The Best Christmas Movies

By michael vivar

For some, celebrating the December holiday season means party hopping and late-night revelries.

Others enjoy sitting back alone or with some friends and bingeing holiday films. Here are the eight best Christmas movies for those chill souls.

'The Ref'

Denis Leary plays a burglar who breaks into the home of a dysfunctional family. He ends up acting as de-facto counselor in the hilarious and heartfelt film.

'Tokyo Godfathers'

Legendary anime director, Satoshi Kon, weaves the tale of an alcoholic, a teenage runaway and a former drag queen who find a baby and forge an unlikely bond.

'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'

The made-for-TV film adapted from a Dr. Seuss book was an annual must-see in the days before streaming. The redemption theme and narration by Boris Karloff makes it endure.

'Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas'

The retelling of Gift of the Magi recounts a poor otter mother and child trying to find each other the perfect gifts. It's a cult classic from Jim Henson's Muppet workshop.

'Trading Places'

The social satire stars Eddie Murphy as a homeless hustler and Dan Akroyd as a wealthy executive. Two tycoons bet on their, well, trading places with insightfully funny results.

'Edward Scissorhands'

It's a modern fairy tale with Tim Burton's signature goth ambience. The film stars Johnny Depp as the eponymous outsider attempting to integrate with "normal" society.

'The Man Who Invented Christmas'

A loosely true yet magically charming telling of how celebrated author, Charles Dickens, rebounded from a writing slump when he published A Christmas Carol.

'A Charlie Brown Christmas'

Adapted for TV from the popular Peanuts comic strip, this is a nostalgic favorite. The Vince Guaraldi soundtrack will be in your head until the New Year.

Click below for some amusing Christmas quotes.

Christmas Quotes