The Ultimate Guide to Christmas Movies
by Nathan Robertson and Mitch Wiley
It’s the Christmas season, and most of us have our favorite holiday films that we play on repeat every year. It might be a favorite movie that was passed down to you by your parents, or one that you watched for the first time with close friends and you love to relive the memory. Whatever your first experience was, Christmas movies we love have a way of sparking joy and helping us reminisce of some of our fondest moments with the people who matter most.
However, it can be easy to relax into rewatching our favorites and forget that the Christmas movie has sort of become its own genre. This means that there are countless offerings waiting to be discovered. Be it about Santa Claus, family holiday get-togethers, or movies that are simply Christmas”ish”, there is something out there for everyone.
So without further ado, beginning with our primary list based on enneagram types, here is our ultimate guide to Christmas movies, with a collection of lists that can hopefully guide your Christmas watchlist no matter what mood you’re in at the moment.
Enneagram Christmas Movies
Type 1 -“The Reformer” (The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
For many, this is the quintessential family Christmas movie, but on a closer inspection, not only is it not as Christmas-y as you remembered, it’s also much darker as it dives headfirst into a suicidal man facing economic failure. The classic everyman Jimmy Stewart faces difficult ethical and existential questions in a movie that’s ending is one of the best in all of cinema.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
A noir throwback to 1950s Hollywood, the story follows a handful of LAPD officers as they navigate personal and systemic corruption, mystery, and murder in Tinseltown.
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
The great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman’s final feature is one in which he reflects on his own childhood in the early 1900s with Christmas gatherings a heavy feature. His avatar, Alexander, is a melancholic boy who wrestles with the big questions of familial death and ascenticism present within a strict Swedish Christianity.
Type 2 - “The Helper” (The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
A classic, can’t miss, stop-motion wonder of the outcast Rudolph who simply wants to help Santa make Christmas happen.
Little Women (1994 / 2019)
Whether you’re faithful to 1994 Little Women starring Winona Ryder and Christian Bale, or the (superior) 2019 version starring Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet, both present the story of the March family, who through differing personalities and love interests, are dedicated to helping others in their time of greatest times of need.
The Holdovers (2023)
The newest holiday classic just released and, upon first glace, may fit best with the Enneagram 5s as its main character is a curmudgeonly anti-social professor (masterfully played by Paul Giamatti. A cross between Dead Poets Society and The Breakfast Club, Giamatti’s Mr. Hunham is matched with a high school student who needs wisdom and love to uncover his potential.
type 3 - “The Achiever” (The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Leonardo DiCaprio is the real-life Frank Abagnale Jr., a smooth-talking con-artist that forges and fakes his way to many an adventure, all while being pursued by Tom Hanks’ Carl Hanratty. Both find themselves squaring off nearly every Christmas in their several-yeared game of cat-and-mouse.
The Apartment (1960)
Hilarious, cringy, and often heartfelt, The Apartment is a classic for a reason. Sometimes the ladder to success means giving up the person…and the place that means the most to you.
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
A Dickensian tale of a mailroom employee’s rise to the top of an influential manufacturing company, this 1950s-set screwball comedy is an underappreciated gem from the deep filmography of the Coen Brothers.
Type 4 — “The Individualist” (The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
We might as well call the Enneagram 4 section the Tim Burton Hall of Fame. A quick trip to your local Hot Topic will reveal a store replete with his macabre and idiosyncratic oddball characters and memorabilia. Edward is a grim and naive outsider whose biggest source of sadness turns out to be his greatest gift to those around him—even those who seek to bully and humiliate him. And of course Winona Ryder is in it.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Creativity abounds in this stop-motion masterclass from director Henry Sellick, about Jack Skellington, the introspective Pumpkin King of Halloween who wonders if their isn’t some other kind of holiday spirit he can embrace.
Spencer (2021)
One of Kristen Stewart’s best roles to date, as well as one of the most fascinating portrayals of Princess Diana, Spencer follows Princess Diana as she battles the tormenting pressures of life as a royal over one Christmas weekend.
type 5 - “The Investigator” (The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 / 2000)
Dr. Suess’ classic children’s story has been adapted a few times and the 1966 cartoon and 2000 live-action adaption complement each other in terms of faithfulness to the book (Boris Karloff’s classic voice reads the text directly) and zany creative liberties (Jim Carrey’s unhinged theatrics). I haven’t watched the newer Illumination Studios’ Benedict Cumberbatch version so go with that if it suits you!
