Top 10 Christmas movies for Kids to watch this year

Christmas is the perfect time to sit down as a family and watch some classic festive movies. Netflix in particular keeps producing new Christmas movies every year, but few of them stack up against the best festive films made over the last few decades. Some of these films are so good that they simply have to be shared with others and become part of a family tradition. So, make your popcorn, turn up the AC, and put a blanket on your knees, as you prepare to watch some fantastic Christmas movies. With so many to choose from, we’ve narrowed it down to our top 10 recommendations for Christmas family joy.

Home Alone

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When 9-year-old Kevin is accidentally left behind when his family go on a Christmas vacation to Paris, he wakes up to find he’s got the whole house to himself. Although he’s delighted with his freedom at first, Kevin soon realises that he’s not the only one who wants to spend some time in the house…and the other people are robbers. A hilarious slapstick comedy ensues as Kevin keeps out the bad guys by using homemade lures and boobytraps to make sure that the would-be thieves have a miserable Christmas.

Miracle on 34th

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When a PR executive from a failing New York department store man decides she needs a Santa Claus actor to attract customers, she picks a man from the street who has a beard and looks the part. The only catch is that he calls himself Kris Kringle and insists he is the real Santa. When Kris Kringle is caught on film knocking down an attacker in self-defence, he gets sent to court. The court case eventually boils down to ‘is this Santa or just someone who believes he’s Santa?’ The film’s ending captures the magic of Christmas beautifully.

Elf

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When an orphan human baby crawls into Santa’s sack he gets taken to the North Pole and is taken in by a family of elves who name him Buddy and bring him up as one of their own, despite his huge size. When Buddy learns that his birth father is still alive and living in New York City, he travels there to find him. Unused to living amongst humans, Buddy stands out as being very different in this hilarious, but heart-warming, fish-out-of-water comedy.

Deck the Halls

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Steve is a suburban dad in the US who is crazy about Christmas and takes pride in having the best decorated house in the neighbourhood. But, when a new neighbour moves in next door, a competition begins to see who can have the most elaborately illuminated house. After both neighbours try to out-Christmas each other with camels and other nativity animals, fireworks and other devices, they realise that it’s the Christmas spirit that’s most important.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

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The classic Dickensian Christmas story told with the help of Jim Henson’s muppets. It’s Christmas Eve and the miserly Scrooge (Michael Caine) ignores the poverty of his employee, Bob Cratchit (Kermit) and his son, Tiny Tim (Robin), and gets visited by three ghosts (played by muppets) before he learns the true meaning of Christmas spirit. A great introduction to the most popular Christmas tale and a Dickens classic.

Jingle All the Way

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Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an overworked salesman called Howard, who rarely finds time to put his son to bed. Attempting to redeem himself, Howard finds himself running across town on Christmas Eve, attempting to track down the last remaining action figure that his son is desperate for. He finds himself in battle with another father to find the toy, and the increasing competition brings hilarious results before Howard realises that being a good dad is about more than giving the best Christmas present.

A Boy Called Christmas

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A 13-year-old boy called Nikolas lives in the forest with his woodcutter father. When his father disappears trying to gain a reward by finding the lost kingdom of Elfhelm, Nikolas goes in search of the kingdom and his father with the help of a talking mouse and a reindeer. After surviving adventures such as nearly being eaten by a troll, Nikolas discovers that he is part of what will become the tradition of Christmas.

Arthur Christmas

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This animated tale sets out to answer the Christmas question that is as old as time: how does Santa deliver presents to all the boys and girls across the world in one night? When a mistake happens that means that one little girl doesn’t receive her Christmas present, Arthur sets out to find the girl and make sure that there’s a present waiting for her on Christmas morning.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

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This story focuses on an adventurous girl called Journey who discovers that her grandfather used to be inventor of toys until his book of inventions and his greatest creation, an animated talking doll, was stolen by his apprentice. Using her intelligence, enthusiasm and belief in magic, Journey helps her grandfather in his bid to rescue the talking doll and bring it to life in time for Christmas.

The Polar Express

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Set in the 1950s on Christmas Eve, The Polar Express tells the tale of a young boy who is becoming sceptical about the existence of Father Christmas until a mysterious train stops outside his house and he’s invited to join with other children and travel to the North Pole. After a series of adventures he meets Santa Claus and receives ‘the first gift of Christmas’, the importance of which he discovers at the end of the film.

With so many wonderful films to explore, we’re sure that you’ll enjoy the shared experience of watching classic Christmas movies together. But just remember, no fighting over the popcorn!