Here are the 34 best Christmas movies for kids to ring in the season.
Returning to his kingdom with a sackful of wooden toys, the boy inspires a new annual tradition.
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Where to watchDr.
Tom Hanks as the conductor in ‘The Polar Express’; Will Ferrell in ‘Elf’; Linus Van Pelt in ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’.Credit:Castle Rock/Shangri-La/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; New Line/courtesy Everett Collection; United Features Syndicate/Courtesy Everett Collection
Buddy’s sugar-sweet demeanor clashes with the real world to great comic effect.
Classic scenes includea wild snowball fightand a mad scramble when Buddy angrilyunmasks a department store Santa Claus.
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Arthur in ‘Arthur Christmas’.Sony Pictures
Clever puppetry tricks and detailed miniature sets give this special a timeless charm that will never fade.
A chilly creation comes to life in this charming cartoon about magic and meteorology.
D.H.
Where to watchHow the Grinch Stole Christmas!
A snow fairy and Clara in ‘Barbie in the Nutcracker’.Courtesy Everett Collection
The triumphant finale, when George discovers his true worth, is a guaranteed heartwarmer.
(Keep an eye out for fun cameos featuring more faces from Disney’s golden age!)
The familiar Muppet characters enliven the sometimes gloomy story especially Gonzo and Rizzo, who act as squabbling narrators.
Maggie Smith in ‘A Boy Called Christmas’.netflix
The film is a perfect mix of jokes, scares, songs, and sentiment.
Inventive stop-motion visuals make this a seasonal treat, no matter the season.
It turns out the elves run a high-tech command center, complete with amusing call signs and complicated checklists.
The cast of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’.Everett Collection
It’s a nostalgic treat for parents to share with a new generation.
The special is full of Aardman’s trademark visual ingenuity, featuring loony inventions and surprising disguises.
Kurt Russell in ‘The Christmas Chronicles’.netflix
Big Bird in ‘Christmas Eve on Sesame Street’.PBS
Jeff Gillen and Peter Billingsley in ‘A Christmas Story’.everett collection
(From left to right) Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell, William Moseley, and Skandar Keynes in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe’.Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection
The Grinch in ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch'.Illumination Studios
Will Ferrell in ‘Elf’.New Line
Sofia Vassilieva and Julie Andrews in ‘Eloise at Christmastime’.Amazon Prime
Harvey, Charlie, Emmett Otter, and Wendell in ‘Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas’.Jim Henson Studios
The cast of ‘Frosty the Snowman’.Classic Media, Inc.
Macaulay Culkin in ‘Home Alone’.20th Century Studios
The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who in ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'.CBS
Todd Karns, Virginia Patton, Jimmy Stewart, and Thomas Mitchell in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.everett collection
Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Jingle All the Way’.20th Century Studios
Madalen Mills (center) and the cast of ‘Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey’.Gareth Gatrell/NETFLIX
Jesper and Mr. Klaus in ‘Klaus’.netflix
Stan Laurel (center) and Oliver Hardy (right) in ‘March of the Wooden Soldiers’.
Scrooge McDuck and Mickey Mouse in ‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’.Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, and Maureen O’Hara in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’.Silver Screen Collection/Getty
The cast of ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’.Disney/The Muppets Studio
Jack Skellington in ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’.Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Anna Kendrick in ‘Noelle’.Disney+
The Polar Express in ‘The Polar Express’.Warner Bros
Lanny and Wayne in ‘Prep & Landing’.Walt Disney Animation Studios
Vanessa Hudgens (2) in ‘The Princess Switch’.netflix
Hermey and Rudolph in ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’.RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS
Kris Kringle in ‘Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town’.RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS
Tim Allen in ‘The Santa Clause’.Everett Collection
The cast of ‘Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas’.BBC one
(From left to right) Dyllan Christopher, Quinn Shephard, Brett Kelly, Gina Mantegna, and Tyler James Williams in ‘Unaccompanied Minors’.Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection
Heat Miser in ‘The Year Without a Santa Claus’.RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS
