The 10 best Christmas movies to watch with your family

In 2025, the Christmas movies remain the simplest plan to set the mood at home, especially when you want to please both children and adults. Certain works return every year as rituals, others have established themselves more recently thanks to animation neat, a humour which is just right and that little extra magic which makes you forget the gray outside.

In this selection, we kept a clear course: essential which really work as a family, with varied worlds. Adventure full of pace to the sweet tale, through the slapstick that crosses generations, the objective is the same: a session that quickly hooks and leaves a warm impression, without overdoing it.

And since we’re talking about Christmas cinema, we also assume the “geek” side of the pleasure: the visual details, the coherent worlds, the band ofimaginary that we restart as we would restart a saved game. Here are ten safe bets to get back into the game. mood seasonal.

Klaus (2019)

Klaus ticks a lot of boxes without appearing to tick them. L’animation is particularly careful, with a staging that gives substance to the settings and a real personality to the characters. We are facing a film that can captivate young people while leaving adults enough to read so as not to give up after twenty minutes.

Its other strength is this rare balance between humour accessible and well-balanced emotion. The story is touchingbut she avoids powdered sugar. We come away with a feeling of a “modern” tale in the good sense of the word: generous, rhythmic, and frankly pleasant to relaunch each December.

Le Grinch (2018, animated version)

The animated version of Le Grinch plays the energy card. Visually, it is deliberately funwith striking colors, rapid movements and a staging designed to keep children’s attention. The gags are numerous and follow one another without heaviness, making it an easy option for a late afternoon session.

From 5 or 6 years old, the film goes very well: we enjoy the dynamics, the jokey side and the simple progression. The whole thing has this side mischievous that works as a family, especially when you’re looking for a Christmas movie that doesn’t settle in for too long before getting to the heart of it.

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

The Christmas Chronicles adopts an “adventure” approach with a Santa Claus more cool than solemn. The film focuses on action, adventures and a good dose of magic to lead everyone in the same direction, without an endless start-up phase.

What works well with children is pace: it moves, there are reindeer, situations that change quickly, and a feeling of a big Christmas carousel. This is not a contemplative tale, but effective entertainment, perfect when you want a fun “popcorn” evening.

The Christmas Chronicles 2 (2020)

In The Christmas Chronicles 2we find the idea of ​​controlled overbidding: more magicmore colors, more gadgets. It’s typically the kind of sequel that’s aimed at the school holidays, when you want a film that fills the screen and multiplies the finds.

The result is very “remote control friendly”: you can launch it, set up, and let yourself be carried away by the universe effortlessly. It’s a comfortable choice, almost regressive in the good sense of the term, to prolong the Christmas spirit with an extra dose of spectacle.

The Express Pole (2004)

The Express Pole remains a modern classic, and its popularity continues. Its strong point is theambiance: an immersive journey, a sensation of winter night, and this way of installing a Christmas imagination which envelops the session. For many children, it’s a film that we immediately associate with the season.

He also has this particular talent of looking at himself as a story that we already know, but which we rediscover in small touches. A setting, a music, a significant passage, and we fall back into the same bubble. When you want “pure Christmas” without cynicism, it is one of the safest values.

A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

A Boy Called Christmas fits into the register of the modern tale, with a soft fantasy and a magical universe accessible. It’s the kind of film that works well early in the holiday season, when you want to create an atmosphere and find a narrative that takes the time to draw everyone in.

The tone remains family, without heaviness, with a real desire to tell an understandable and engaging Christmas adventure. It’s a good option to vary from the great classics, while retaining the essential: a story that makes you want to believe it, at least for an evening.

Mom, I missed the plane! (1990)

Mom, I missed the plane! is the perfect example of comedy that crosses generations without losing its power. Children immediately get hooked on falls, traps andhumour slapstick very visual. We understand effortlessly, we laugh quickly, and it continues.

And on the adult side, pleasure also comes from a taste for detail and a sense of timing. It’s a film that you can watch again while already knowing certain “cult” scenes and yet be surprised by a small gesture, a sound effect, a reaction. When looking for a classic huge in the imagination of Christmas, it’s difficult to do more effectively.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas has this special place: a little more “strange”, but often adored from 7 or 8 years old, especially if you like universes that go beyond the box. Visually, theanimation and artistic identity are immediately striking, with an atmosphere that mixes imaginations instead of opposing them.

It’s also an excellent choice for “variation” without leaving Christmas. We keep the codes, but we twist them just enough so that the session has a different taste. A perfect film for those who want a Christmas that’s a little more gothic, a little more stylized, but still deeply attached to the idea of ​​celebration.

Angela’s Christmas (2018)

Angela’s Christmas stands out for its format: it’s short, sweet, and designed for the little ones. In family programming, this is typically the film that is played at the start of the evening, or between two activities, to keep a quiet moment without giving up the Christmas spirit.

The tone is simple, reassuring, and the whole thing lends itself very well to a first approach to Christmas cinema for young children. We are on something tender, without overload, which can become a little ritual when you want a light and peaceful session.

Super Noël (The Santa Clause) (1994)

Super Christmas plays an idea that speaks immediately: the transformation of a father Santa Claus. It’s a very readable narrative mechanic, which allows for comic situations and a progression that’s easy for children to follow, while keeping a very clear Christmas setting.

L’humour is simple and effective, with that typical flavor of family comedies that you start again without thinking too much. For a “classic” evening where we want full-on Christmas, gags and a story that unfolds without fuss, the film retains real capital sympathy.

To organize a mini-program over several days, you can mix the tones to avoid the feeling of repetition. A film ofanimation very visual, a fast-paced adventure, then a physical comedy, and that’s it.

• Alternate conte et comedy to keep the attention of the youngest.
• Keep a “short film” like Angela’s Christmas for the evenings when fatigue wins.
• Reserve a title more singular as The Nightmare Before Christmas when you want to change texture.

These ten films have a clear promise in common: to offer Noël immediately readable, with universes that catch the eye quickly and are clearly visible again. And that’s often the real secret of a must-have: the pleasure of relaunching it, year after year, as a tradition that never goes out of style.