Ah yes, holiday movies. While you can legally watch them anytime of year, it only feels appropriate when the weather is chilly, the Christmas lights are twinkling, and the drinks are flowing. 🍿 🥃
While there are hundreds and hundreds of holiday movies to choose from, which are considered the very best?
Rotten Tomatoes gives us a handy ranking of their top 50 rated movies, that range from the early 1940s to 2022. Obvious classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Story” are high on the list. So are retro favorites like “The Muppets Christmas Carol” and “Edward Scissorhands”, which features classic Tim Burton swelling music.
How many on this top 50 list have you seen? Do you consider Die Hard a Christmas movie? Check out the entire list below.
The top 50 rated Holiday movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes……
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Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) // 100 percent
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The Shop Around the Corner (1940) // 99 percent
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Miracle on 34th Street (1947) // 96 percent
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Tangerine (2015) // 96 percent
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Klaus (2019) // 95 percent
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The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) // 95 percent
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Little Women (2019) // 95 percent
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Die Hard (1988) // 94 percent
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Carol (2015) // 94 percent
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It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) // 93 percent
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Little Women (1994) // 93 percent
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The Apartment (1960) // 93 percent
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Arthur Christmas (2011) // 92 percent
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Tokyo Godfathers (2003) // 91 percent
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A Christmas Story (1983) // 90 percent
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Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) // 90 percent
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The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) // 92 percent
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Edward Scissorhands (1990) // 89 percent
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Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) // 89 percent
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Better Watch Out (2016) // 89 percent
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Trading Places (1983) // 88 percent
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Gremlins (1984) // 86 percent
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A Christmas Tale (2008) // 86 percent
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Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) // 86 percent
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Elf (2003) // 85 percent
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Happiest Season (2020) // 82 percent
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While You Were Sleeping (1995) // 81 percent
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Batman Returns (1992) // 81 percent
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The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) // 79 percent
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Bad Santa (2003) // 78 percent
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A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) // 79 percent
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White Christmas (1954) // 77 percent
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Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) // 77 percent
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The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) // 76 percent
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Happy Christmas (2014) // 75 percent
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Merry Christmas (2005) // 74 percent
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The Ref (1994) // 73 percent
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The Santa Clause (1994) // 73 percent
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1967) // 100 percent
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Holiday Inn (1942) // 100 percent
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March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934) // 100 percent
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Remember the Night (1940) // 100 percent
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Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977) // 100 percent
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Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) // 100 percent
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Alien Xmas (2020) // 100 percent
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) // 95 percent
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Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970) // 93 percent
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White Reindeer (2013) // 90 percent
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The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) // 90 percent
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Christmas in Connecticut (1945) // 89 percent
Happy watching!
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28 Comments
I’m glad to see Laurel and Hardy’s “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (originally “Babes in Toyland”) here, but “The Bishop’s Wife” and the Alistair Sim “A Christmas Carol” really should be on the list.
You missed Charlie Brown Christmas, Miracle on 34th St. and does the Nutcracker count?
LOVE ACTUALLY IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE!!!
Agreed, why isn’t it on here!? It definitely made the top 100, but we’re surprised it’s not higher
Where is Home Alone?😳
I can’t believe Nationl Lampoons Christmas Vacation didn’t make the list….
At least you seem in the Christmas spirit, M G! We agree the list doesn’t hit every mark.
Most incomplete and inane list I’ve ever read. ‘Bah Humbug!’ 🙂
The Muppets Christmas Carol is there!
Rotten Tomatoes is to blame! 🤣
Seems like a major oversight….
Tell us how you really feel, Ted! 🤣
Agreed, why isn’t it on there?
We believe Christmas Vacation is in the top 100!
Millennials obviously compiled the list of Top 50 Holiday movies, most notably because it excludes Christmas Vacation.
Love Actually is not on the list…shame on Rotten Tomatoes
this is one of the worst lists I have ever seen
One magic Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas, The family Stone, The bishops wife, all better than the nightmare before Christmas. Enough said
What about Christmas Vacation?
This list is WRONG for so many reasons, top two though, is that you missed National Lampoons Christmas Vacation and Jaw 2 !!!!
Not a single Christmas Carol? Who ranked these, the Grinch?
The old movies, repeatedly get the 100% rating. That speaks louder than anything as far as I’m concerned. The WWII movies have more thought and meaning in them.
You cannot be serious! Most of these movies have little or nothing to do with Christmas. Is the author trying to be funny? Not funny. Mildly insane,
We think Rotten Tomatoes aggregates the ratings by users and critics, skewing the list a bit.
We agree, some classics are missed, this list encompasses top rated by audience and critics, some of those ratings have bumped others out…
What happened to the Bell of Saint Mary’s and Going My Way with Bing Crosby????????? Classics and not even listed, shameful,,,,,,,
You missed the Alistair Sim Christmas Carol / Scrooge retad at 86% by Rotten Tomatoes
The Muppets Christmas Carol is the most underrated Christmas movie as it does justice to Charles Dickens original work and just enough muppet magic to give laughs to this serious story.