01 Pure 90s chaos-comedy nostalgia, no deeper explanation needed.
20 Best Holiday Season Movies to Watch by the Fire
By Vlad Zakh · August 17, 2026
United States Family feel goodfor the whole family holiday season
Every winter I rebuild this list from scratch, mixing the ones I’ve watched every year since childhood with a few newer additions that actually earned a spot. These are the movies that make the season feel like the season.
01 
02 Dickens writing 'A Christmas Carol' under deadline pressure, more fun than it sounds.
03 A gentle, sincere remake that holds up as a rewatch.
04 Still one of the funniest family-holiday-gone-wrong movies made.
05 Low-effort comfort viewing, in the best sense.
06 Sentimental, but it knows exactly what it is.
07 A messier, more bittersweet family gathering than most holiday films attempt.
08 A genuinely great animated origin story with real emotional weight.
09 The kind of quiet spectacle that works best on a dark, cold night.
10 Dry, specific, and endlessly quotable, a real classic.
11 Old-school musical charm with genuinely great numbers.
12 The one that actually earns its ending, no matter how many times you've seen it.
13 A low-stakes house-swap romance that fits any cozy winter evening.
14 Will Ferrell's earnestness is what makes this one rewatchable every year.
15 A messy ensemble, but the good threads carry the whole thing.
16 Still the template for chaotic-but-warm holiday comedy, decades later.