Edward proves adept at cutting hedges and holiday-themed ice sculptures — the shaping of which create snow. In her old age, Kim reveals to her great-grandaughter that Edward returned to his mansion, where he is still alive and continues to create snow.

The 2003 tale of an elf who discovers he’s really human earned more than $220 million at the worldwide box office. Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, who, despite his 6-foot stature and poor toy-making abilities, never realized he didn’t quite fit in at the North Pole. After learning the truth, he treks to Manhattan to meet his initially resistant father (James Caan) and ends up finding love (Zooey Deschanel) in the process. A musical adaptation premiered on Broadway in 2010.

There were three simple rules to owning the cuddly Mogwai: Keep him out of sunlight, don’t give him water, and never feed him after midnight. But after his father buys him the strange creature — named Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandel) — as a Christmas present, Billy (Zach Galligan) breaks two of the three rules, unleashing an explosion of gremlins in his town. Ultimately, the creatures’ rampage is put to an end, and Gizmo is returned to his original owner, who claims the Western world is not yet ready to responsibly care for a Mogwai. The 1984 hit movie spawned a sequel six years later.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, based on the 1957 book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, stars Jim Carrey as the “mean one, Mr. Grinch.” Directed by Ron Howard, the film was a holiday hit, holding the No. 1 spot at the box office for four weeks. It also nabbed three Academy Award nominations.

The 1966 animated television movie about the mean ol‘ Grinch who is trying to take away Christmas from the good people of Whoville is just 26 minutes long, but it has been holiday classic since it first appeared on television.

It’d hardly be Christmas without Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire’s Holiday Inn, which brought us Crosby’s version of the holiday staple “White Christmas.” Also starring Virginia Dale, the film deals with love, friendship and plenty of good music.

Defining Christmas for a generation of ‘90s children, Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister makes a large cheese pizza seem worthy of a king and defends his home from two thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) using his wits and cleverly designed booby traps. Along the way he learns maybe he does love his loud, sprawling family after all.

Frank Capra’s classic has become a TV staple during the holidays, but upon its 1946 release, the film was considered a box office disappointment as post-World War II moviegoers were more interested in lighthearted fare. James Stewart stars as George Bailey, a man who is contemplating suicide when an angel (Henry Travers) steps in and shows him what his life would be like if he had never lived. The movie has inspired numerous tributes over the years, including a 1979 episode of Mork & Mindy titled “It’s a Wonderful Mork.” 

The 1996 film is something of a commentary on the modern Christmas tradition of scrambling to find the season’s “It” toy. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a work-obsessed dad who rarely spends time with his family. He finds himself in a race with a postal worker (Sinbad) to find a Turbo-Man action figure, a gift both men believe will make up for their inadequacies as fathers.

2003’s Love Actually features a sprawling cast of adorable characters whose intersecting stories explore different aspects of love. Hugh Grant stars as the impossibly good-looking (and single) British prime minister, who finds love with a Downing Street staffer (Martine McCutcheon), while Liam Neeson plays a widower who helps his stepson (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) muster up the courage to pursue his feelings for a classmate. Other stars of writer-director Richard Curtis’ British romantic comedy include Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley and Martin Freeman.

The holiday favorite features an 8-year-old Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn as a Macy’s department store Santa — named Kris Kringle, coincidentally — who claims to be the real thing. Gwenn won a best supporting actor Oscar for the role, which made people believe in miracles.

A Tim Burton Christmas is a very happy occasion, indeed. The stop-motion musical fantasy horror film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Burton follows Jack Skellington, who lives in “Halloween Town,” and decides to celebrate Christmas. Critics praised the visual effects and the imaginative world that was brought to life onscreen.

The motion-capture computer-animated film from Robert Zemeckis was a visual feast for audiences upon its 2004 release. The film is set in the 1950s and centers on a young boy who discovers a mysterious train to the North Pole, where children are traveling to meet Santa Claus. It features work from Tom Hanks and Josh Hutcherson. (Read THR’s review here.)

Made with charming stop-motion, the TV special was originally broadcast on NBC in 1964 but moved to CBS in the early 1970s. It centers on Rudolph, an adorable reindeer born with a glowing red nose that makes him ineligible to pull Santa’s sleigh. But, as the story goes, all of that changes on one foggy Christmas Eve. The rest is history.

