Here we go again! The jolliest of holidays, the most festive of festivities, is back to haunt us. Yep, it's Christmas. Which means it's time to do all that stuff we love to do around the holidays (he says through gritted teeth). Putting up trees and decorations. Wrapping presents. Oh, and my personal favourite... enduring the same shitty Christmas music over and over. Although I am loving all the Mariah Carey memes, this year. But on a more serious note; there are radio stations dedicated to Christmas music, and some of them have been live since September! Who the hell is listening to Christmas music in September?!
However, it's not all bad. There's usually copious amounts of delicious food to consume, and some excellent movies to be watched. Often times, you can combine the two. How many Christmases have been saved by a good movie and/or some tasty food? I don't know if it has saved Christmas 2025, but before writing this I watched Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Not exactly a Christmas film, I know. But it's certainly a distant cousin, and the hilarious events depicted within it relate just as much to Christmas as they do Thanksgiving.
Which brings me to the point of this festive rant. What are your 'go to' Christmas movies? The ones that get you through the silly season. The ones that get you in the festive spirit - or maybe help you avoid it. Or the ones you simply look forward to watching every December. There's plenty to choose from. Everything from the downright cheesy, to the delightfully wholesome, and the surprisingly violent. As well as anything involving Shane Black, naturally.
Granted, the definition of a Christmas movie has always been rather fluid. What is for some, very much isn't for others. But lets inject a little festive spirit into all this, shall we? A little joy to the world, making spirits bright, and all that jazz. For the purpose of this exercise, if you consider something to be a Christmas movie, then it's a Christmas movie. Especially as the status of my first, and top choice as a Christmas movie is hotly debated.
They say: "it's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Tower." And they would be right. Anyone who knows me - or has given The Movie Moustache a passing glance - will know that Die Hard is not only my favourite Christmas movie, it's my favourite Christmas tradition. Every Christmas Eve I will sit down and watch John McClane deliver a Christmas miracle by decimating Hans Gruber's holiday plans. I mean, what could be more festive than watching a regular, bare-footed guy save both his marriage and 30 hostages on Christmas Eve? "Yippee Ki-Yay!"
There is more to the holidays, however, than gunfights and air vents. It's about laughter, and culture. Which is why the second movie on my list is The Muppet Christmas Carol. No one does an adaptation of Charles Dickens like those fuzzy little puppets! Although, to be fair, no one does anything quite like them. But their take on the story of Ebenezer Scrooge is one of their best. A crazy, hilarious, surprisingly faithful adaptation. Filled with admiration for Dickens, and featuring a masterful performance by Sir Michael Caine.
From one miser to another. What would Christmas be without a furry green guy trying to steal it? My personal favourite is 2018's The Grinch. Yes it's a little different to the original tale, but I love that combination of Dr Seuss' quirky style with the wackiness of Illumination. The animation is beautiful, making Whoville a feast for the eyes. While Benedict Cumberbatch makes his Grinch delightfully evil, yet troubled and actually quite loveable. His voice work perfectly matches the characters hysterical antics throughout the movie, as we build towards his holiday heist.
But if you're going to be bad around Christmas, it's important to know that there will be consequences. Something young Billy Wenan (Chance Hurstfield) learns when he puts a hit out on Santa Claus. With Fatman, the Nelms brothers present a cynical and jaded Santa, which is actually rather believable for a guy trying to deliver joy in the 21st century. The polar opposite of what you expect from a Christmas movie. His confrontation with the assassin may be a little brief, but overall it is a delightful glimpse at what it takes to deliver Christmas in one night.
The thing is, you can't always rely on Santa - or your family, it seems - to take care of all the bad people. Which brings us to another classic Christmas flick: Home Alone. Kevin McCallister's battle to protect his home from the Wet Bandits has been a favourite of mine since I was a kid. That house. Little Nero's Pizza. The most famous fictional gangster movie ever made. At this point they are all as synonymous with Christmas as presents, trees and snow. And who doesn't like seeing the 8 year old run rings around Harry & Marv?
That said, I actually prefer Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Sure, it's crazier and more ridiculous than the first, and you have to look away to avoid a slimy cameo. But there's just something about Kevin's trip to the Big Apple that I love more than his first adventure. Maybe it's his interactions with Tim Curry and co. at the Plaza Hotel. Or could it be the more dastardly traps Kevin is able to come up with in his uncle's fixer-upper house? Either way, this is usually the first Home Alone movie I watch each year.
Speaking of sequels... you didn't think I was done with John McClane, did you? Die Hard 2 may not be as good as the original. It's not even the second best Die Hard. But it's still a fun, festive adventure with the world's unluckiest cop - even if he has been turned into more of an action hero. And this time there's snow! The action is great - especially the shootout in the new terminal - and McClane's inability to get along with just about everyone is always amusing. It's just too bad Al Powell didn't get a bigger role.
What would Christmas be without a little Aardman? And what better than Arthur Christmas? The idea of the Christmas family having to rediscover the spirit of Christmas is genius! Not to mention; hilarious. While Arthur's love for his family's legacy is heart-warming. As is his determination to keep the true meaning of the holiday alive. Something that seems increasingly difficult as the North Pole operation begins to resemble a merger between Amazon and International Rescue. But it all leads to a calamitous road trip, that is so quintessentially Aardman, as this plucky band of renegades attempt to save Christmas.
From cynical and jaded Santa, to Bad Santa. Billy Bob Thornton's foul-mouthed, alcoholic, degenerate shopping mall Santa/safe cracker is a kind of anti-Christmas, if you will. For everything the holiday is supposed to be, he is the opposite. Which is not only hilarious, it can actually be a breath of fresh air. A relief from all the yuletide celebrations. That, and it's a laugh-out-loud comedy caper about a drunken criminal who can barely keep his shit together long enough to rob the mall he and his unfortunate partner, Marcus - played with perfect comic timing by Tony Cox - are currently working for. It also happens to include two amusingly straight performances by John Ritter (his final performance) and Bernie Mac, as the mall's concerned manager and his rather blunt head of security.
Which brings us to the final entry on my list of must-see Christmas movies. Like I said before; what would Christmas be without a little Aardman? In Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, an attempt to acquire larger Christmas stockings leads to Timmy chasing after Father Christmas. Only it's not the Fatman, it's the Farmer. And as the flock try to return the wayward lamb to Mossy Bottom, they find themselves caught up in another of the Farmer's ridiculous get rich quick schemes. All while poor old Bitzer struggles to keep everyone out of trouble. It's another delightful film from the legendary stop motion studio. A festive adventure with the loopiest flock of sheep around. Perfect for a cosy Christmas afternoon with the family.
So there it is. My top ten, must-see, holiday saving Christmas movies. There's nothing particularly surprising about it, but every single one of those movies is something to look forward to every December, when the nights draw in and the tinsel goes up. What better way to survive another friggin' Christmas?
What are your 'go to', all time favourite Christmas movies? Leave a comment below or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads. You can also email us at moviemoustache@gmail.com.
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