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Holiday Films

Whether it's one of the classics or a modern take on the holiday season, it wouldn't be the holidays without holiday movies. Thanks to the Appleton Public Library Reference and Information Services staff for putting together these holiday movie lists.

See also: Nontraditional Holiday Movies | Nonfiction Holiday Titles | Viewer Favorites

Sort by Date | Just a list

12 days of Christmas Eve (2004)
When Calvin (a modern-day Scrooge) wakes up in a hospital bed on Christmas Eve, he is visited by a mysterious, no-nonsense nurse who gives him 12 attempts to make the best Christmas Eve ever.

3 godfathers (1948)
Fugitive bank robbers care for the newborn of the woman they just buried, knowing it ruins any chance of escape. Director John Ford's western retelling of the Biblical Three Wise Men tale remains a scenic and thematic masterpiece.

All I want for Christmas (1991)
Rated: G
A young girl wants to reunite her divorced parents during the holidays. Determined to carry out her plan, she seeks out the Santa Claus at Macy's to tell him what she truly hopes for.

Angel in the family (2004)
An ailing widowed father and his two estranged daughters experience a miracle when their late matriarch returns to spend Christmas with them.

Babes in Toyland (1996)
Rated: G
Everyone's favorite nursery rhyme characters come magically to life in this delightful animated adventure based on the classic holiday tale.

Bad Santa (2003)
Rated: R
Willie is a thief who teams up with his dwarf friend Marcus, for a very special Christmas scam. Willie gets a job as Santa Claus at a shopping mall, Marcus tags along as an elf, and they use their employee status to rob stores blind just before Christmas. But Willie is a bitter and foul-mouthed alcoholic who doesn't care much for kids. A mall's manager is certain something's wrong, so he asks the chief of security to check out Willie. Meanwhile, one of the kids Willie is forced to talk to becomes a regular customer.

The bells of St. Mary's (1945)
Easy-going Father O'Malley and iron-willed Sister Benedict find themselves in a subtle battle of wits over how the children should be educated at St. Mary's parochial school. Meanwhile, the skinflint businessman next door wants the school condemned.

The best Christmas pageant ever (1983)
The six Herdman kids lie, steal, smoke cigars and then become involved in the community Christmas pageant.

The Bishop's wife (1947)
Cary Grant stars as an angel who materializes in answer to the prayers of a harried young bishop, David Niven. Niven's efforts to raise money for a new cathedral have endangered his marriage to beautiful Loretta Young. Grant enters the bishop's household hoping to end the problems plaguing the family, but instead the bishop's negelected wife becomes infatuated with him.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
'Tis the season to be jolly, but Charlie Brown, feeling that the Christmas message is lost amid all the seasonal glitter, has the blues. Join the Peanuts gang as they discover for themselves the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas at water's edge (2007)
For spoiled, wealthy college girl Layla, Christmas means designer wrapping paper and holiday gift bags, but this year she'll learn the true meaning of the season, when an angel in disguise tries to turn this pampered brat into a caring young woman.

The Christmas blessing (2007)
When a medical resident loses a patient, he moves back home with his father to rethink his career. His world is turned upside down when the lives of the woman he loves and an innocent young boy are in crisis. Will a Christmas miracle save them all?

The Christmas box; Timepiece (1995/1996)
Christmas box: A touching story of a widow and the young family who moves in with her. Timepiece: This follow-up of The Christmas Box begins on the wedding eve of Richard's daughter, Jenna, when he gives her Mary's rose gold watch and tells her the story of Mary's life.

A Christmas carol (1938)
Starring: Reginald Owen
The timeworn Dickens' story about the old merchant Scrooge and how his own disappointments in life shape his view that both life and men are not worthy of his notice or concern.

A Christmas carol (2004)
Starring: Kelsey Grammer
Ebenezer Scrooge is brought to life in this musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale starring Kelsey Grammer. Originally released as a television motion picture.

A Christmas carol (1999)
Starring: Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart stars as Scrooge in this brilliant presentation of Charles Dickens' holiday classic.

Christmas carol: the movie (2001)
Directed by: Simon Callow
Rated: PG
An Animated version of the Dickens' classic featuring the voices of Simon Callow, Kate Winslet, & Nicolas Cage.

Christmas comes to Willow Creek (1987)
Two feuding brothers' lives are changed forever when they agree to drive a semi-truck full of gifts and supplies from California to the isolated Alaskan village of Willow Creek for their ailing father.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
A famous food writer lies about living on a farm, raising her children and being a good cook. In reality she is an unmarried New Yorker who can't boil an egg. When her editor says she will spend Christmas with a heroic sailor, her job is on the line.

