15 Best Christmas Movies for Kids

“It’s the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrr”… Christmas is great, isn’t it? Everyone is full of joy, the food and drink are flowing, and the kids are excited to see what the big red man brings them for Christmas.

But do you know what my favourite part of Christmas is? The movies.

It’s always lovely to sit down with your family and watch a fun Christmas movie, especially if you’ve got kids.

In this article, you’ll discover 15 of the best Christmas movies you can watch with your kids. Now pour yourself some mulled wine and read through this list.

The Christmas Chronicles

This 2018 Christmas movie was a joyful surprise when Netflix released it. And it quickly solidified itself as one of the best festive films to watch.

It has it all, a brilliant storyline, comedy, and plenty of fun; the whole movie is magical and will leave your kids in awe.

The film follows siblings Teddy and Kate Pierce, who devise a plan to catch Santa Claus on camera. However, their plan goes awry, and they find themselves stranded in another city with Santa.

The kids must work with Santa to fix his sleigh and bring back the Christmas cheer before the night is over and Christmas is ruined.

Starring in this movie is the brilliant Kurt Russell; he’s known for The Thing, The Hateful Eight, Escape From L.A., Executive Decision, and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2.

He’s joined by Darby Camp, Judah Lewis, and Oliver Hudson.

Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas

The Grinch hates Christmas and lives just outside the small town of Whoville, and he and the townsfolk don’t see eye to eye.

However, six-year-old Cindy Lou believes in the Christmas spirit and seeks to reform the Grinch. But the Grinch has other plans… he wants to ruin Christmas for everyone, and nobody can stop him.

This movie is the perfect Christmas film for your kids as it’s light-hearted and fun to watch; even as an adult, you’ll enjoy it.

This brilliant comedy classic stars Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Christine Baranski, Jeffrey Tambor, and Josh Ryan Evans.

Elf

This wouldn’t be a great list if Elf didn’t make the cut. This movie is the ULTIMATE Christmas movie for kids.

It follows Buddy, a human who was raised by Santa and his elves at the North Pole. However, when he discovers that he’s not an elf, he journeys to New York City to find his biological father.

While he’s there, he gets into some sticky situations and finds love.

Elf is brilliant; it’s full of humour and festive spirit. I don’t feel very “Christmassy” until I’ve watched this film in front of my Christmas tree.

Dare I say it’s the best Christmas movie of all time? Well, for kids, it is, at least.

Starring in Elf is Will Ferrell, Zoe Deschanel, Bob Newhart, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, and Peter Dinklage.

Frozen

Frozen tells the story of two princesses, Elsa and Anna. Elsa has magical abilities that allow her to turn any object into ice. But this scares her, and she leaves to keep her family safe.

Anna sets out with Olaf the snowman and her friend Kristoff to find Elsa and bring her back home.

If you’ve got kids, you’re probably thinking, “No, not this movie; I can’t deal with another rendition of let it go”. OK, I’m exaggerating here, but I’ve got no doubt you know this movie inside out.

It’s a brilliant Christmas movie as it’s set in the snow and has a snowman as a lead character.

Whether you love the magical storyline, the songs, or the funny characters like Olaf, I’m sure you’ll find something to enjoy in this Christmas film.

This movie stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, and Jennifer Lee.

Spirited

This 2022 Christmas movie tells the Charles Dickens story of “The Christmas Carol”. However, this isn’t your typical version of the tale.

The Ghost of Christmas Present chooses a dark soul to reform each year. However, this year, he’s picked the wrong person; he chose Clint Briggs.

Briggs turns the tables on the ghost and has him examining his own past, present and future.

It’s a nice twist on the tale, right?

The movie is a musical comedy that brings many new things to the table. One of the best scenes is the tap dance scene between Will Ferrall and Ryan Reynolds, but you’ll have to watch it to see what I mean.

It’s funny, often daft, and super festive; it’s the perfect Christmas movie for kids.

This film stars Will Ferrell (best known for Elf) and Ryan Reynolds (known for Deadpool).

The Guardians Of The Galaxy: Holiday Special

Love Marvel movies and love Christmas? If so, this is the ideal Christmas movie for your kids.

To cheer up Quill, The Guardians are on a mission to make this Christmas unforgettable. To do so, they head to Earth to find the perfect present… which leads them to kidnap Kevin Bacon.

If you’ve seen the other Guardians Of The Galaxy movies, then you’ll enjoy every moment of this Christmas special and your kids will love it.

Den Of Geek said, “The special is a lightweight affair (which is certainly by design), but it’s also crafted with such earnest care that it’s impossible to not find yourself at least a little charmed.”

Starring in this movie is Kevin Bacon (known for Footloose), Chris Pratt (Avengers: Endgame), and Mark Hamill (Star Wars).

A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

Based on the Matt Haig novel of the same name, this tale tells the story of a young boy named Nikolas long before Santa Claus existed.

