30 films that the Vogue editors swear by for instant Christmas spirit

Even if you have never been a fan of sentimental genres like Christmas films, this is 2025, which means that after months of global crises, uncertainty, existential fear and political chaos, watching one of the best Christmas films of all time with a cup of mulled wine is not a bad idea if you want to get into the holiday spirit.

Related: The mulled wine recipe that will make you forget every other one

Naturally, you should start with the real classics, such as the 1950s Hollywood adaptation of A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life, but there is also a range of more contemporary titles to explore, from charming to romantic comedies. Here is Vogue Adria’s selection of the best Christmas films of all time.

“While You Were Sleeping”

This perfect 90s romantic comedy begins when Lucy, a lonely Chicago transit worker (Sandra Bullock), saves a handsome commuter, Peter (Peter Gallagher), from being hit by a train on Christmas Day. In an almost Shakespearean confusion that follows, the family of the now comatose Peter assumes Lucy is his fiancée, a mistake she does not correct until she starts spending more time with Peter’s equally charming brother Jack (Bill Pullman), making everything even more complicated.

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“Bad Santa”

If Christmas sentimentality usually puts you off, prepare to fall for Billy Bob Thornton as a drunken mall worker who uses his job as Santa as a cover for petty theft. However, when he meets an awkward and Christmas obsessed boy named Thurman Merman, he takes him under his wing and teaches him to stand up for himself, with help from his girlfriend (played by Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls) and his sidekick (Tony Cox). It is still a feel good film, but with enough dark humour to satisfy even the cynics.

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“Why Him?”

Our writer Sonja Knežević chooses this film every December because she loves watching a grumpy character paired with a cheerful one. “In this story those are the father, played by the brilliant and perpetually stern Bryan Cranston (who has swapped his lab coat for a Christmas shirt), and his future son in law played by James Franco. This is not a classic Christmas film. After all, it is set in California, and how festive can the atmosphere be at 30 degrees? Not only does the future son in law plan to marry his daughter, he also threatens to change the family traditions entirely, but is that really so bad? The film is very touching and funny, which is everything we expect from a Christmas film. It also makes us realise that our own family gatherings may not be as chaotic after all. We laughed to tears watching Cranston trying to stop his daughter’s engagement. Completely consumed by the hostility he feels toward Franco’s character, he almost forgets about the holiday cheer.”

“Holiday Affair”

Another Christmas tale from 1949 about a woman in trouble over shoplifting, this time a single mother and war widow played by Janet Leigh. A salesperson, played by Robert Mitchum, cannot bring himself to report her and ends up taking the blame. Then, because it is Christmas, the two of them, as you might guess, fall in love.

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“Little Women”

No, none of the many film adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s 19th century novel are technically Christmas films, but a) it is never a bad time to watch Greta Gerwig’s movie and b) some of the most memorable scenes in the 2019 version take place in late December, from Jo’s Christmas pantomime to Marmee’s decision to give the girls’ Christmas breakfast to the Hummel family.

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“Klaus”

“My favourite Christmas film is Klaus on Netflix, by Sergio Pablos,” says our beauty editor Kristina Mikulić. “I can watch it a million times and never get bored. I love visually beautiful films, and this one, although animated, is not banal, it has an interesting story and a distinctive visual style. I also love films that take a familiar part of culture and twist that knowledge in an unexpected way. Klaus is actually a story about how Santa Claus came to be, but that turns out to be the least important part.”

“The Holiday”

Whether you love it or hate it, this sentimental film covers every Christmas feeling: unrequited love, new romance, charming strangers in cosy pubs and a snowy English village that looks like a delivery nightmare. When it comes to guilty pleasures that make us feel warm inside, “The Holiday” is at the top of the list.

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“Scrooge”

There seem to be endless adaptations of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”, but we consider the 1951 version with Alastair Sim as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge the best, with Michael Caine’s turn in the Muppet version coming in as a very close second.

“Elf”

“Elf”, starring Will Ferrell as Buddy, an adult man raised by elves by accident, has become something of a Christmas classic since its 2003 release. If you do not like Ferrell’s comedic style, you should still watch it for Zooey Deschanel’s rendition of Baby, It’s Cold Outside. If that does not get you into the Christmas mood, nothing will. As our writer Bojana Jovanović puts it, “Elf is essentially the film equivalent of a snowball fight, full of laughter, nostalgia and moments that make you wonder how anyone survived childhood without serious injuries.”

Warner Brothers

“A Christmas Story”

Do you remember that one Christmas present you desperately wanted as a child? For nine year old Ralphie Parker (played by Peter Billingsley), it was the official Red Ryder carbine with a compass and a sundial. A unique and slightly mad Generation X relic that absolutely deserves another viewing.

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“The Dead”

For his final film in 1987, released a few months after his death, director John Huston created a poignant adaptation of The Dead, the short story from Joyce’s Dubliners. Set at an Epiphany party in early 1904, not quite Christmas but close in atmosphere, the drama unfolds on a snowy night in Dublin where guests recite old Irish poetry, sing songs and reflect melancholically on times gone by.

“It’s A Wonderful Life”

If the measure of a good Christmas film is how much it can make you cry, which it is, then It’s a Wonderful Life is the best holiday film of all time. James Stewart as the exhausted and depressed family man George Bailey, who is visited by a guardian angel on Christmas Eve, has us in tears before the final credits roll. “To my shame, I saw It’s a Wonderful Life for the first time only about six years ago. But since then it has been my favourite holiday film, which I watch every December to remind myself of the things in life that are truly priceless,” says our digital director Nives Bokor.

“The Gremlins”

Our native editor Iva Marić shared that the holidays are not complete for her unless she watches The Gremlins after A Charlie Brown Christmas. “Those adorable little creatures that turn into the worst monsters in a second are probably the only monstrous characters I genuinely look forward to every winter.”