A Christmas memory (1997)
A little boy is abandoned by his parents and raised by some older unmarried cousins, where he develops a close bond with one of the ladies. When he is urged to move on with his life by one of them, he never forgets the memories of his favorite friend.

Christmas miracle at Sage Creek (2005)
With a history of feuding, the Franklin and Red Eagle families are well-known rivals in the lawless Western frontier. When disaster strikes, these two families will be forced to confront their many differences as lives hang in the balance.

Christmas miracle of Jonathan Toomey (2007)
When a boy loses the wooden nativity set that links him to his deceased father, his mother persuades a reclusive woodcarver to make a replacement. As Christmas approaches and the boy demands more, will the gift be finished in time?

The Christmas shoes (2002)
A workaholic attorney crosses paths with a young boy on Christmas Eve and rediscovers the true meaning of love, life, and the holiday season.

A Christmas story (1983)
Rated: PG
In 1940s Indiana, nine-year-old Ralphie dreams of his ideal Christmas gift: a genuine Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action air rifle. But when gruff dad and doting mom regularly respond with "You'll shoot your eye out!" Ralphie mounts a full-scale Santa-begging campaign. He encounters a slew of calamities from snowsuit paralysis to the dreaded tongue-on-a-frozen-flagpole gambit.

The Christmas wife (1988)
Recently widowed John Tanner, not wanting to spend Christmas alone, decides to seek companionship through a "social introductions" agency. He meets Iris, who, though shy and reserved, agrees to join him. Soon a warm relationship develops, but there is a secret side to Iris, that, when revealed, will change both their lives forever.

Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Rated: PG
When only child, Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora decide to book an cruise and skip Christmas altogether. Their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar, and when Blair calls on Christmas Eve to announce a surprise visit with her new fiancée, the Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever.

Comfort and joy (2003)
Jane is a single, career woman who is speed-dialing her way through life. On Christmas Eve, Jane is in a traffic accident and awakenes to find that she's a married, stay-at-home mom with two kids and a passion for charity work. So, let the merry mixups and romantic complications begin.

Deck the halls (2006)
Rated: PG
Two neighbors in a small New England town go to war when one of them decides to decorate his house with a so many Christmas lights that they are visible from space. The neighborhood is turned upside down as the families try to discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Dr Seuss' How the Grinch stole Christmas! (1966)
The grumpy, grouchy, Yule-hating Grinch plots to ruin the Whos of Whoville's Christmas. Can he steal their holiday spirit by stealing their holiday treats? Perhaps Christmas means a little bit more than just presents and candy. Original 1966 television broadcast.

Elf (2003)
Rated: PG
A human baby accidently ends up at the North Pole and grows up among the elf community. Buddy, as he comes to be known, knows that he's "special". When he's 30, Buddy learns from Santa that he's really a human. He decides to go in search of his father, to find out where he belongs.

The family holiday (2007)
A conman must suddenly become a family man, complete with a wife and kids, before he can inherit his uncle's fortune. Can a dog, two kids, and a nanny help one man unwrap the true meaning of Christmas?

Frosty the snowman (1969)
Frosty the snowman: When Frosty comes to life, he must weather a storm of adventures and the plans of an evil magician before he can find safety and happiness at the North Pole.

Going my way (1944)
Father O'Malley is a young priest. He is new to an established but financially flailing parish. When his philosophies on how to relieve the parish's financial troubles come into conflict with those of crumudgeonly Father Fitzgibbon, the result is a timeless story of patience, compromise and understanding.

Holiday Inn (1942)
A song and dance man leaves showbiz to run an inn that is open only on holidays. A former partner joins him and the two find themselves competing for the affections of the same lovely lady.

A holiday to remember (1995)
Based on the novel "A Christmas love" by Kathleen Creighton. Originally produced as a made for TV motion picture in 1995.

The house without a Christmas tree (2007)
A young Nebraskan girl named Addie wants nothing more for the holidays than a Christmas tree. Her bitter, widowed father refuses, but slowly learns the spirit of the season.

It's a very merry Muppet Christmas movie (2002)
Rated: PG
Evil banker Rachel Bitterman forecloses on the Muppets' famous variety theater. But Bitterman's machinations take a back seat when apprentice guardian angel Daniel shows Kermit what conditions would have been had Kermit never existed. A Kermit-less world would have found Miss Piggy running a fraudulent psychic hotline, Fozzie Bear as a homeless derelict, and Sam the Eagle as a caged "rave" dancer. With showstopping numbers like Moulin Scrooge and parodies of many holiday films, this tale of fortune through friendship defines the true meaning of holiday spirit.

