It’s the hap-happiest season of all. We bring nature inside as we adorn our living spaces with seasonally appropriate trees, and we light up the longer nights with bright and colourful lights. Music from generations long since passed is re-played and re-contextualised, and centuries old iconography is re-evaluated and repurposed.

There’ll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and carolling out in the snow. If we’ve been good, we’ll receive gifts (thanks Santa!), and if we’re lucky we’ll eat so much food we can barely move. Almost certainly, we’ll watch a movie. From the Netflix Originals of the current era to the silver screen classics of wartime Hollywood, Christmastime movie watching doesn’t discriminate based on picture quality, colour or the lack thereof, acting powerhouses or barely trained actors – if it works, it works. And if it’s good, we’ll hold onto it forever.

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we’ve scoured the annals of Christmas movie history to bring you the very best of the best to watch this holiday season. These films are Christmas classics and beloved cult hits, some culturally significant and others often overlooked. These films are seasonal treats; two advent calendars worth of movie magic from the big-wigs in Hollywood and beyond.

Short films (those with a runtime of under one hour) will not be included here, nor will films that cross multiple seasons but feel like Christmas movies – sorry You’ve Got Mail and Bridget Jones’s Diary. Debatable Christmas movies like Gremlins have also been omitted because of their inclusion in our alternative list “10 Excellent Non-Christmas Films Set at Christmas“. Seasonal classic The Apartment has also been disqualified on the grounds that it covers Christmas and beyond, and is arguably more of a new year’s movie.

These are 50 Unmissable Christmas Movies as chosen by The Film Magazine team members. Entries by Mark Carnochan, Kieran Judge, Martha Lane, Sam Sewell-Peterson and Joseph Wade.

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).

1. Remember the Night (1940)

Golden Era stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray (who would go on to star in The Apartment) spark an unlikely romance when Stanwyck’s Lee Leander steals a bracelet from a jewellery store and MacMurray’s John “Jack” Sargent is assigned to prosecute her over the Christmas holidays.

One of the era’s many beloved studio romantic comedies, Remember the Night features all the elements that would come to define the genre while encompassing some screwball comedy and classic transatlantic accents. The tagline read “When good boy meets bad girl they remember the night”, and it’s likely you’ll remember this seasonal treat too. JW

2. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Few things signal classic Hollywood Christmases like Jimmy Stewart, and 6 years before arguably his most memorable performance in the iconic Frank Capra Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life, he starred in a seasonal favourite that was just as beloved by critics, The Shop Around the Corner.

This holiday romance from Ernst Lubitsch (who also directed Heaven Can Wait) sees Stewart’s Alfred fall in love with his pen pal who, unbeknownst to him, is the colleague he most despises at his gift store job – You’ve Got Mail has got nothing on this. With some hearty moments and all of the circumstantial comedy of the best movies of the era, The Shop Around the Corner will make you laugh and fill your heart in that special way that only the best Christmas movies can. JW

3. Holiday Inn (1942)

Early sound pictures were revolutionised by famed tap dancer Fred Astaire, and by 1942 he was a certified movie musical megastar. In Mark Sandrich’s seasonal musical Holiday Inn, he teams with would-be Christmas icon and man with a voice as sooth as silk, Bing Crosby. The result is one of the most iconic and influential Christmas movies ever made.

The film’s outdated attitude towards race are cringe-inducing and inexcusable in a 21st century context (there’s a whole sequence featuring blackface), but its other dated sensibilities shine bright amongst more modern and commercial Christmas films; its wholesome aura, classic dance scenes, and era-defining songs making for an unmissable experience. To top it all, Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas” for the first time in this film, cementing it in history as a seasonal classic. JW

4. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Widely acknowledged as one of the holiday season’s best-ever films, Vincente Minnelli (An American in Paris) illuminates his would-be wife Judy Garland in arguably her most established performance, bringing Christmas cheer to all without sacrificing any of the harsh realities facing the American people in the first half of the 20th century.