“The Bishop’s Wife”

A charming 1947 Christmas fantasy in which Cary Grant plays Dudley, a heavenly angel sent to help Bishop Henry Brogham (David Niven) as he struggles to build a new cathedral. Things get complicated when Dudley grows close to the bishop’s neglected wife Julie (Loretta Young). The film won an Oscar for best cinematography and offers a perfect blend of spirituality, romance and Christmas magic.

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“Love Actually”

“Although I know there are many people who now criticise this film for various reasons, it is still a feel good Christmas film for me. The sensational Emma Thompson in the famous scene breaks my heart every time with her performance, so I always end up crying at the end of the year. Bill Nighy never fails to make me laugh with his performance of Christmas is All Around and ‘Kids don’t buy drugs, become a rockstar and get them for free’, as well as Hugh Grant dancing to the Pointer Sisters. Rowan Atkinson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney and the much missed Alan Rickman make this film an inseparable part of the holidays for me,” says our digital director Nives Bokor.

“How The Grinch Stole Christmas”

Jim Carrey’s performance as the green, round bellied creature from Dr. Seuss who hates Christmas is absolutely flawless in our humble opinion. We may have watched The Grinch so many times that we can recite every line, but that only makes it better. And funnier.

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“Home Alone” (First and Second Part))

“I realised I do not really have a favourite Christmas film,” says our fashion editor Tina Lončar. “But every year I watch the ultimate homage to irresponsible parenting, Home Alone. What always amazes me is Kevin’s mother’s inability to learn from her mistakes, which is actually a wonderful and reassuring reminder we all need during the holidays, no matter how terrible you think you are, it is impossible to be worse than Kevin’s mother.”

20th Century Fox

“The Nightmare Before Christmas”

No holiday film list is complete without Tim Burton’s masterpiece, and here it is, a festive delight for Halloween lovers. Danny Elfman’s music and the hauntingly stylish animation make it essential viewing. “I am really not a fan of Christmas films, nor do I have an ultimate favourite holiday film, but whenever I think of this cult work by Tim Burton I realise I am on the verge of changing my mind and finally having an easy answer to the question of my favourite Christmas film. Even I could not deny how enchantingly stimulating it was because I was constantly entertained and at the same time completely mesmerised throughout the entire film,” says our writer Bojana Jovanović. “Although there is a debate about whether this cult classic is a Halloween or a Christmas film, it is a great film worth watching again and again during the holiday season.”

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“The Santa Clause”

Christmas Eve begins perfectly normally in The Santa Clause, but when a suburban father played by Tim Allen hears a noise on the roof, he assumes the worst and thinks someone is breaking into the house. Santa, surprised that someone noticed him, falls off the roof and Allen must put on the suit, take the reins of the sleigh and start delivering gifts in order to save Christmas.

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“Last Christmas”

What could be better for lifting your spirits at the end of the year than a sweet film built around the songs of George Michael? Written by Emma Thompson and starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, it is typically British with the right amount of sharp humour. A modern holiday classic.

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“Miracle on 34th Street”

Anyone who has visited New York during the Christmas season knows that Santa lookalikes are everywhere, but what happens when one of them is the real thing? In this 1994 version of the 1947 classic, six year old Susan meets Kris Kringle, played by Richard Attenborough. All she wants for Christmas is a dad, a home of her own and a little brother.

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“The Muppets Christmas Carol”

The holiday magic of this Dickens tale rises to eleven out of ten when performed by singing, comedic puppets. Full of laughter, with a heart breaking Tiny Tim in frog form and Michael Caine as Scrooge, it will make you wish for a Muppet version of every Christmas story.

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“White Christmas”

What is Christmas without a song and dance, glitter covered technicolor spectacle? This joyful musical about a successful performing duo features lavish holiday costumes, impressive sets and a cast that includes Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney.

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“Carol”

In the winter of 1952, a shy young shop assistant (Rooney Mara) recommends a toy train set to a glamorous housewife (Cate Blanchett) who is looking for a gift for her daughter. So begins a forbidden love story that unfolds across snowy Christmas tree farms and dimly lit tea rooms.

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“Meet Me in St Louis”

Hearing Judy Garland sing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is reason enough to watch Vincente Minnelli’s lively portrayal of the Smith family’s adventures ahead of the World’s Fair. It is visually stunning, emotionally satisfying and infused with melancholy.

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“The Apartment”

Beginning before the holiday season and ending on New Year’s Eve, this classic Billy Wilder comedy follows an ambitious insurance clerk (Jack Lemmon) as he tries to win the heart of a neurotic elevator operator (Shirley MacLaine) in a touching study of loneliness during the most magical time of the year.

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“Die Hard”

“Yes, I am one of those who firmly stand by the claim that Die Hard is a Christmas film,” laughs our culture editor Tena Razumović Žmara. “Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman are fantastic and incredibly entertaining, and I have watched the film so many times that I know it by heart. The only logical step after so many viewings was to read the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, on which the film is based. That resulted in another viewing. It is incredibly fun to spot the parts of the novel in the film, I recommend it to everyone, you will have a great time.”

“Holiday Inn”

Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Marjorie Reynolds create holiday magic in this 1943 Irving Berlin musical, which introduced the classic song White Christmas. The story is anchored by a sharp love triangle, with Crosby, Astaire and Reynolds playing members of a musical group.

Holiday Inn

“Christmas in Connecticut”

Barbara Stanwyck plays a columnist who writes about her invented life as a housewife on an idyllic farm in Connecticut. When she is exposed, she must keep up the lie to avoid disappointing a fan, a famous war hero played by Dennis Morgan. Naturally, the two eventually fall in love in this 1945 classic.

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