It's a wonderful life (1947)
Directed by: Frank Capra
George Bailey, a desperate and suicidal man, is visited by a guardian angel who shows him how important he has been to those around him in his life.

Jack Frost (1998)
Rated: PG
On the verge of making it big, long-struggling musician Jack Frost suddenly realizes he's missing something vital: time with his wife and young son Charlie. But before Jack can make up for lost time, he swerves off an icy mountain road. Then, one cold winter's night, Jack magically returns as a walking, talking, ski-slope-shredding snowman. Determined to be the father he always wanted to be, Jack embarks on a quest to show Charlie that when it comes to being totally cool, there's no dad like a snowdad!

Jingle all the way (1996)
Rated: PG
A father, deperate to buy a hot-selling Christmas toy, endures a frantic last minute shopping spree on Christmans eve.

The little drummer boy (1968)
Rated: G
An orphaned drummer boy witnesses the birth of baby Jesus. Having no gift for him he gives the only thing he has - a song. Originally broadcast on television in 1968.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Starring: Edmund Gwenn
In this Oscar-winning classic, a Macy's Department Store Santa who insists his name is Kris Kringle teaches everyone a lesson in love, faith and the value of imagination.

Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Starring: Richard Attenborough
Rated: PG
A remake of the 1947 Classic.

The Muppet Christmas carol (1992)
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas and reforms his heartless and money-grubbing ways after being visited on Christmas Eve by four ghosts.

National Lampoon's Christmas vacation (1989)
Rated: PG
Christmas is the perfect season for Clark Griswold and his family. Clark's a disaster waiting to happen. You have to see it to believe it. There are 25,000 lights on the Griswold rooftop. An exploding turkey. And a house full of relatives.

The nativity story (2006)
Rated: PG
Begins with the slaughter of Bethlehem's innocents under orders from a paranoid King Herod. Go back a year to the prophecy that informs Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, will bear a child. Elizabeth's cousin, the adolescent Mary, struggles with her family to make ends meet and is promised to the carpenter Joseph. Mary is told by the angel Gabriel that she will carry, while still a virgin, the long-awaited Messiah who will liberate the Jews from Herod and his Roman benefactors. Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem. Three Magi spend months crossing the desert trying to rendezvous with some point below the convergence of three heavenly bodies in the night sky.

Noel (2004)
Rated: PG
Five strangers lives intertwine on Christmas Eve to tell a story of companionship, love, and healing which unfolds against the backdrop of New York City. A delightful tale of redemption, faith, and the joy of living; proving miracles are closer than you think.

The original television Christmas classics: Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer ; Frosty the snowman ; Santa Claus is comin' to town ; wi (1964-1992)
3 disc set. Disc 1: Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Disc 2: Frosty the snowman
Disc 3: Santa Claus is comin' to town / The little drummer boy

The Polar Express (2004)
Rated: G
When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Prancer (1989)
A little girl finds a wounded reindeer in the woods and believes it is Prancer. Her efforts to nurse it back to health so she can return it to Santa bring about wonderful changes in the lives of everyone- her father, their neighbor, a grouchy vet, a department store Santa and the people of the town.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Christmas will be cancelled unless Santa can find a way to guide his sleigh through a blizzard.

The Santa clause (1994)
Rated: PG
Scott, a busy toy company executive, and his son Charlie hear a noise on the roof on Christmas Eve. Scott goes out to investigate and accidentally kills Santa Claus. Because of "the Santa clause," Scott inherits the job of Santa. As the next year passes, Scott rapidly gains weight, grows a white beard, and meets the elf Bernard.

The Santa clause 2 (2002)
Rated: G
Scott Calvin has been Santa Claus for the past eight years, and his elves consider him the best ever. But Santa's world is turned upside down when his son gets on the naughty list, and if Scott doesn't marry soon, he'll stop being Santa forever.

Santa clause 3. The escape clause (2006)
Rated: G
With another Christmas season fast approaching, Santa Claus/Scott Calvin is feeling even more pressure. Mrs. Claus is expecting a little Claus. She is also longing for the company of some "tall people." So Scott agrees to let her parents visit as long as they believe that they're really in Canada rather than at the North Pole.

Scrooge (1935)
Starring: Seymour Hicks
"It's Christmas Eve in 19th century London, and Scrooge makes life miserable for all those around him, especially his impoverished employee Bob Cratchit. But during the night, three spirits visit Scrooge and show him the error of his ways, and his ultimate end if he does not repent"

Scrooged (1988)
Rated: PG-13
Modern version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with Bill Murray portraying a nasty, uncaring, unforgiving TV network president. On Christmas Eve he is visited by three ghosts who show him the error of his ways.