Watchshop conducted some holiday research to find out various details about movies and the holiday season.
One of the findings to come from the research was that when it comes to Christmas TV, 40% of people say that Christmas films are their favourite part of festive TV and we absolutely have to agree.
So without further ado here is the UK’s top 10 favourite Christmas movies!
1. Elf
Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves.
Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father.
As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.
Will Ferrell takes the top spot with the ultimate Christmas movie Elf. Is it even Christmas if this isn’t on your TV at least once during the holiday season?
This classic had Will Ferrell nervous that this could be his last ever role in Hollywood. He was quoted in an interview to discuss his concerns of running around New York City in an Elf costume very well be the end of his career.
We all know that wasn’t the case as Elf went on to astronomical success and Will Ferrell’s career skyrocketed.
2. It’s A Wonderful Life
George Bailey, a businessman, is suicidal. An angel named Clarence is sent to help him. He decides to show Bailey what life would have been like if Bailey wasn’t born.
Usually me and black and white movies are like chalk and cheese but It’s A Wonderful Life turns the screen into a beautiful array of colour with not an ounce of colour on screen.
It’s wit, charm and heart touching moments make It’s A Wonderful Life a real Christmas gem.
3. Miracle on 34th Street
Susan, a child, and her mother, along with the help of a lawyer, must defend a man, Kris Kringle, from being institutionalised. In order to do so, they must prove that he is the real Santa Claus.
Richard Attenborough was born to play Santa Claus as this beautiful Christmas movie is set in stone in the hearts and minds of us all.
A true magical Christmas movie that just has to be watched with hot chocolate close to a roaring fireplace.
4. Home Alone
When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O’Hara) makes him sleep in the attic.
After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true.
But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must protect the family home.
The role Macaulay Culkin was born to play and the birth of a generation of kids setting up pranks and traps for their happy (or not so happy) parents when this movie was released.
Home Alone is still going strong with a new Disney Plus movie released this year but it’ll never (and I mean never) recreate the magic that the first movie installed upon the world.
5. White Christmas
Singers Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont.
There, they run into Gen. Waverly (Dean Jagger), the boys’ commander in World War II, who, they learn, is having financial difficulties; his quaint country inn is failing.
So what’s the foursome to do but plan a yuletide miracle: a fun-filled musical extravaganza that’s sure to put Waverly and his business in the black!
In full disclosure this is a film that I just haven’t seen (I know, I know) so I can’t possibly comment but with the Christmas season in full swing I can definitely check this out!
6. The Grinch
The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet.
His main source of aggravation comes during Christmastime when his neighbours in Whoville celebrate the holidays with a bang. When the Whos decide to make Christmas bigger and brighter, the disgruntled Grinch realises there is one way to gain peace and quiet.
With help from Max, the green grump hatches a scheme to pose as Santa Claus, steal Christmas and silence the Whos’ holiday cheer once and for all.
Jim Carrey absolutely let loose with this one in this wacky, funny and charming Christmas tale.
It’s a must-watch every single year!
7. Love Actually
Nine intertwined stories examine the complexities of the one emotion that connects us all: love.
Among the characters explored are David (Hugh Grant), the handsome newly elected British prime minister who falls for a young junior staffer (Martine McCutcheon), Sarah (Laura Linney), a graphic designer whose devotion to her mentally ill brother complicates her love life, and Harry (Alan Rickman), a married man tempted by his attractive new secretary.
I’m surprised that Love Actually wasn’t further up in this particular list.
It’s the ONLY holiday themed movie that has balanced out its intertwined stories without being completely absurd.
With one of the most impressive cast line-ups of any holiday film in this list Love Actually is endearing, memorable and quotable all these years later.
8. Muppets Christmas Carol
The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets — Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle — weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases — past, present and future.
They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of this movie. There’s just something that feels lacking for me personally.
It feels very much like a TV movie in my personal opinion but I can see why its included in this list.
It has heart and a stellar Michael Caine performance keeps me hooked but I just can’t bring myself to watch it again after I saw it the first time.
9. The Snowman
After an English boy makes a snowman on Christmas Eve, it comes to life to take him on an adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.
Another film on this list that I was adamant would be higher as this movie based on the poem of the same name says absolutely no words and yet still weaves a beautiful tale.
Only the music that overlays the story provides the narration, atmosphere and beauty that befalls this endearing festive flick!
10. Polar Express
Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”; “Cast Away”) reunite for “Polar Express,” an inspiring adventure based on the beloved children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg.
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.
Despite the animation being a little creepy at times (or is that just me?) Polar Express just makes it into the Top 10 list.
I do feel bad that a film like The Holiday is left on the outside. I rather enjoy that movie more than quite a few in this particular list and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is certainly a big loss for me in this Top 10.
So Elf starring Will Ferrell takes the top spot, do you agree with the Top 10?
If not what are YOUR favourite Christmas movies?
Leave your comments below and Happy Holidays!