Featuring the original (and arguably the best) rendition of Christmas classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, and being anchored by some heartbreaking story elements, Meet Me In St. Louis maintains its power and relevance 80 years on. It offers a Christmas movie that will forever mark the height of its sub-genre, as well as the two filmmaking careers (of Minnelli and Garland) that helped to define the era. JW

Recommended for you: There’s No Place Like St. Louis at Christmas

5. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

Remember the Night star Barbara Stanwyck is once again front and centre for a Golden Era Hollywood Christmas movie, this time playing a city magazine editor whose lies about being a perfect housewife are put to the test when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her house.

This is screwball comedy with all the spirit of the festive season is as romantic as it is funny, and prominently features the shadows of World War II to gift the film a unique emotionality that has ensured it is rewatched year on year. JW

Lists like these are created with the utmost passion and love, but they’re also created to engage your own thoughts on the subject. If you have any thoughts you’d like to voice, please make sure to leave them in the comments at the end of this article or tweet us!

List set by UK release dates.

100. The Avengers (2012)

Dir: Joss Whedon

The 2010s may not have spawned the era of superhero films, but it was certainly the decade they were risen to their current record-crushing heights, and arguably none of that would have been possible without the exciting first-ever team-up of Marvel’s mightiest heroes in the Joss Whedon directed The Avengers (also known as Avengers Assemble) in 2012.

Starring would-be A-Listers personifying iconic characters, fantastical elements and all-out action, The Avengers was an important moment in time both from an industry standpoint and an audience standpoint, the formula it worked to coming to define the entire decade.

Recommended for you: Every MCU Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Ranked

99. Short Term 12 (2013)
Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton

98. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow

97. Blue Valentine (2010)
Dir: Derek Cianfrance

96. Black Panther (2018)
Dir: Ryan Coogler

“Marvel’s boldest move yet in many ways. It’s one of the darkest and most violent of the studio’s offerings so far, but it’s also one of the most fun and full of life.” – Sam Sewell-Peterson’s review.

95. The Kids Are Alright (2010)
Dir: Lisa Cholodenko

94. Good Time (2017)
Dir: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

93. Under the Shadow (2016)
Dir: Babak Anvari

92. The House That Jack Built (2018)
Dir: Lars von Trier

91. Bridesmaids (2011)
Dir: Paul Feig

90. Amy (2015)
Dir: Asif Kapadia

89. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Dir: David O. Russell

88. Booksmart (2019)
Dir: Olivia Wilde

“this picture’s strong and tasteful mix of characters [work] to compliment the progressive themes of this genuinely funny, hearty and at times downright emotional movie headlined by two superlative performances. Not since Superbad has the genre delivered such a bonafide classic.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

87. Snowpiercer (2013)
Dir: Bong Joon Ho

86. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Dir: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

“This is more than a superhero movie, it’s a defining moment in modern cinema.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

85. Gone Girl (2014)
Dir: David Fincher

84. Only God Forgives (2013)
Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn

83. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Dir: George Miller

Mad Max: Fury Road was so much of a surprise smash hit with audiences and critics that it became a meme. “From the director of Babe: Pig in the City” became the running joke, George Miller’s exhile into mediocre studio-driven fare well and truly ended by his return to the Mad Max franchise he’d built from the 70s onwards, Fury Road earning 10 Oscar nominations (including 6 wins), a moment that marked an important evolution for the Academy that had for over a decade refused to acknowledge most action films in any way, shape or form at their popular and prestigious awards.

