I love sparkly lights and glitter and chocolate in all forms, so this is one of my favorite times of year. I’ve been writing Christmas short stories for years (some are compiled in my Yuletide Thrills collection which ranges from nice to naughty) and this year I wrote a Christmas screenplay about a burnt out drummer who rekindles her joy in music and love with the help of an obstreperous parrot (contact me for more info).
I’ve compiled lists of my favorite Christmas movies and this year I thought I’d list them off by year, 1 per day because 2025 has just the right number of days.
Turns out this task was much harder than I expected. Some years have several great movies and some none at all. Let me know which ones I missed and be warned that my tastes run to the dark and Gothic as well as the funny, fantastical, and romantic!
2000
How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love the costumes, the music, and the sheer grinchiness of Jim Carey in his green suit. It’s a great way to kick off the season.
2001
Serendipity. A rom com with John Cusack at his witty best, plus a snowy New York city and a little magic.
2002
I came up empty for 2002, so I’m using a 2003 release: Bad Santa. It’s dark and grim and funny and a reminder that Christmas isn’t all sweetness and light. If you have a 2002 release that I missed, let me know.
2003
Elf. This one IS all sweetness and light and charm as Buddy the (human) elf heads to New York to find his father. One of my top Christmas movies every year.
2004
Love, Actually. Again, I found nothing and have to hark back to 2003. A glittery year for Love, Actually. A charming but problematic entry. But everything turned out ok for the writer and the porn stars, which I guess is a lot to hope for during the holidays.
2005
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. As you probably realized based on 2001, I have a soft spot for witty guys in trouble, so Robert Downey Jr in a noir Christmas mystery is right up my alley.
2006
Last Holiday. The melancholy of Queen Latifah’s department store character trying to squeeze joy of out her last holiday alone makes me tear up.
2007
Nothing, again? I’m going to have to steal one from 2015. The Night Before, also melancholy as Joseph Gordon Leavitt tries to spend one last night with his friends Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackey before he tells them he has cancer. Much funnier than I’m making it sound.
2008
In Bruges. Dead guys and a dead kid, so this breaks all my rules. But it’s beautiful and funny and heartbreaking so I watch it anyway. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are fantastic.
2009
Again, help me out here. I’m pulling from 2015’s Tangerine about a transgender woman on a revenge quest in Los Angeles. Dark, odd, filmed on iPhone only, beautiful. Worth a watch.
2010
Rare Exports. Dark, Finnish. About a young boy trying to save his family and friends from evil Santa. Beautiful, charming, grim and with the most badass character I’ve seen in any movie: Pietari. I watch it every year.
2011
Arthur Christmas. A light and charming one about Santa’s youngest son trying to deliver a forgotten present. Funny, sweet, and the movie I always recommend for those who still believe in Santa. Too many Santa movies are about doubt, but this one is about logistics and the magic of Christmas. And three bits of sticky tape. Three.
2012
Another lean year for Christmas movies, so I’m pulling up The Man Who Invented Christmas from 2017. A movie about Dickens and the story that started it all. Movies about writers, obviously a yes.
2013
So, empty-handed. Continuing the writers at Christmas with A Christmas Story Christmas from 2022. I watch it with the original from 1983. It’s great to see Ralphie and his friends all grown up and back together. Who knew Scut Farkus would grow up to be so cute?!? I’m just glad to see that Ralphie’s head is still in the clouds, where it belongs.
2014
Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever. Love the sarcasm and Aubrey Plaza is the perfect choice for everyone’s favorite feline.
2015
Such a good year. I used 2 earlier and am sticking Krampus here. Yes it’s dark, yes people die, yes it’s scary. And that’s why I love it.
2016
Office Christmas Party. Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman are wonderfully funny. All the cast is great and who hasn’t had versions of this party at work?
2017
Bad Mom’s Christmas. A guilty pleasure for all the moms who try so hard and never get credit. Funny, charming, and sweet. Even when Mila Kunis is telling off poor, innocent Kenny G.
2018
Nothing. So I’m pulling up Klaus from 2019. Animated gem about a postman exiled to the far north who somehow creates the myth of Santa in spite of feuds, fish, and his own snottiness. Awwww. I know it wasn’t released in theaters and the others were, but I’m giving it a pass on general cuteness.
2019
Last Christmas. London at Christmas with Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson, and a great supporting cast. Plus a wonderful George Michael soundtrack. Witty, charming, dark and light. Scrumptious. Oddly enough, I wrote a short story about the same song and lots of people die.
2020
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square. Probably on the list because I wanted nostalgia and cheer and the charm of Dolly Parton to put the cap on 2020. Thanks, Dolly! (also not released in theaters, but remember theaters in 2020?)
2021
Difficult because there were 3 amazing movies this year. So I’m cheating and choosing all 3 because I can’t decide.
Love Hard. Funny and adorable tale of catfishing at Christmas and still finding true love. I was pulling for Josh the whole time.
Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas. I love all things Shaun (and all things Nick Park in general). His troublemaking sheep cause delightful trouble and only their own creativity and the patient sheepdog can get them home safely.
Single All the Way. A long time in coming, it’s a delightful rom com about a gay man coming home for Christmas with his best friend (and obviously the man he should spend the rest of his life with). Not one issue with the characters being gay (hooray!), just the standard family fixing them up high jinx.
2022
Violent Night. Dark, horror, people die creatively and spectacularly. David Harbour’s beefed up Santa saving a little girl at Christmas is sublime. The shed scene is a violent ballet.
2023
Holdovers. This one is sweet and melancholy again about those left behind at a boarding school over Christmas. Brilliant cast with Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy.
2024
A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter. Silly, naughty, and full of great music.
2025
I’m hoping I’ll know by the time I get here. Any candidates?
Let me know what you’d add to this list!
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