At Lockhart's, Christmas movies are not just background noise. They are rituals, traditions, and comfort films that get replayed year after year while we decorate trees, wrap gifts, and generally try to survive the holiday season. This list is not about what critics say are the “best” Christmas movies. It is about the movies we actually watch, quote, argue about, and come back to every December.

Here are my top 20 Christmas season films, in order.

1. Batman Returns (1992)

This is my number one Christmas movie for a very simple reason: tradition. My family has watched Batman Returns while decorating the Christmas tree almost every year since it came out on VHS. Because of that, it is inseparable from the holidays for me. It is gothic, weird, snowy, and unapologetically Burton. It feels like Christmas through a cracked mirror, which is exactly why it works.

2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

This is probably the most watched movie in our house during the Christmas season. Jim Carrey’s performance is nothing short of BrrrrILLIANT. The makeup, the physical comedy, and the sheer commitment turn what could have been a simple remake into something completely unforgettable and filled with charm. It never gets old.

3. Elf (2003)

Elf is modern Christmas canon. It is sincere without being corny and funny without being cynical. Will Ferrell’s performance somehow balances childlike innocence with total absurdity, and the result is one of the most rewatchable Christmas movies ever made.

4. The Santa Clause (1994)

Tim Allen is at his best here. Beneath the family-friendly surface is a surprisingly dark and weird Santa mythology involving accidental manslaughter and forced body transformation. It is funny, memorable, and firmly locked into the holiday rotation.

5. The Polar Express (2004)

This one is deeply personal. The Pere Marquette 1225, the real locomotive used as the model for the Polar Express, sits in my hometown of Owosso, Michigan. I get to watch it roll down the tracks every holiday season, and my stepbrother even helped restore the steam engine. Because of that, this movie will always feel like home.

6. Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins is what happens when Christmas consumerism goes very wrong. It is funny, mean-spirited, and chaotic in all the right ways. The fact that it is wrapped in lights, snow, and holiday decor just makes the madness better.

7. Jingle All the Way (1996)

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad at peak 90s energy. This movie perfectly captures the insanity of last-minute Christmas shopping and parental desperation (beeeeen there). It is loud, ridiculous, and endlessly quotable. We quote it constantly.

8. Eight Crazy Nights (2002)

This movie is crude, abrasive, and weirdly heartfelt. The song “Technical Foul” alone earns it a spot on this list and honestly should have won a Grammy. It is not for everyone, but it has become a cult holiday staple in our house.

9. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Michael Caine delivers a full, serious, Broadway-level performance while surrounded by Muppets, and the contrast is incredible. This is one of the best adaptations of A Christmas Carol, period, and proof that sincerity always wins.

10. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Pure exploitation-era chaos. This movie is infamous, grimy, and completely nuts. It exists at the darker edge of Christmas cinema, which makes it feel right at home in the Lab Leaks universe. Where else can you see Santa swing an axe at a nun?

11. Home Alone (1990)

An absolute classic. The setting, the score, and the premise are iconic. It plays like a live-action cartoon and somehow never loses its charm, no matter how many times you watch it.

12. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Holiday stress turned into slapstick art. This movie understands the pressure, chaos, and unrealistic expectations of Christmas better than almost anything else. We've all had a boss that we hated and that string of THE GODDAMN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS THAT ARE HALF BURNT OUT... Almost lost my cool there. Extremely relatable. 

13. The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Kurt Russell as Santa is an inspired choice. He brings real attitude, charisma, and edge to the role, which makes this a modern Christmas movie that actually feels rewatchable.

14. The Thing (1982)

This one bends the rules, but it counts. It is snowbound, bleak, and stars Kurt Russell being a complete badass in Antarctica. If Die Hard counts as a Christmas movie, so does this.

15. Die Hard (1988)

Speaking of Die Hard... here it is. The gold standard of the Christmas movie debate. Office Christmas party, holiday music, family reconciliation, and explosions. It absolutely counts. Fight me. 

16. Terrifier 3 (2024)

Art the Clown dressed as Santa should not be rewatchable, and yet it is. The movie fully commits to its own madness, leaning hard on practical effects and refusing to soften the brutality. The Christmas setting is not a gimmick, it is the contrast that makes everything hit harder. Twinkle lights, holiday cheer, and total chaos colliding in a way that feels wrong but impossible to look away from. If you have the stomach for it, this becomes a strange ritualistic watch.

17. Scrooged (1988)

A loud, cynical, supernatural take on A Christmas Carol. Bill Murray at peak Bill Murray, wrapped in 80s corporate excess. It feels aggressive in a way that still works.

18. Jack Frost (1997)

This movie has a special place in my heart. I was a hockey player as a kid, hockey being where the name "Goon" Grease ultimately came from. It is flawed, cheesy, and emotional, and I will always defend it. Saw it in theaters as a kid and I love it just as much today as I did then. 

19. A Christmas Story (1983)

This is the movie that plays all day on Christmas in our house. It is always on, whether you are watching it closely or just catching pieces as you walk by. Pure tradition. You're gonna shoot your eye out kid.

20. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

We probably watch this more during Halloween season, but it always sneaks into the Christmas rotation. It sits perfectly between holidays and still feels timeless decades later.

POST CREDITS

This list is not about consensus or critical rankings. It is about memory, tradition, atmosphere, and the movies that actually define the season for us, the Lockhart's family. Christmas movies should feel lived-in, slightly chaotic, and worth revisiting every year. These twenty do exactly that.

If you are watching along with us this season, welcome to the Lockhart's Lab.