10 Timeless Christmas Classics to Help You Forget About 2022

From heartwarming family favorites to nostalgic throwbacks, these films are sure to get you in the yule-tide mood and kick off your festivities.

Whether you're looking to escape your crazy family or simply need something to help you survive the holidays, these classic Christmas movies have got you covered. So grab the eggnog, pop some popcorn, and settle in for a cozy night of holiday entertainment.

Four Christmases (2008)

If you know firsthand what it's like to visit numerous relatives on Christmas Eve or immediately after, attending one Christmas party after another with barely a pause, this movie will be right up your alley, as well as about you, perhaps. The main characters have to celebrate Christmas with all their relatives and not go insane. It seems like Mission Impossible, but they have no choice but to accept it if they are to keep the family happy.

Love Actually (2003)

This gem of a movie from the early noughties is the ultimate Christmas romcom comprising four romantic novellas that all take place at or around Christmas, and are all about how love ambushes people in the most unexpected of circumstances, and how it then empowers them to work miracles and turn their lives around.

A Christmas Carol (2009)

Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol has had more screen adaptations than any of his other works. Our personal pick is Robert Zemeckis' 2009 animated film voiced by such luminaries as Jm Carey, Gary Oldman, and Colin Firth, among others, but the 1999 live-action classic starring Patrick Stewart as Ebenezer Scrooge definitely deserves an honorable mention too.

Bad Santa (2003)

While bullies and troublemakers may be really obnoxious, they're people too, so it stands to reason they ought to get a chance to make up for all their wrongdoings, especially around Christmas. Our protagonist, Willie, is a petty criminal who dons a Santa suit and a false beard to clean out stores. But then he meets a boy who honestly believes he's the real Santa. Once he realizes that there is no getting rid of the annoying kid, Willie figures he might as well do some good for a change…

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

The big, mean, green, and hairy Grinch hates Christmas so much that he decides to steal it – and while he may not be able to steal it from the whole world, he can at least try and steal it from the nearby town. The only problem is little Cindy, who, for some reason, is convinced that the Grinch has a good heart. Moreover, she is not at all scared of the Grinch's trademark grimaces, which terrify even the Grinch himself. What's wrong with the kids these days?!

The Santa Claus (1994)

What would you do if you found an old guy in a red caftan on your roof and said guy was taking a keen interest in your chimney? The Santa Claus protagonist Scott at first thinks he must be seeing things. But what happens next turns out to be very real: before he knows it, Scott ends up taking over as Santa Claus, and he excels at his new job too!

Surviving Christmas (2004)

Good ole Ben Batman, scratch that, Ben Affleck, plays a young and wealthy ad exec named Drew Latham who gets dumped by his girlfriend just before Christmas only to find he has nobody to spend the holiday with. On the advice of his therapist, he then heads to his hometown where he finds his childhood home occupied by the rather peculiar Valco family. After some minor initial misunderstandings, he offers them $250,000 if they let him spend Christmas with them, at which point things begin to unravel and the real fun ensues.

Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

This is perhaps one of the most touching Christmas stories ever told on the big screen. Six-year-old Susan knows for a fact that Santa does not exist as her mother told her so. However, a chance encounter with a funny old man on 34th Street sows doubt in her heart and makes her once again believe in miracles and the spirit of Christmas.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Chicago-area resident Clark Griswold plans to have a great Christmas with his entire family. However, what he fails to take into account is that he's a walking-talking disaster who sets off sparks in power outlets, causes lamps to explode, and sets Christmas trees on fire. So it looks like this year the Griswolds' Christmas is going to be lots and lots of fun, sometimes scary fun and crazy fun…

Elf (2003)

Jon Favreau's comedy is a story about a boy who grew up at the North Pole with elves and now, as an adult, returns to New York to live as a human. This proves to be quite a challenge, naturally! This movie is a must if you wanna know what to do if one day an elf turns up on your doorstep and asks if you can teach them how to be a human.