82. Dogtooth (2010)
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

81. The Skin I Live In (2011)
Dir: Pedro Almodóvar

80. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Dir: Lee Unkrich

79. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Dir: Jee-woon Kim

78. Amour (2012)
Dir: Michael Haneke

77. Inception (2010)
Dir: Christopher Nolan

76. The Babadook (2014)
Dir: Jennifer Kent

Recommended for you: 10 Best Horror Movies of the 2010s

Here are the winners (please note that the final tallies on wins per film are available at the foot of this article):

Best Film: Spotlight

The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room

Direction: Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant)

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)
Adam McKay (The Big Short)
George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Lenny Abrahamson (Room)

Actor In A Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)
Matt Damon (The Martian)
Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

Actress In A Leading Role: Brie Larson (Room)

Cate Blanchett (Carol)
Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)
Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)
Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Actor In A Supporting Role: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Christian Bale (The Big Short)
Tom Hardy (The Revenant)
Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)
Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

Actress In A Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)
Rooney Mara (Carol)
Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)
Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Animated Feature Film: Inside Out

Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul

Embrace of the Serpant
Mustang
Theeb
A War

Documentary (Feature): Amy

Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom

Documentary (Short Subject): A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

Body Team 12
Chau, beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
Last Day of Freedom

Short Film (Animated): Bear Story

Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live Without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow

Short Film (Live Action): Stutterer

Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
Shok

Original Screenplay: Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

Matt Charman; Ethan Coen; Joel Coen (Bridge of Spies)
Alex Garland (Ex Machina)
Pete Docter; Meg LeFauve; Josh Cooley (Inside Out)
Jonathan Herman & Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton)

Adapted Screenplay: Charles Randolph & Adam McKay (The Big Short)

Nick Hornby (Brooklyn)
Phyllis Nagy (Carol)
Drew Goddard (The Martian)
Emma Donoghue (Room)

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant)

Ed Lachman (Carol)
Robert Richardson (The Hateful Eight)
John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Roger Deakins (Sicario)

Editing: Margarat Sixel (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Hank Corwin (The Big Short)
Stephen Mirrione (The Revenant)
Tom McArdle (Spotlight)
Maryann Brandon & Mary Jo Markey (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Original Score: Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)

Thomas Newman (Bridge of Spies)
Carter Burwell (Carol)
Jóhann Jóhannsson (Sicario)
John Williams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Original Song: “Writing’s On the Wall” by Sam Smith (Spectre)

“Earned It” by The Weeknd (Fifty Shades of Grey)
“Manta Ray” by J. Ralph & Anohni (Racing Extinction)
“Simple Song #3” by David Lang (Youth)
“‘Til It Happens To You” by Lady Gaga (From the Hunting Ground)

Sound Editing: Mark Mangini & David White (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Oliver Tarney (The Martian)
Martin Hernandez & Lon Bender (The Revenant)
Alan Robert Murray (Sicario)
Matthew Wood & David Acord (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Sound Mixing: Chris Jenkins; Gregg Rudloff; Ben Osmo (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Andy Nelson; Gary Rydstrom; Drew Kunin (Bridge of Spies)
Paul Massey; Mark Taylor; Mac Ruth (The Martian)
Jon Taylor; Frank A. Montaño; Randy Thom; Chris Deusterdiek (The Revenant)
Andy Nelson; Christopher Scarabosio; Stuart Wilson (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Costume Design: Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Sandy Powell (Carol)
Sandy Powell (Cinderella)
Jacqueline West (The Revenant)
Paco Delgado (The Danish Girl)

Makeup & Hairstyling: Lesley Vanderwalt; Elka Wardega; Damian Martin (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Love Larson & Eva von Bahr (The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)
Siân Grigg; Duncan Jarman; Robert Pandini (The Revenant)

Production Design: Colin Gibson (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Adam Stockhausen (Bridge of Spies)
Eve Stewart (The Danish Girl)
Arthur Max (The Martian)
Jack Fisk (The Revenant)

Visual Effects: Andrew Whitehurst; Paul Norris; Mark Ardington; Sara Bennett (Ex Machina)

Andrew Jackson; Tom Wood; Dan Oliver; Andy Williams (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Roger Guyett; Patrick Tubach; Neal Scanlan; Chris Corbould (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Richard Stammers; Anders Langlands; Chris Lawrence; Steven Warner (The Martian)
Rich McBride; Matthew Shumway; Jason Smith; Cameron Waldbauer (The Revenant)

