoc to the beloved misfits breaking the festive norms, we've got the mischievous rundown that'll jingle your bells!

Not-So-Jolly Fables: Darker Tidings

When we think of Christmas, we don't generally welcome gremlins into our homes, but "Gremlins" made us think twice about those cute little gifts that come with a set of very important rules. Switch gears to the gothic genius of "The Nightmare Before Christmas", which we're still debating: is it a Christmas movie, a Halloween treat, or both? Echoes of haunted holidays wouldn’t be complete without the chilling presence of Krampus, the antithesis of Santa who punishes the naughty. It’s chilling indeed, but also, oh so thrilling!

Holly Jolly Satires: Subverting the Norm

Now, let's take a sharp right turn down Lampoon Lane, where "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation" turns our idyllic holiday visions upside down with a healthy dose of chaos and a side of fried cat – figuratively speaking, of course. And while The Holiday might not be outright satire, it pokes fun at love clichés with its heartwarming plot twists. Drama and satire mesh beautifully with "Lethal Weapon", a not-so-festive story that starts with a Christmas tree sale and ends with...well, we wouldn't want to spoil the explosive action. And, bold move, Billy Bob Thornton's booze-soaked, safe-cracking Santa in "Bad Santa" gives us the belly laughs that have nothing to do with a bowl full of jelly. Add Jimmy Stewart's timeless struggle to find the meaning of Christmas in the less-than-glamorous side of Bedford Falls in "It's a Wonderful Life", and you've got a holiday watchlist that tickles the tinsel in all sorts of twisted tangles.

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Question 1/10

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • Although most characters had several puppets each, Jack Skellington only had four to help make him seem real.
  • Oogie Boogie was actually a last-second addition to the film, and it took almost a year to film all his scenes.
  • The original idea for the film was actually a three-page poem Tim Burton wrote in 1983 before Disney fired him in 1984.
  • It took a team of over 100 people close to six years to film the stop-motion moves.
Question 2/10

Bad Santa (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • Bad Santa was John Ritter's second to last film before his untimely death.
  • The film's profanity count broke the record when it reached 800.
  • Although it's called Bad Santa, the script did not originally include much profanity, but it was later added in once they let Billy Bob Thornton run with it.
  • If you loved Billy Bob Thornton as Bad Santa, just imagine Jack Nicholson or Bill Murray playing the part because they both wanted to do it but couldn't.
Question 3/10

Elf (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • Although Will Ferrell is now the only person that could play Buddy, screenwriter David Berenbaum initially wanted Chris Farley to play the lead role.
  • Although she is a singer in real life, Zooey Deschanel did not sing any of her songs in the film due to her being very sick throughout filming.
  • Peter Dinklage filmed his scene in one day and improvised most of his lines alongside Will Ferrell.
  • Will Ferrell and Jon Favreau had such a great relationship that they started working on a sequel, but it ended up getting canned when Marvel came calling.
Question 4/10

A Christmas Story (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • The Daisy Rifle Company that produced the Red Ryder BB Gun in the film is a fictional company that people are still trying to find.
  • Even while using a hidden suction tube, Flick's tongue actually did get stuck to the flagpole, causing filming to stop for a few days while he recovered.
  • The family ate the same meal every night, which consisted of meatloaf, green beans, and rice.
  • A Christmas Story was such a great film that it ended up inspiring Neal Marlens and Carol Black to create the TV series The Wonder Years.
Question 5/10

It's A Wonderful Life (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • The infamous gym floor scene where a pool emerges from underneath was created for filming and is not a real thing.
  • Frank Capra hired a professional marksman to throw the rock that was supposed to break the window of the abandoned house, but Donna Reed did it herself to the amazement of everyone on set.
  • Bedford Falls was actually a small town in Northern Iowa.
  • Although there have been rumors about collaborations, Frank Capra is the only writer of the script.
Question 6/10

Home Alone (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • Joe Pesci had to wear shoes with lifts in order for both him and Daniel Stern to fit in the frame throughout their scenes together.
  • The scene where Kevin steals a toothbrush was the final scene shot during filming.
  • In order to seem realistic, Daniel Stern requested the prop team use real ornaments for him to step on so his reaction would be authentic.
  • Macaulay Culkin improvised the infamous line, "You guys give up, or are you thirsty for more?"
Question 7/10

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • Clark's rant about his boss has always been rumored to be improvised, but it was actually performed exactly how it was written in the script.
  • The scene where the cat gets electrocuted was not real, but it was inspired by a real incident that happened on set during filming where a squirrel got electrocuted.
  • The Dodge pickup used at the beginning of the film was the same one used in the movie Overboard as Kurt Russell's work truck, and it was also featured in They Live.
  • The house used in the film is a real house that just so happens to have also been used several other times in various movies throughout the '80s.
Question 8/10

Die Hard (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • One of John McClane's infamous undershirts worn during filming was sent to the Smithsonian Museum by Bruce Willis.
  • The original screenplay had the film taking place over the course of one week, but the director decided to change it so the film would not be five hours long.
  • Die Hard director John McTiernan made sure all the actors stuck to the script and did not try to improvise anything.
  • Harrison Ford was going to star in Die Hard but couldn't because of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Question 9/10

The Santa Clause (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • In order to hire Tim Allen to play Santa Claus, Disney had to break their own policy of not hiring ex-cons.
  • Many television airings of The Santa Clause have edited out the scene where Scott Calvin fights with his ex-wife.
  • This is one of the only Disney films that does not feature a Hidden Mickey.
  • Tim Allen was the first person offered the role of Scott Calvin, but while he weighed his options, Richard Gere was also asked about the role.
Question 10/10

The Muppets Christmas Carol (Choose the answer that is true.)

  • This was the second Muppet movie where Kermit the Frog was not the lead character.
  • While filming The Muppet Christmas Carol, Sir Michael Caine gave Kermit the Frog some advice by telling him, "Never blink."
  • In order to get the muppets to seem more real, they shot most of the film alone while Sir Michael Caine had to pretend he was talking to them.
  • Miss Piggy first appears in the film during the opening credits, making it the earliest she ever started on screen in a movie.
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