Tim Allen’s Scott Calvin is fated to take on the mantle of Santa Claus after accidentally being responsible for St. Nick’s death. Scott involuntarily gets fat and sprouts a beard over the next year in preparation for the holidays. His ex-wife and her husband believe him to be delusional and are worried about the influence he’s having on his son (Eric Lloyd). But it all turns out well in the end. This is a family film, after all. The 1994 comedy spawned two sequels.

If Ebenezer Scrooge were a 1980s TV exec and shared the comic sensibilities of Bill Murray, this is how A Christmas Carol would have turned out. Richard Donner directed the 1988 update on the Charles Dickens classic.

A modern take on Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, the 1983 film stars Eddie Murphy as a homeless man and Dan Aykroyd as a wealthy broker. The two become pawns of a pair of wealthy brothers, who test nature versus nurture by switching the two men’s life circumstances.

Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play two Army buddies turned showbiz partners in the 1954 musical, also starring Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney. The film features songs by Irving Berlin, including (of course) “White Christmas.”

In the 2015 musical comedy — co-written by Bill Murray, Mitch Glazer and Sofia Coppola and directed by Coppola — Murray worries that a huge snowstorm in New York City will keep people from showing up to his TV show. The Netflix film also features appearances by George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Michael Cera and more (all of whom play themselves).

2013’s The Best Man Holiday centers on the drama and romance that follow a group of college friends who reunite after 15 years for Christmas. The film, directed and written by Malcolm D. Lee, stars Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall and more.

Based on Charles Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol, the 1992 musical comedy features the Muppets characters and stars Michael Caine as Scrooge. In the film, narrated by Dickens himself (well, Gonzo as Dickens himself), Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come.

Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, the 2006 romantic comedy stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as two women who escape heartbreak by trading homes for the holiday. While spending time in each other’s houses on opposite sides of the globe, both women unexpectedly find love. The film also stars Jack Black and Jude Law.

The Peanuts gang’s holiday classic celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015. When Charlie Brown can’t get into the holiday spirit, he takes Lucy’s advice to direct the Christmas play and in turn picks out a skimpy Christmas tree that has stuck with audiences young and old throughout the years, as well as the film’s message when the loveable animated characters realize it’s less about the looks and all about the true meaning of Christmas.

Jim Carrey voices the miserable (and animated) Ebenezer Scrooge in Robert Zemeckis’ 2009 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel. In the film, Scrooge is taken on an eye-opening adventure where he meets his ghosts of Christmas past, present and future that hope to soften his “bah humbug” personality.

Michael Keaton stars as the title character in this 1998 Christmas drama as a father who dies in a car accident but comes back to life as a snowman. Jack’s reincarnation gives him a second chance to treat his family right before it’s too late.

Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie star in the 2015 comedy about three longtime friends who get together on Christmas Eve for a night of debauchery in New York City, where they desperately seek out the city’s biggest holiday party, the Nutcracka Ball.

Starring Kurt Russell as Santa Claus, The Christmas Chronicles is a 2018 Netflix comedy following two children who jump in Santa’s sleigh with his reindeer — but when a crash happens, the presents are lost. Now, the kids and Santa must collect and deliver them before the fast-approaching deadline. Russell dedicated the film to his father, Bing Russell, “who was, and always will be, the greatest Santa Claus ever,” The film spawned sequel in 2020, with Russell returning to topline.

This vibrant 2018 animated Christmas comedy, based on Dr. Seuss’ 1957 book, stars the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury and Pharrell Williams.

This 2020 Netflix musical fantasy stars Forest Whitaker as an inventor and toymaker who receives the final piece to his latest invention and believes it will change his life forever. Keegan-Michael Key and Hugh Bonneville also star in the film from writer-director David E. Talbert.

This 2017 Netflix rom-com follows a magazine journalist sent to Aldovia to cover a press conference given by Prince Richard, set to take the royal throne following the death of his father. The film spawned two further installments, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby.

In this holiday film from director Clea Duvall, Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis are a romantic couple whose personal secrets are spilled during Christmas. Harper (Davis) is not yet out to her parents as a lesbian, and Abby (Stewart) is ready for a proposal. Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Mary Steenburgen and Victor Garber also star.