Look back at the most popular holiday movies of all time

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Whether you're a Grinch, a Scrooge or a Sugarplum Fairy, there's nothing quite like kicking back over the holidays with a movie made with the season in mind. And while film preferences (and viewing options) change through the years, there's usually a strong consensus when it comes to the classics.

So whether Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" crooning fills you with holiday spirit or Macaulay Culkin's "Home Alone" burglar-foiling makes you wanna "Fa-La-La," join Wonderwall.com as we take a look back at the most popular holiday movies of all time. Then keep reading to see where your favorite flicks fall on our list…

"White Christmas" (1954)

Sappy? Sure. But it's hard to argue with Irving Berlin's music and the sparks that fly between Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen in this beloved WWII-era musical comedy. When it hit theaters in 1954, "White Christmas" quickly became the year's highest grossing film. Today, it remains among the 100 most popular box office hits of all time, even after adjusting for inflation, according to BestMovies.com.

Keep reading for more of the most popular holiday movies…

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"Scrooged" (1988)

In 1988's "Scrooged," Bill Murray plays Frank Cross, a modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge character whose life as a TV exec has clouded his judgement of what really matters in life. It was the comedic actor's first major role since "Ghostbusters" and delivered a strong box office performance ("Scrooged" comes in at No. 19 on Box Office Mojo's highest grossing Christmas flicks list). Critics took note of the film's dark streak, though.

Critic Roger Ebert gave the movie a thumbs-up review but cautioned that the "entire production seems to be in dire need of visits from the ghosts of Christmas," adding that in Bill's "studies of Dickens in preparation for this role …[he] seems to have read only as far as 'Bah! Humbug!'"

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"The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992)

In 1992, Brian Henson infused the Muppets created by his dad, Jim Henson, with Charles Dickens' most famous Christmas tale. The result was "The Muppet Christmas Carol" featuring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy playing Bob and Emily Cratchit plus a parade of endearing cameos by Muppets like Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his sidekick Beaker as charity collectors and Fozzie Bear as Fozziwig, a Muppet-fied riff on the party-loving, generous Mr. Fezziwig. The Great Gonzo handles narrator duties as Dickens.

Often cited as one of the best kids' Christmas movies ever, "The Muppet Christmas Carol" also made an impressive box office appearance when it hit theaters in 1992. Three decades later, it was still getting love from holiday movie fans in a 2023 New York Times readers survey.

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"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989)

Fresh off the back-to-back disasters that constituted the Griswold family's first and second big screen vacays, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" sees Clark and crew getting into the holiday spirit the only way they know how — in total chaos. Plagued by house fires, uninvited relatives, a paycheck snafu and one electrocuted pet, Clark W. Griswold pushes through to find the true meaning of Christmas in spite of it all in this hilarious holiday classic from 1989.

Hailed by Globe and Mail readers in 2023 as the second greatest Christmas movie ever, the holiday-themed edition of National Lampoon's "Vacation" franchise ranks at No. 16 on Box Office Mojo's highest grossing Christmas flicks list.

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000) and "The Grinch" (2018)

The Grinch, Dr. Seuss's malevolent furry green creature who lives on Mount Crumpit and despises all things Christmas, has made holiday movie history in various incarnations. They're all worth watching again, if you ask us.

The first time the character tried to steal Christmas from Whoville (on a screen, anyway) was in 1966 when an animated adaptation of the beloved children's book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" aired as a television special. and quickly became a holiday programming staple.

The first big screen version of the tale didn't arrive until 2000, with Jim Carrey as an excellent Mr. Grinch in the feature film of the same name. That "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (pictured) opened at No. 1 in theaters and set multiple box office records, earning its rep as one of the most popular holiday movies of all time. Its massive success was eclipsed, however, by a third take on the story. In 2018, the animated "The Grinch," with Benedict Cumberbatch voicing the titular star, was one of the year's biggest movies.

"Gremlins" (1984)

The now classic Christmas-slash-horror movie "Gremlins" centers around a fictional creature called a Mogwai — specifically, the insanely cute one given to a teenager named Billy as a gift from his dad. Billy calls his little pal Gizmo and we soon learn the seemingly easy directions for Mogwai care: Never get a Mogwai wet, never expose him to bright light and whatever you do, never feed him after midnight.

Alas, Billy and his buddies fail to follow these directions and on Christmas Eve, things go from adorable to awful — fast. The Mogwai get wet, get fed and get lit then transform into an army of evil creatures with insatiable appetites for destruction, which they unleash on Billy's otherwise quiet, holiday-focused town.

Sure, it's about monsters and mayhem, but "Gremlins" also tackles issues around greed, morality and family … topped off with a healthy dollop of microwave-induced Gremlin gore. In 2023, "Gremlins" continues to make regular appearances on holiday-faves lists, with critics at FandomWire, Parade and more outlets arguing it's among the best "unconventional" holiday movies around.

