OUR METHODOLOGY - THE RECIPE TO SCORE A CHRISTMAS MOVIE
So, what is a "Christmas Movie"? A Christmas movie is a film centered around the themes, traditions, or spirit of Christmas, often set during the holiday season and designed to evoke joy, warmth, and festive nostalgia. During our research, we estimated that there are approximately 3,000-5,000 "Christmas Movies" that have been made over the last 100+ years that could possibly qualify for our list.
Now, although we do like watching Christmas movies, we unfortunately don't have the time to watch all of them. So, our first step was to leverage the many many annual top lists, ratings sites and a host of other sources to narrow this list down to 250 - these are the ones that always feature highly, but also some of those hidden gems that have not got a mass following yet.
With a short-list, we established and applied a data science driven formula, combining 8 different variables into scoring each of these movies individually. These factors are discussed further below, but include a Christmas Spiritomoter, the degree of surprise or unpredictability, viewer ratings, critic ratings, assessment of movie attributes, all rolled into one score. The highest weighting was driven from viewer scores across multiple rating sites, but no individual variable was more than 25% of the total score.
Preventing bias was a key objective and thus apart from disputing some stray insertions in some Christmas lists, we did not go with our preferences. There are still some on the list that we would not call a traditional pick, but everyone is different. Indeed, you can take a peek at our top annual picks in the "Alternative lists" tab above to get a better idea of our favorites right now.
Unlike other top lists, this website is not static, and we will continue to gather data, integrate new movies and ensure that this is your one-stop for all your viewing ideas over the festive period. So, make your selections, grab that popcorn, cozy up and get ready to have that Christmas spirit warm you all the way to Christmas day!
KEY FACTORS
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
Assessing a movie's "Christmas spirit" involves gauging its ability to capture the holiday's essence, which is characterized by warmth, generosity, and goodwill. Key elements include the depiction of family relationships, the focus on acts of kindness, and the presence of beloved traditions like gift exchanges, decorations, and joyous gatherings. A film that truly embodies the Christmas spirit will feature touching scenes that evoke joy, nostalgia, and hope, immersing viewers in the season's magic. At its heart, a movie rich in Christmas spirit fosters a sense of camaraderie and happiness, resonating with audiences and bringing them together during the festive time.
We leveraged an AI engine to assess the short-listed top 250 Christmas movies across various movie factors such as Christmas Spirit, level of surprise and originality.
MOVIE ATTRIBUTES
Attributes like runtime, rating, and other factors play a crucial role in determining a movie's ranking, as they directly influence audience engagement and appeal. For instance, runtime impacts viewer accessibility, with shorter films often being favored for casual viewing, while longer movies may be appreciated for their depth. Additionally, factors such as genre, release timing (e.g., holiday seasons), and production quality contribute to how a movie is ranked and remembered, as they align with audience expectations and cultural relevance. These elements collectively shape a movie's success and its standing in popular or critical rankings.
We assessed these factors and included them in the weighted score to ensure any pick was appropriate to a broad range of viewers and fit the requirements for a "Movie".
VIEWER DATA
Viewers' scores and reviews offer a broad, diverse range of opinions from everyday audiences. Unlike critics, viewers often focus on emotional resonance, relatability, and the entertainment value of a film, which are especially important for Christmas movies that aim to evoke warmth and joy. Audience reviews can highlight how well a movie delivers on festive themes, family appeal, or romantic subplots, helping you gauge if it aligns with your holiday mood. These reviews also reveal whether a film resonates across different demographics and may flag potential shortcomings, like a lack of holiday spirit or weak performances. Viewer scores often reflect overall popularity and replay value, making them a useful tool for discovering beloved holiday favorites or hidden gems.
Data was gathered from viewers' scores and reviews on platforms including IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Letterboxd. We also assessed how many people chose to provide ratings over the period the movie has been available.
CRITIC DATA
Looking at critics' reviews from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic when selecting a perfect Christmas movie is important because they provide a professional assessment of the film's quality, storytelling, and execution. Critics often evaluate elements like the plot, performances, holiday atmosphere, and emotional impact, offering insights that help viewers identify whether a movie delivers on the festive charm and heartfelt themes expected of a Christmas film. Reviews can also highlight unique aspects of the movie, such as its originality or how well it balances humor and sentimentality, which may align with what a viewer is seeking. Additionally, critics often compare new films to beloved classics, helping audiences gauge if a movie lives up to the holiday magic they expect.
We combined critic data including scores, features in top pick lists and the rankings in these lists to determine how important the movies were from the professionals rating them.
INTERESTING FINDINGS FROM OUR RESEARCH
The Oldies really are the Goldies
The average age of the top 20 movies is 38 years, with classics from the 1940s, 1980s and 1990s dominating the top ratings.
The best Christmas movies tend to age well and become entrenched in our traditions. As tastes change and generations age, these top movies are likely to change with it.
Christmas Comedies raise spirits the most!
42% of the Top 100 picks are considered comedies and that isn't counting romantic comedies which would boost it up to 58%.
Laughing is important because it has profound psychological, emotional, and physical benefits reducing stress and releasing endorphins, which improve mood and create a sense of well-being. This just helps us more get into the festive spirit and leave behind some of that seasonal stress!
Viewers and critics don't always agree!
The average difference between the sourced critic ratings and viewer ratings (out of 10) was 1.1 (absolute) and 55% of the time the viewers gave a higher rating, suggesting the variability really is down to the eye of the beholder.
There is nothing wrong with disagreement on the perfect Christmas movie - choose what will make you feel happy this season!