The Best Christmas Movies for Kids and Teenagers to Watch with the Whole Family

A great way for everyone to spend time together this holiday season is spending time watching family Christmas movies. Unfortunately, some family-friendly films are so cheesy, they might make your teenagers roll their eyes and reach for their phones after a few minutes. These Christmas movies for kids and teens are so hilarious, wicked, and funny, that the whole family will be glued to the TV screen until the very end.

Best Holiday Movies for All Ages-Multigenerational Vacations

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Christmas Movies for all ages

1. The Holiday Calendar

When Abby inherits an antique Advent calendar that once belonged to her grandma, she discovers it has the power to predict things. She soon realizes that each advent calendar door predicts something wonderful that’s about to happen in the near future, including a roadside encounter that sets her on a path to finding true love. 

2. A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish

This Cinderella-type story is about Kat, a young woman that lives with an evil stepmother and two wicked stepsisters who make her life impossible. This doesn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams of becoming a singer. And to do that, she gets a job as an elf, which causes her life to spin out of control when she falls in love with a guy dressed as Santa.

3. Santa Clause

A man named Scott accidentally startles Santa while he’s on a roof. This causes Santa to fall to his death and Scott finds himself recruited to be Santa’ replacement. He is whisked away to the North Pole to meet Santa’s elves. While he’s there, Scott discovers that when he put on his suit, he has inadvertently fallen victim to “the Santa Clause” and now, he has to take over Santa’s role and save Christmas.

4. The Christmas Chronicles

Siblings Kate and Teddy make a plan to capture Santa on Christmas Eve. When that plan goes awry, they’re forced to help Santa and his elves save Christmas before it’s too late. Super cute and there’s a newly released Christmas Chronicles 2 if everyone loves this one.

5. Jack Frost

A dad named Jack has a reputation of not keeping his promises, which only gets worse after he dies in a car accident during the holidays. But the end is only the beginning as he magically returns to Earth in the form of a snowman so he can make amends with his son, Charlie, and get him to embrace Christmas once more.

Since the movie deals with the tragic loss of a parent, the film might be better suited for tweens and teens as opposed to younger kids. Still, it’s one of the most creative and wicked storylines on this list, so if you’re looking for something a bit edgier for teens, this is it! 

6. Klaus

Jasper, a postal carrier who’s stuck in a job he hates, befriends a gifted toy maker named Klaus. Along the way, Jasper helps Klaus realize he was meant to make toys for others and offers to deliver his creations to the townspeople of Smeerensburg, also known as the unhappiest place on Earth.

While working together they help the town and a teacher named Alva find joy in the spirit of Christmas. Their hope is that their good deeds will inspire others to open up their hearts.

7. I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Jake is heading home to celebrate Christmas. His plan is to spend time at home with his girlfriend and family. A traditional Christmas with snow, stockings, and eggnog awaits him, but a practical joke lands him stranded in the desert dressed as Santa. Jake is forced to hitchhike his way to New York and the result is one hilarious adventure.

8. Miracle on 34th Street

A little girl named Susan doesn’t believe in Santa because her mother told her he wasn’t real. That all changes when she meets a department store Santa who claims to be the real Kris Kringle. But when Kris gets arrested for allegedly assaulting a man, it’s up to Susan’s mom, Dorey, to defend him in court.

9. Elf

No Christmas movie list would be complete without this classic. After realizing he is human, Buddy the Elf leaves the North Pole and sets off to find his true father who lives in New York City. Initially, his father doesn’t want a relationship, but when a DNA test proves they are related, he reluctantly agrees to build their relationship. Funny antics ensue, and in the end, Buddy’s father has found the true meaning of Christmas.

10. A Christmas Carol

This updated animated version of the classic tale “A Christmas Carol,” shows Ebenezer Scrooge changing his tune after three ghosts remind him about the true meaning of Christmas. In the process, they help him change his grumpy, greedy ways and embrace Christmas and the townspeople.

11. Noelle

When Santa decides to retire, he tries to turn the reigns both figuratively and literally to his son, Nick. Unfortunately, Nick doesn’t want the job, so his sister, Noelle Kringle, is forced to take over her dad’s old gig. The lovely Anna Kendrick stars in this movie, so you know your teens will be all aboard if you drop her name! 

12. Get Santa

It’s all fun and games for Santa until he crashes his new sleigh and loses his reindeer. Fortunately, he’s found in a shed by a 9-year-old boy named Tom. But when Santa tries to retrieve his reindeer from lock-up, he gets caught and sent to jail, forcing Tom’s dad to help the big man out in what becomes an unforgettable holiday adventure. Probably best for ages 10+ with some crude humor.

13. Nutcracker and the Four Realms

A young woman named Clara finds herself magically transported after receiving a golden thread at a holiday party. Soon she finds herself in a magical land, surrounded by an army of gingerbread soldiers.

But in a classic tale of good versus evil, Clara must face the villainous Mother Ginger to keep the Land of Sweets safe. Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and Kiera Knightly do a superb job at keeping everyone, including parents on the edge of their seats. 

14. Christmas With the Kranks

When their daughter Blair goes out of town, Luther and Nora decide to observe a new holiday tradition, not celebrating Christmas at all. But when Blair changes her mind and decides to return to them, the Kranks scramble to find a way to throw a last-minute Christmas bash.

15. Home Alone

The McAllister’s have planned a wonderful Christmas vacation, but when 8 year old Kevin gets left behind, things quickly go awry. It turns out a couple of con men have plans to rob the McAllister home over the holidays, but Kevin is all set to ruin their plans and save his family home. This one is watched on repeat in our house every holiday season.

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