Nikolas loves toys; he goes in search of a mythical place named Elfheim, where he befriends several reindeer and discovers something that’ll change his life forever.

I’m sure you can see where this story is going? It’s the origin story of Santa.

This wonderful festive movie stars Henry Lawfull, Joel Fry, Maggie Smith, Isabella O’Sullivan, Eden Lawrence, and Jim Broadbent.

The Polar Express

The Polar Express is probably one of the most magical movies on this list and is the ideal film to watch with your kids on Christmas Eve.

A young boy boards a mysterious train which has pulled up outside of his house. He soon realises that the train is heading to the North Pole to meet Santa.

On the magical journey, he meets many special people that give him unforgettable memories and change his life forever.

This animated classic is excellent and is an easy film to watch. And it has a lovely meaning behind it too.

The film stars Tom Hanks, Eddie Deezen, Josh Hutcherson, and Michael Jeter.

Home Alone

Eight year old Kevin McCallister is accidentally left behind when his family fly to Paris for the holidays.

In the beginning, Kevin is pleased that his family have disappeared, especially after the huge argument he’d had with them the night before.

However, when two thieves attempt to break into his house, he plans a series of traps for the would-be thieves. After all, he is the “man of the house” now.

We all loved this movie growing up; I’m certain kids still do today. The Guardian Newspaper called the film a “phenomenal box-office smash.” What’s not to like?

Home Alone stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, and John Heard.

Jack Frost

When singer Jack Frost dies during a road accident, he leaves behind his wife and young son. Charlie, his son, is inconsolable and struggles to come to terms with the loss of his Dad.

However, Charlie’s life rapidly changes when his Dad’s spirit returns in the form of a snowman.

Charlie keeps the snowman a secret from his mother as he thinks everyone will believe he’s crazy.

This heartwarming movie can be a bit of a tear-jerker, but it’s a brilliant movie to watch with your kids.

This movie stars Michael Keaton, Joseph Cross, Kelly Preston, and Mark Addy.

Jingle All The Way

Jingle All The Way is one of the classic 90s Christmas movies I grew up watching. It even has the legendary bodybuilder and action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger in it.

When Howard promises his son a Turbo Man toy for Christmas, he doesn’t realise how in demand that toy is and that he’s left it a little too late.

Howard is forced to battle it out with every parent hoping to get their hands on the Turbo Man doll, a battle that sees him running all over town.

This movie is light-hearted and doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes it a brilliant Christmas film for kids.

This film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Jake Lloyd, Rita Wilson, and Jim Belushi.

The Santa Clause

Scott Calvin and his son are relaxing one Christmas Eve when they hear a noise on their roof. They head outside to discover Santa is loading presents into his sack, and Scott startles Santa, resulting in him falling and injuring himself.

By helping Santa, Scott unknowingly agrees to become the next Santa.

As the year progresses, Scott looks more like Santa each day, making it difficult for him to live his normal life.

This is one of the best 90s Christmas movies around, I took a school trip when I was five years old, and as a kid, I can confirm it’s magical.

This movie stars Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, David Krumholtz, Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold, and Paige Tamada.

Klaus (2019)

Selfish postman Jasper is forced to relocate to Smeerensburg.

While he’s there, he starts working with a reclusive toymaker named Klaus. The pair aim to spread happiness and cheer around the dreary and dark town.

You can think of this animated movie as the origin story for Santa Klaus. It’s an easy watch, but it will keep your kids entertained for the 1 hour 40 minutes it’s on for… just enough time to wrap some presents.

This movie stars Jason Schwartzman, Sergio Pablos, Norm Macdonald, J.K. Simmons, Joan Cusack and Rashida Jones.

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

The sequel to the popular Home Alone was inevitable. And, while usually sequels are never as good as its predecessor, this Christmas movie knocks it out of the park.

Kevin McAllister finds himself alone yet again. However, this time he’s not in his home; he’s in New York City.

While he’s there, he bumps into the two criminals (Harry and Marv) who’ve recently escaped prison. When the two criminals notice Kevin is alone, they hatch a plan to get revenge on the kid.

But, as you know from the first movie, Kevin won’t be caught that easily.

It’s a fun movie to watch with your kids; I loved this Christmas film when I was growing up, and still do today.

This movie stars Macaulay Culkin, Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, John Heard, and Catherine O’Hara.

The Nutcracker and The Four Realms

This star-studded Christmas film tells the story of a young girl who’s transported to a magical world on Christmas Eve. The world is full of fairies, gingerbread soldiers, and other magical creatures.

While she’s there, she discovers that she holds the fate of this wonderful new world in her hands, and she needs to protect it.

This movie is pretty magical, and kids will love watching every moment during the build-up to Christmas.

Starring in this 2018 movie is Keira Knightley, best known for her roles in Love Actually, Pirates of The Caribbean, Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, and Bend It Like Beckham.

She’s joined by Mackenzie Foy, Misty Copeland, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and Jayden Fowora-Knight.