Ranking the 50 Best Holiday Movies of All Time

We’re revisiting the top 50 rated holiday movies of all time, 2023 edition.

While there are hundreds and hundreds of holiday movies to choose from, which are considered the very best?

Rotten Tomatoes gives us a handy ranking of their top 50 rated movies, that range from the early 1940s to 2023.

Obvious classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Story” are high on the list. So are retro favorites like “The Muppets Christmas Carol” and “Edward Scissorhands”, which features classic Tim Burton swelling music.

When we posted last year, we were inundated with comments, many of which highlighted missed movies and recommendations.

One recurrent comment was “What about Home Alone?” Indeed, Home Alone is a Christmas classic, but only rated on Rotten Tomatoes as a 65%.  Well, we included it this year anyway, to round out the list, and include some classics that may not be universally loved by critics.

How many on this top 51 list have you seen? Do you consider Die Hard a Christmas movie? Check out the entire list below.

The top 50 rated Holiday movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes……

1. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) // 100 percent

2. The Shop Around the Corner (1940) // 99 percent

3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) // 96 percent

4. Tangerine (2015) // 96 percent

5. Klaus (2019) // 95 percent

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) // 95 percent

7. Little Women (2019) // 95 percent

8. Die Hard (1988) // 94 percent

9. Carol (2015) // 94 percent

10. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) // 93 percent

11. Little Women (1994) // 93 percent

12. The Apartment (1960) // 93 percent

13. Arthur Christmas (2011) // 92 percent

14. Tokyo Godfathers (2003) // 91 percent

15. A Christmas Story (1983) // 90 percent

16. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) // 90 percent

17. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) // 92 percent

18. Edward Scissorhands (1990) // 89 percent

19. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) // 89 percent

20. Better Watch Out (2016) // 89 percent

21. Trading Places (1983) // 88 percent

22. Gremlins (1984) // 86 percent

23. A Christmas Tale (2008) // 86 percent

24. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) // 86 percent

25. Elf (2003) // 85 percent

26. Happiest Season (2020) // 82 percent

27. While You Were Sleeping (1995) // 81 percent

28. Batman Returns (1992) // 81 percent

29. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) // 79 percent

30. Bad Santa (2003) // 78 percent

31. A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) // 79 percent

32. White Christmas (1954) // 77 percent

33. Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) // 77 percent

34. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) // 76 percent

35. Happy Christmas (2014) // 75 percent

36. Merry Christmas (2005) // 74 percent

37. The Ref (1994) // 73 percent

38. The Santa Clause (1994) // 73 percent

39. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1967) // 100 percent

40. Holiday Inn (1942) // 100 percent

41. March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934) // 100 percent

42. Remember the Night (1940) // 100 percent

43. Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977) // 100 percent

44. Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) // 100 percent

45. Alien Xmas (2020) // 100 percent

46. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) // 95 percent

47. Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970) // 93 percent

48. White Reindeer (2013) // 90 percent

49. The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) // 90 percent

50. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) // 89 percent

51. Home Alone (1990) // 65 percent

Happy watching!