Do you love to watch classic Christmas movies that were made before you were born? Do you get all nostalgic when watching Miracle on 34th Street or It’s a Wonderful Life?
If so, then you should stop reading now. Frankly, those movies do nothing more than put me to sleep. I don’t mind if Christmas films are a little bit corny, but they have to be entertaining and– most importantly– funny.
Below are my picks for the funniest Christmas movies of all time.
#5. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Home Alone 2 (Photo: Fox Home Entertainment)
Nothing spreads Christmas cheer like watching a young child ruthlessly hurl cement bricks off of a four-story building directly onto a man’s skull. The sheer brutality dealt out in this movie by ten year old Kevin McCallister is comedy enough, but throw in an incredibly creepy homeless pigeon lady and you have a near perfect Christmas film.
Home Alone 2 (Photo: Fox Home Entertainment)
#4. Jingle All The Way (1996)
Jingle All The Way (Photo: 20th Century Fox)
Ok, I admit, this movie is pretty cheesy and not great in the traditional sense. But the (often unintentional) comedy of Sinbad and Arnold Schwarzenegger helps make it a Christmas classic. Trying to believe Arnold, with his enormous physique and thick Austrian accent, as a typical harried suburban dad makes for lots of laughs. The movie also gets points for co-starring the late Phil Hartman as a complete jerk of a neighbor.
#3. Scrooged (1988)
Scrooged (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
This was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Scrooged is a clever adaptation of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. Bill Murray, as selfish TV executive Frank Cross, is such a colossal prick that it makes this one of his best performances ever.
#2. Bad Santa (2003)
Bad Santa (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
The most recent movie of the top five, Bad Santa stars Billy Bob Thornton as an alcoholic degenerate who poses as a shopping mall Santa in order to rob a mall on Christmas eve. He’s aided by a wisecracking dwarf sidekick. With a plot like that, how could it miss? Thornton’s filthy one-liners and outrageous behavior make for an instant classic.
#1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Christmas Vacation (Photo: Warner Bros.)
The funniest of all Christmas movies, Christmas Vacation is also the most relatable. From the senile grandparents to the trashy cousin and the selfish boss, everything about this movie rings true. Clark Griswold’s epic meltdown in the final scene is one of the most memorable moments in Christmas movie history.
Your favorites
Do you have a favorite Christmas film? Share your top picks by leaving a comment below.
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I get sentimental for the old classics every once in awhile, but you are correct they definitely are not funny. Where is Christmas Story? That must be #6. I loved Bad Santa.
yeah Christmas Story is a given, but I just figured i’d differentiate a bit and leave it out to make room for a few less obvious flicks.
I rarely watch movies but I’ve actually seen 4 out of 5 of these. I really like the Home Alone series – well the first two anyways.
You and Jake have similar movie interests! I’ve never seen the Arnold/ Sinbad movie. I’ll have to check that out over Christmas…
LOL, those movies tend to tickle me pink! I love Christmas themed movies, especially around the festive season. Did you realise that there a non this year? Tron and Black Swan etc etc are all dominating the big screen. shame:o(
That’s funny- I just realized that last night! I felt like seeing a holiday movie and there were no options. So strange!
Oh my do I love “Home Alone”, yes! I liked first one very much. And I liked second too. The favourite scene is.. that toy store. You know, the owner gave Kevin two doves ornament. The store looked amazing. 🙂 hehehe
I was watching Home Alone 2 this week and I fell asleep during the ending, where Kevin starts throwing bricks and terrorizing the robbers. I’ll have to watch it again to get the full experience!
Embarrassingly (or maybe not) the only one I saw on this list was National Lampoon Christmas Vacation. My favorite Christmas comedy is Trains, Plains and Automobiles. I am mostly not a fan of Christmas movies. I cringe at a Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street gives me a stomach ache from the treacle. One of my favorite movies of all time is Holiday Inn, I think it’s because a) it’s not really a Christmas movie even though White Christmas made its movie debut there and b) because of Fred Astaire’s marvelous dancing. I also, for some unexplained reason, love the movie White Christmas- but I’ve always been a Danny Kaye fan,
That’s funny you mention Planes, Trains, and Automobiles…that’s maybe my favorite comedy of all time, but since it technically takes place at Thanksgiving I didn’t include it 🙂
What a festive article!! And love the new site too! Of course Home Alone is the best of all and deserves the #1 spot in this article!
I love Home alone 2. I remember I watched it when I was a little kid. When I just arrived in the state. My English wasn’t that fluent but the movie still makes me laugh so hard.
Love the commentary on these movies. So true!
WITH Regard to great Christmas movies, see the 1951 version of “A Chrstmas Carol” with Alastair Sims. Its takes place in 19th century when the story was written. Be” sure to see it in black and white and not a colorized version.
BAD SANTA Yes!!!!
love the home alone films (the first two) but the christmas film that gets me going the most has got to be Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart!
bad santa for me too..Happy Christmas to you!