Awards Totals:

Mad Max: Fury Road (6)
The Revenant (3)
Spotlight (2)
The Big Short (1)
The Danish Girl (1)
Ex Machina (1)
Inside Out (1)
Bridge of Spies (1)
Amy (1)
Spectre (1)
Room (1)
The Hateful Eight (1)
Bear Story (1)
Stutterer (1)
Son of Saul (1)
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (1)

Number 30: Amy 

Director: Asif Kapadia

Cast: Amy Winehouse

Number 29: Macbeth

Director: Justin Kurzel

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan

Number 28: Far from the Madding Crowd

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts,Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, Juno Temple

Number 27: Still Alice

Director: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland

Cast: Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth, Shane McRae, Hunter Parrish,  Alec Baldwin, Seth Gilliam, Kristen Stewart

Number 26: Black Mass

Director: Scott Cooper

Cast: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rory Cochrane, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson

Number 25: The Good Dinosaur

Director: Peter Sohn

Cast: Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A.J. Buckley, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand

Number 24: American Sniper

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Max Charles, Luke Grimes, Kyle Gallner

Number 23: Human

Director: Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Number 22: Ex Machina

Director: Alex Garland

Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno

Number 21: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Director: Joss Whedon 

Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson

Number 20: Everest

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Cast: Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson

Number 19: Cinderella

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Cast: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Stellan Skarsgård, Nonso Anozie, Sophie McShera, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, Hayley Atwell

Number 18: Southpaw

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Naomie Harris, Victor Ortiz, Rachel McAdams, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Miguel Gomez

Number 17: Kingsman: The Secret Service

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Sophie Cookson, Sofia Boutella, Geoff Bell, Edward Holcroft, Mark Hamill, Jack Davenport

Number 16: Suite Francaise

Director: Saul Dibb

Cast: Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sam Riley, Ruth Wilson, Lambert Wilson, Clare Holman, Margot Robbie

Number 15: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Director: Francis Lawrence

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman,Donald Sutherland, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Natalie Dormer, Willow Shields, Mahershala Ali, Stanley Tucci, Gwendoline Christie

Number 14: Straight Outta Compton

Director: F. Gary Gray

Cast: O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Neil Brown, Jr., Paul Giamatti, Marlon Yates Jr., Corey Reynolds

Number 13: Ant-Man

Director: Peyton Reed

Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Anthony Mackie, Wood Harris,  David Dastmalchian, Michael Douglas

Number 12: Inside Out

Director: Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen

Cast: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Richard Kind, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan

Number 11: Spectre

Director: Sam Mendes

Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes, Rory Kinnear, Jesper Christensen

Number 10: The Martian

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mackenzie Davis, Sean Bean, Jeff Daniels, Donald Glover, Benedict Wong, Kristen Wiig

Number 9: Steve Jobs

Director: Danny Boyle 

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Katherine Waterston, Michael Stuhlbarg

Number 8: Furious 7

Director: James Wan

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Djimon Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot 

Number 7: Selma

Director: Ava DuVernay

Cast: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Andre Holland, Tessa Thompson, Giovanni Ribisi, Lorraine Toussaint, Stephan James, Wendell Pierce, Common, Alessandro Nivola, Keith Stanfield, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Dylan Baker, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey

Number 6: Jurassic World

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, B. D. Wong, Jake Johnson, Lauren Lapkus, Brian Tee, Katie McGrath, Judy Greer, Andy Buckley

Number 5: The Theory of Everything

Director: James Marsh 

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis, Maxine Peake, Harry Lloyd

Number 4: Carol

Director: Todd Haynes

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy, Cory Michael Smith, John Magaro, Carrie Brownstein

Number 3: Birdman

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Cast: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts

Number 2: Mad Max: Fury Road 

Director: George Miller

Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton 

Number 1: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Director:  J. J. Abrams

Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Max von Sydow