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Not nearly enough people talk about this as one of the great murder mysteries from the mind of writer-turned-director Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Long Kiss Goodnight, The Nice Guys). When a childhood magician turned thief (Robert Downey Jr.) mistakenly gets eyed for a role in a new movie, he must go to train under a private eye (Val Kilmer) without becoming distracted after reconnecting with his lifelong crush (Michelle Monaghan). Oh, and there’s some murder as well.
Klaus (2019)
For those who want a lesser explored version of the Santa Clause story, look no further than the surprisingly clever and altogether sweet story of a spoiled post office employee (Wes Anderson muse Jason Schwartzman) who is sent to Smeerenburg, the last place anyone would ever want to go, to establish a successful post office. He enlists the help of a local woodsmen turned toy maker.
type 6 - “The Loyalist” (The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Judy Garland delivers one of the best musical solos in cinema history with her melancholic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The movie nostalgically looks back at a loving family in 1903-04, mourning a time that has left but also desiring a return to this kind of slower life and close-knit family. It’s only more nostalgic and melancholic today as our individualistic digital world spins faster and faster.
Home Alone (1990)
No matter who wets the bed, or eats all the cheese pizza, family always sticks together…until they don’t.
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
An aging couple spends the holidays with their children and extended family and comes to the sobering realization that life has moved on without them. They find themselves more in the way than cherished and revered. An unfortunate and more universal experience than we younger folks realize. Hug your parents and grandparents extra tight this year.
Type 7 — “The Enthusiast” (The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered)
Elf (2003)
Filled with constant fun and laughter, this is for all those who watch the scene where Buddy (Will Ferrell) congratulates the coffee shop on “The World’s Best Cup of Coffee” and thinks, “I could see myself doing that…”
Christmas Vacation (1989)
The Griswold family Christian tree. The blessing! The squirrel. The Christmas lights shutting down the neighborhood’s electricity. Is there a funnier Christmas movie? Bend over and I’ll show ya!
Gremlins (1984)
Don’t let them get wet and don’t feed them after midnight. If you do, all hell will break loose this Christmas.
Type 8 — “The Challenger” (The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational)
Die Hard (1988)
Nothing says, “I don’t mind confrontation,” more then hunting down the terrorists in your wife’s high-riser office building. Make sure you get your pen and notepad out, because this will have plenty of quotes for you to write down and use later.
Moonstruck (1987)
Cher won her Oscar in this Italian-American romantic comedy starring opposite a young and vivacious Nic Cage. The two are hot-headed Enneagram 8s who clash, but also fall in love. It’s amore.
Black Christmas (1974)
A Christmas horror movie huh? Challenge accepted. One of the most classic examples of spooky season in December, Black Christmas inspired many later slasher films that give you a look from the killer’s perspective.
Type 9 — “The Peacemaker” (The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The OG of modern Christmas preoccupations (with respect to… the Bible) is Charles Dickens’ absolute classic. You most adapted story in cinema and television history, it’s kind of mindblowing that perhaps the best is done by Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and co. Oh and of course a wonderful Michael Caine as Scrooge.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1964)
Sometimes the most profound truths are told in the simplest ways. The beloved Peanuts special sees a depressed and disillusioned Charlie Brown earnestly searching for peace and joy amidst commercialism, post-war malaise, contemporary psychology, and Christmas trees that are just a little too small.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Before Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, there was Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. If you love You’ve Got Mail, but have never experienced this Christmas classic, stop what you’re doing and check it out on your next date night at home.
The remainder of the categories will simply be the movies listed, as some of them will be repeats or commonly known films.
To find out where you can watch these movies go to JustWatch.
Unconventional Christmas Movies
Gremlins (1984)
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Batman Returns (1992)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
12 Monkeys (1995)
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
The Holiday (2006)
In Bruges (2008)
Christmas Movies You Can Watch With the Whole Family (Even Your Grandparents)
Holiday Inn / White Christmas (1942/1954)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
A Year Without Santa Clause (1974)
Home Alone / Home Alone 2 (1990/1992)
The Santa Clause (1994)
Jingle All the Way (1996)
Elf (2003)
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
For Those Who Prefer Halloween
The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
Black Christmas (1974)
Gremlins (1984)
Silent Night, Bloody Night (1984)
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
The Staples
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
White Christmas (1954)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966/2000)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Scrooged (1988)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Santa Clause (1994)
Best Animated Christmas Movies
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970)
A Year Without Santa Claus (1974)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Polar Express (2004)
Arthur Christmas (2011)
Klaus (2019)
Strangely Traumatic
Jack Frost (1998)
The Polar Express eyes (2004)