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Top 36 Essential Holiday Movies (Rotten Tomatoes)

We believe the essential holiday movie is the movie you can't wait to watch again. They're nostalgic movies you can't separate from memories of watching the leaves turn, the snow fall, and coming together with your family over warm food and even warmer drinks. The end of the year is a time of reflection and appreciation, and the holiday movies chosen for this list reflect our most hopeful side – whether it's seeing Scrooge's redemption (there's no shortage of Christmas Carol adaptations here!), the salvation of George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, or Charlie Brown's conquest of melancholia in his legendary Christmas special. Meanwhile, other movies picked here are simply good-natured fare with plenty of snowy moments, like Cool Runnings, Eight Below, and Paddington. And finally, we come to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, with perhaps the most valuable lesson: You can't choose family, but you can choose to smile and laugh. Happy Holidays from Rotten Tomatoes!
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1
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
2
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
3
Holiday Inn (1942)
Holiday Inn (1942)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
4
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
5
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
6
Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014)
Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes®   91%
7
A Christmas Carol (1938)
A Christmas Carol (1938)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
8
Paddington (2014)
Paddington (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes®   97%
9
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Rotten Tomatoes®   96%
10
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes®   94%
11
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Rotten Tomatoes®   94%
12
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes®   95%
13
Arthur Christmas (2011)
Arthur Christmas (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes®   92%
14
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Rotten Tomatoes®   94%
15
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Rotten Tomatoes®   95%
16
Little Women (1994)
Little Women (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes®   90%
17
A Christmas Story (1983)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes®   90%
18
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes®   90%
19
Frozen (2013)
Frozen (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes®   90%
20
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Rotten Tomatoes®   89%
21
The Miracle of Morgan'S Creek (1944)
The Miracle of Morgan'S Creek (1944)
Rotten Tomatoes®   86%
22
Anastasia (1997)
Anastasia (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes®   86%
23
Elf (2003)
Elf (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes®   85%
24
Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes®   85%
25
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
Rotten Tomatoes®   84%
26
Cool Runnings (1993)
Cool Runnings (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes®   76%
27
Happy Feet (2006)
Happy Feet (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes®   76%
28
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes®   76%
29
The Santa Clause (1994)
The Santa Clause (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes®   72%
30
Eight Below (2006)
Eight Below (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes®   72%
31
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes®   71%
32
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes®   75%
33
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Rotten Tomatoes®   67%
34
Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes®   67%
35
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
Rotten Tomatoes®   73%
36
The Snowman (1982)
The Snowman (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes®   80%
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