"Miracle on 34th Street" (1947)

"Miracle on 34th Street," another beloved '40s classic, asks its characters (and viewers) to consider what exactly constitutes a "real" Santa Claus. The movie — which stars Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn — is set between Thanksgiving and Christmas in New York City, where an older gentleman with a fluffy beard who happens to play Santa at Macy's on 34th Street maintains he is, in fact, Kris Kringle. He meets a variety of challenges while trying to prove he is who he says, including a trip to the local psychiatric hospital.

Based on a story by Valentine Davies, "Miracle on 34th Street" won three Academy Awards: Edmund took home best supporting actor, Valentine won for best story with original writing (a category that no longer exists) and George Seaton won for best screenplay. In 2023, "Miracle" was named a top holiday favorite in polls by Yahoo/YouGov and The New York Times.

"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York City" (1992)

Two years after he was left behind by his family over Christmas and forced to defend his home from burglars, 10-year-old Kevin McCallister accidentally boards the wrong flight while traveling with his family for the holidays in the first sequel to "Home Alone." As the title suggests, Kevin finds himself in New York City, separated once again from his mom and dad, who've flown to Miami without him. Worse, the same criminals who broke into their house in the Windy City have just escaped from prison and arrived in — you guessed it — NYC, where they catch up with their kid nemesis, Kevin, before a planned toy store robbery.

Hijinks and booby traps ensue, as does a cameo by Donald Trump, who appears in one scene in the lobby of The Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time. (In 2020, director Chris Columbus told Business Insider that Donald "did bully his way into the movie" by making the film's use of the Plaza contingent on his appearance in the film.)

Like its predecessor, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York City" was written by John Hughes and stars Macaulay Culkin alongside Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker and Catherine O'Hara. While it never mustered the kind of record-breaking box office numbers "Home Alone" did, the sequel was a box office success and now stands as the fourth highest grossing Christmas movie of all time, according to Box Office Mojo.

"A Christmas Story" (1983)

Word to the wise: Beware "triple-dog dares" involving body parts, metal and sub-zero temperatures… Told in a series of vignettes through the eyes of an adult Ralphie Parker, 1983's "A Christmas Story" took some time to achieve the cult-classic status it holds today. By 2012, however, a Marist poll had found "A Christmas Story" was the fan favorite of all holiday movies, coming in just ahead of "It's a Wonderful Life." That same year, the story of Ralphie and his darkly funny misfortunes snagged a spot in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.

"A Christmas Story" was named the second most watched Christmas movie in a 2023 poll by Yahoo News and YouGov and got a shoutout from New York Times readers as one of their all-time faves.

"Die Hard" (1988)

Who needs Santa when you've got Bruce Willis's John McClure? Despite its adrenaline-heavy premise — a New York City cop aiming to see his estranged wife in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve ends up fighting off a terrorist attack to save her — "Die Hard" regularly tops fan-favorite holiday movie polls. (Alan Rickman also makes a pretty great bad guy.)

In 2023 surveys of the best holiday movies ever, the action-packed flick got shoutouts in USA Today, The New York Times and imbd.com.

"Home Alone" (1990)

What do you do when your parents accidentally leave you behind while they go on vacation for the holidays? You protect your home from a couple of criminals who are trying to break into it, obviously.

In 1990's "Home Alone" — which is the No. 1 Christmas movie of all time, according to Box Office Mojo — Macaulay Culkin stars as resourceful 8-year-old Kevin McCallister, who takes on the Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) as they attempt to break into his family's house during the holidays.

"It's A Wonderful Life" (1946)

Boasting five Oscar nominations and a spot in the Library of Congress, Frank Capra's 1946 film, "It's A Wonderful Life," tells the story of how downtrodden George Bailey discovers on Christmas Eve that his life is worth living after all. The movie — which is based loosely on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and stars James Stewart alongside Donna Reed — is chock-full of memorable lines, moving plot twists and more than a few valuable life lessons.

Though it's now widely regarded as one of Hollywood's greatest films ever, "It's A Wonderful Life" had a surprisingly rocky start. It tanked at the box office and earned mixed reviews from critics. But by the 1980s, the film was broadcast annually on hundreds of local TV stations across the United States, bringing it wider acclaim and teaching multiple generations that "every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." 

In 2023, imbd.com and The New York Times readers voted this the No. 1 best Christmas movie, ever.

"Elf" (2003)

In December 2023, Forbes reported that the most streamed holiday movie of the season was "Elf," which sees awkward North Pole resident Buddy (Will Ferrell) visiting New York City to meet his biological father (James Caan). There are plenty of reasons the two-decades-old comedy still tops best holiday movie lists curated by fans and critics alike, including A+ performances by Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Peter Dinklage, Zooey Deschanel and Mary Steenburgen.

At the end of the day, though, it's endlessly funny, always charming Will and his portrayal of Santa's very tall, very human helper that keeps winning our hearts. The comedic actor's "puppy-like enthusiasm has kept this film fresh even after all these years," wrote USA Today's film critic.

Besides, as the Daily Beast points out, "Sometimes at Christmas, you just want to laugh."