If you’re looking for a classic holiday movie to watch during the winter season, check out these 10 holiday movies. From throwbacks to newer movies, there are a lot of options to choose from. So grab a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy the films your classmates voted to be the top 10 holiday movies.

Comedies:

“Elf” (2003):

“Elf” is a comedic Christmas movie that stars Will Ferrell. The movie is centered around a childlike man, Buddy, who dresses up in an elf costume. From a very young age, Buddy grew up in the North Pole living with Santa and the other elves. Buddy was not born in the North Pole, but as a baby he crawled into Santa’s sleigh. As Buddy grew up, he began to realize he was different from the other elves because he was much taller and couldn’t make toys as well. After talking to Santa about feeling on the outs, Buddy set off to find his biological parents in New York City.

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989):

In “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, sets out to make Christmas perfect for his family. He wanted to make sure the house decorations, lights and Christmas tree were all flawless. But for poor Clark and his family, things never seem to go smoothly. Griswold pesters his family into helping him create a house with the most Christmas spirit, and after a surprise visit from Griswold’s cousin Eddie and his family, his plans quickly turn into a big disaster. With Eddie’s camper parked on Griswold’s property, more people flood into the house for the holidays.

“How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966, 2000, 2018):

The classic holiday movie “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” has three different versions: an original cartoon from 1966, a live-action with Jim Carrey from 2000 and a fairly new animation that came out in 2018. The Grinch is a green “monster” who lives with his dog Max on Mount Crumpit. They live on the outskirts of a place called Whoville, where residents called Whos live. The Whos have lots of Christmas spirit and their village is decorated with lights and trees. Carolers often stroll through the streets singing during the holidays, while others buy presents at the local stores. The Grinch hates the sounds of Christmas and seeks revenge on all the citizens in Whoville, so he attempts to steal their Christmas.

“Home Alone” (1990):

“Home Alone” follows the adventures of 8-year-old Kevin McCallister who is accidentally forgotten by his family the day they leave for Paris. The night before, Kevin acted out at dinner in front of the family, his cousins and his aunt and uncle. After this, he had to sleep in the attic alone and wished his family would go away. When he woke up to an empty house, he wondered if his wish came true. However, his excitement was squashed once he heard two con men outside the window planning on robbing his house. Kevin then knew he had to set up traps to protect the house and to catch the robbers Marv and Harry.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965):

Most people are familiar with the Peanuts movie series with a boy named Charlie Brown at its center. At the beginning of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Charlie Brown is upset despite the cheeriness of the holiday season. When Charlie Brown tries to get into the spirit, his friend Lucy tells him to direct a Christmas play for the neighborhood. However, his friend Linus tells Charlie Brown the true meaning of Christmas, cheers him up and the Peanuts gang celebrates together.

Action:

“Die Hard” (1988):

A New York policeman, John McClane (played by Bruce Willis), is visiting his wife and two daughters in the movie “Die Hard.” When McClane and his wife go to a Christmas party in an exclusive highrise building, it is soon taken over by a group of terrorists. With the festivities ruined and people taken as hostages, McClane knew that he was the only one inside that could help free the people and stop the terrorists.

Adventure/Fantasy:

“The Polar Express” (2004):

“The Polar Express,” is an inspiring adventure of young kids who travel to the North Pole to reawaken the magic of the holiday season. One day when a mysterious train stopped outside a boy’s window on Christmas Eve, the conductor beckoned for him to come to join the other kids on the train headed to the North Pole. Along the way, the kids embark on an adventure to find themselves and the spirit of Christmas.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993):

The movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” follows the adventures of Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, Jack Skellington. Bored of scaring the same children, Jack Skellington ventures off into Christmastown. Once he saw all the warm spirits and bright colors, he came up with the plan to kidnap Santa Claus and take over his role.

“Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” (1964):

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is an animated movie that has aired on TV thousands of times throughout the holiday season since 1964. Although many people know the classic story of Rudolph, here is a little refresher. The movie opens up with Sam the Snowman introducing Christmastown in the North Pole and Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Sam recalls the year Christmas was almost canceled due to a blizzard, but a very special reindeer named Rudolph saved the day. During the movie, Rudolph was made fun of for his bright red, glowing nose, so he sailed to the island of the misfit toys. Once Santa realized he needed Rudolph’s help, he promoted him to the front of the reindeers to guide the sleigh on Christmas.

Romance/Comedy:

“Princess Switch” (2018):

This Netflix film “Princess Switch” stars actress Vanessa Hudgens. She plays the roles of Margaret, The Duchess of Montenaro, and Stacy DeNovo, a girl who works in a small Chicago bakery with her best friend Kevin. When given the opportunity of a lifetime to compete in a prestigious baking competition in the Kingdom of Belgravia, Stacy, Kevin and Kevin’s young daughter Olivia, take off for Belgravia. Stacy runs into Margaret a few days before the competition, and they realize they look like twins. After the meeting for the first time, the duchess switches places with Stacy in order to experience normal life before her royal wedding on Christmas. When they switched places, the women swore not to tell anyone. However, once switched they each fall in love with each other’s love interest.