Best Christmas films

Top ten best Christmas films

One of the best things about Christmas is watching lots of Christmas films! We couldn’t resist compiling a list of our top ten Christmas films:

Die Hard (1988)

It doesn’t scream ‘Christmas film’ – but Die Hard will forever be a ‘Christmas film’! And that song at the end, “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…”

Did you know that The Nakatomi tower is actually the headquarters of 20th Century Fox.

Die Hard

 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

It was the last of Chevy Chases’ Vacation series (we’ve chosen to ignore Vegas Vacation!) and in our opinion it’s the best! Its opening title song is a Christmas song classic all on its own and can’t help but bring a festive smile to your face!

Did you know that despite its popularity, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was never released at the cinema in the UK?

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Elf (2003)

Is Elf a kids films? Is it ok for grown adults to watch it – and love it?! We don’t care, we love it!!

Did you know that Will Ferrell turned down $29 million to be in Elf 2 in late 2013?

Elf

Home Alone (1990)

It was before Macaulay Culkin got a bit annoying. And it was before leaving your kid home alone was deemed the worst thing in the world!

Did you know that Joe Pesci was told by the Director (Chris Columbus) to use the word “fridge” instead of the “F-word” on set? It’s a family movie after all!

Home Alone

Love Actually (2003)

Ok, it’s a soppy one, but it’s so good! The interweaving lives of 8 couples in London, at Christmas takes you through every emotion possible.

Did you know that the word “actually” is spoken twenty-two times by various characters in the film?

Love Actually

Four Christmases (2008)

One of the most recent films on the list and in a few years, it could very well be a Christmas classic! It paints the reality of what Christmas means to most people… family. And everything that comes with it…

Did you know that during the filming of the dinner sequence, Reese Witherspoon was hit in the face with a ceramic plate? She required 5 stitches as a result of the injury, which delayed the shoot for 3 days.

Four Christmases

Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

Ah… a classic! Santa looks like a real Santa (he’s real, right?!) and the behind the scenes footage of Santa’s North Pole operation is a real treat!

Did you know that real deer were trained to pull the sleigh? Not sure we’d get away with that these days…

Santa Claus: The Movie

Bad Santa (2003)

Bad Santa isn’t afraid to tell you that Christmas isn’t all about sleigh-bells and snowflakes. It’s definitely a ‘dark’ take on Christmas! Billy Bob Thornton’s ‘Santa’ is brilliant , finding just the right blend of humour and reality.

Did you know that Billy Bob Thornton was drunk throughout most of the filming – apparently…

Bad Santa

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

Probably the most well known Christmas film of all time – and it’s a classic! You always remember It’s a Wonderful Life for being such a feel-good film but there’s actually some really dark moments in there. It’s essentially about a man on the brink of suicide! But’s handled with such class and tenderness, it hits the right note every time you see it.

Did you know that James Stewart apparently said that of all the films he made, It’s a Wonderful Life was his favourite? How wonderful!

It's a Wonderful Life

Gremlins (1984)

It’s dark and it’s scary, but it’s set at Christmas time! Gremlins is a real classic Christmas film, provoking a rollercoaster of emotions.

Did you know that in Cantonese Chinese, mogwai means devil, demon or gremlin?

Gremlins

 

Trivia: Two of the above films feature It’s a Wonderful Life playing on TV screens. Do you know which ones? Clue: It’s not It’s a Wonderful Life!

So how did we do? Do you agree, or did we miss your favourite? Let us know…

 

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