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Christmas films are one of my favourite parts of the festive season. Before we had kids, JHogg and I spent many a lazy night on the sofa watching movies. Hot chocolate in hand….. ok maybe mulled cider…. or just normal cider. These days it tends to be as we are wrapping presents or preparing for Christmas, but the premise is still the same.

There is never enough time to watch all the movies we want. In some years we even started watching them in November (Shock. Horror. The scandal!) in an attempt to fit in all the ones we want. We don’t alway agree on the best movies for the rest of the year, but for Christmas films we’re usually on the same page!

If you want to try watch all the films that we are this year then I’ve listed what we think are the best Christmas movies below.

Romantic Christmas Films

10 Christmas Films You Have To Watch This Festive Season | Are you looking for inspiration for movies to watch over the holidays? Here is a round up of our 10 favourite christmas movies - there's something for the whole family https://oddhogg.com

The Holiday

The Holiday is a favourite of mine to watch early on, I’m not really too bothered about the time of year. Although being set at Christmas time, it is not overly festive and this makes it the perfect warm up to the Christmas season. It’s quite a long film so make sure you have popcorn at the ready.

Love Actually

I can’t believe that Love Actually was released 16 years ago – it makes me feel so old! I remember going to see it at school and some of my friends not being able to get tickets as they weren’t 15 – the struggle was real.

Again, this one is good to watch earlier in the season as it’s not Christmas and Santas overload. It is a bit more festive than The Holiday, and it has all the feels at certain points. There are loads of familiar faces in the cast.

Four Christmases

Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon celebrate Four Christmases in a classic romantic comedy. 2 dysfunctional families are shaping up to ruin their relationship with a chaotic Christmas full of surprises!

A man and a woman in a bobble hat are looking in to each others eyes in front of a Christmas tree.Related Post: Ideas For Filling Your Homemade Advent Calendar

Family Christmas Films

Arthur Christmas

I bought Arthur Christmas a couple of years ago and didn’t expect much. I was so wrong! It is a lovely story about the spirit and meaning of Christmas. Based around Santa’s youngest son, Arthur, and his journey to deliver a forgotten present, this Christmas film is suitable for all ages. Piglet has taken a real shine to it – although I’m a bit unsure about what his expectations are for Santa now!

Home Alone

If you haven’t seen Home Alone then I don’t actually know where you’ve been. It is a Christmas classic. I don’t mind the sequel, but the original is by far the best. We are hoping to introduce Piglet to it this year. I think he’ll love the silly-ness of it, and it’s a film I won’t mind watching again and again.

The Grinch

The Grinch is fun for all the family. It is the movie version of Dr. Seuss’s holiday classic with Jim Carrey as the star. I’ll admit that JHogg isn’t the biggest fan of this one, but he watches it because I make him he loves me. It’s a great feel good comedy that is suitable for all ages and I can’t wait to introduce it to Piglet this year.

A plastic Grinch, like from the Christmas film, is wrapped in Christmas lights and wear a santa hatRelated Post: 5 Reasons Not To Buy Your Baby Christmas Presents

The Polar Express

Although this is “technically” a children’s film, The Polar Express can be loved by the whole family. When I first saw it I was a little confused by the animation – they look almost human! But you soon get caught up in the magic of the story. Plus Tom Hanks is the voice of the conductor!

Miracle On 34th Street

A classic. Miracle On 34th Street is a true family holiday movie which everyone can sit and watch together. Little ones are focussed on Father Christmas and the magic he has, where the grown ups can appreciate the subtle complexities to the story which may go over children’s heads. I hadn’t seen it for a few years, but we watched it last year and I was pleased to see the magic is still there.

Santa's arms holding out a pile of presents wrapped in green and red, with a Christmas tree lit up in the background.Related Post: The Christmas Present NOT To Buy

Funny Christmas Films

Christmas With The Kranks

I saw this for the first time about 4 years ago, and we’ve watched it every year since. Christmas with the Kranks is family friendly and is in the typical Tim Allen comedy style. The storyline is simple and is a little bit like Christmas vomited on your screen at time, but we love it. There are lots of options for funny Christmas films but this one may be one fo the best.

Elf

Elf is without a doubt my favourite Christmas film ever. No – my favourite film ever! I will watch it multiple times every year and it literally never gets old. I’m assuming you’ve seen it already but if you haven’t – do it. Do it now!! With all of the Elf On The Shelf fun that is doing the rounds right now it just never seems to get old.

The Santa Clause

Another Tim Allen classic, The Santa Clause tells the story of a divorced father becoming Father Christmas. Bits are hilarious, but at other times it is a bit of a tear jerker. It is a great one for keeping the magic of Christmas alive for little ones.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

If I had to pick one Chirstmas film to be JHogg’s favourite I would probably choose National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Chevy Chase heads up a disastrous family Christmas with slapstick comedy to keep you laughing.

Daddy’s Home 2

We loved Daddy’s Home, so it was no surprise that we really enjoy Daddy’s Home 2 as well! Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg are hilarious as always, and it’s not too Christmas heavy so you can watch it from quite early on without feeling festive overload.