25 Christmas Movies for 25 Nights: A Family & Animated Movie Countdown (Free Printable Tracker)
25 family & animated Christmas movies, one a night from Dec 1–25, 2026, with runtimes, age guides, short picks for school nights, a grown-ups list and a free printable tracker.
Table of Contents
You know the December evening. Dinner's done, the tree lights are on, everyone's on the sofa, and then: 40 minutes of scrolling. "Too long." "Seen it." "Is this one too sad?" By the time you agree, it's bedtime.
There are hundreds of Christmas movies. The hard part is that someone has to choose one, every single night.
So we chose for you. Below is a 25-night family Christmas movie countdown: one animated movie, special or family classic for every night from December 1 to Christmas Day 2026, in order. Short specials on school nights, full features on weekends, gentle at the start and the big classics in Christmas week. Each pick has a year, a US rating, a rough runtime and an age guide.
There's also a list for tweens, a grown-ups-after-bedtime list, and a free printable movie tracker (PDF) for the fridge.
It's the sequel to our 31 Halloween Movies for 31 Nights. If your family did October with us, you already know the drill.
December 2026 starts on a Tuesday, and Christmas Day falls on a Friday. That means three full weekends for the longer movies, and a school-night-friendly Christmas week.
Quick answer
Watch one Christmas movie a night from December 1 to 25. The list below is already in order: 9 short specials (20–50 minutes) on busy weeknights and 16 full movies on weekends and in Christmas week. On a busy night, the minimum is any short special or the first 20 minutes of tonight's movie, and it counts as a full night. Tick it on the tracker and give it a rating.
How the challenge works
1. One movie a night, December 1 to 25. Tonight's movie is already chosen. Just press play.
2. Busy night? Do the minimum. Watch a short special or the first 20 minutes. On the tracker, the "full movie" circle and the "20 minutes" circle are the same size. Both count.
3. Mark it on the tracker. Tick it, give it snowflakes out of five, and write who watched.
4. Missed a night? Don't start over and don't double up out of guilt. Just watch tonight's movie. A missed Tuesday doesn't cancel the other 24 nights. (Here's how to come back after you fall off.)
How to read the picks:
Rating: the US MPA rating (G, PG) or TV for specials made for television. Ratings are a guide: you know your kids.
Runtime: approximate, in minutes.
Best for: our suggested minimum age, based on length, pace and the odd scary or sad moment.
Where to watch changes every year and differs by country, so we don't list streaming services. Search each title on your service, or check your local library.
The 25-night Christmas movie calendar
Week 1: Snowmen and a gentle start (Dec 1–6)
Three short classics to build the ritual, then the first big weekend.
| Night | Date | Movie | Year · Rating · Runtime | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue, Dec 1 | The Snowman | 1982 · TV · ~26 min | All ages |
| 2 | Wed, Dec 2 | A Charlie Brown Christmas | 1965 · TV · ~25 min | All ages |
| 3 | Thu, Dec 3 | Frosty the Snowman | 1969 · TV · ~25 min | All ages |
| 4 | Fri, Dec 4 | Elf | 2003 · PG · ~97 min | 6+ |
| 5 | Sat, Dec 5 | Klaus | 2019 · PG · ~96 min | 6+ |
| 6 | Sun, Dec 6 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | 1992 · G · ~85 min | 5+ |
The Snowman has no dialogue at all, just music and a flight over snowy hills. A calm first night for the youngest.
Klaus is a hand-drawn-style origin story for Santa about a lazy postman and a grumpy toymaker. Grown-ups tend to love it as much as the kids.
The Muppet Christmas Carol is the friendliest way into Dickens. The ghosts are gentle and the songs stick for weeks.
Week 2: Santa's helpers (Dec 7–13)
Elves, reindeer and one green grump. Short on school nights, big classics at the weekend.
| Night | Date | Movie | Year · Rating · Runtime | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Mon, Dec 7 | Prep & Landing | 2009 · TV · ~22 min | All ages |
| 8 | Tue, Dec 8 | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer | 1964 · TV · ~50 min | All ages |
| 9 | Wed, Dec 9 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas! | 1966 · TV · ~26 min | All ages |
| 10 | Thu, Dec 10 | The Grinch | 2018 · PG · ~86 min | All ages |
| 11 | Fri, Dec 11 | Arthur Christmas | 2011 · PG · ~97 min | 5+ |
| 12 | Sat, Dec 12 | Home Alone | 1990 · PG · ~103 min | 8+ |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 13 | Miracle on 34th Street | 1947 · NR · ~96 min | 7+ |
The two Grinches back to back make a fun comparison: the 1966 cartoon on Wednesday, the 2018 movie on Thursday. Ask which Grinch everyone liked better.
Home Alone is the first 8+ pick. The traps are slapstick, but the burglars are menacing for little ones.
Miracle on 34th Street is the original black-and-white version. Slower than modern movies, so it's on a Sunday.
Week 3: Busy weeknights before the holidays (Dec 14–20)
The busiest week of the year for most families: school concerts, work parties, last-minute shopping. So Monday to Wednesday are all under 30 minutes.
| Night | Date | Movie | Year · Rating · Runtime | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Mon, Dec 14 | Olaf's Frozen Adventure | 2017 · TV · ~21 min | All ages |
| 15 | Tue, Dec 15 | Mickey's Christmas Carol | 1983 · G · ~26 min | 5+ |
| 16 | Wed, Dec 16 | Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas | 2021 · TV-Y · ~30 min | All ages |
| 17 | Thu, Dec 17 | The Star | 2017 · PG · ~86 min | All ages |
| 18 | Fri, Dec 18 | The Santa Clause | 1994 · PG · ~97 min | 6+ |
| 19 | Sat, Dec 19 | Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey | 2020 · PG · ~122 min | 6+ |
| 20 | Sun, Dec 20 | Home Alone 2: Lost in New York | 1992 · PG · ~120 min | 8+ |
Shaun the Sheep is from Aardman, the studio behind Wallace & Gromit. Almost no words, lots of laughs.
The Star tells the nativity story from the point of view of a small donkey. A gentle pick if your family celebrates the religious side of Christmas.
Jingle Jangle is the longest movie on the list: a musical about an inventor and his granddaughter. Start it early on Saturday.
Week 4: Christmas week (Dec 21–25)
School's out for most, and the biggest classics are saved for the last nights.
| Night | Date | Movie | Year · Rating · Runtime | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Mon, Dec 21 | Toy Story That Time Forgot | 2014 · TV · ~22 min | 5+ |
| 22 | Tue, Dec 22 | The Christmas Chronicles | 2018 · TV-PG · ~104 min | 7+ |
| 23 | Wed, Dec 23 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | 1993 · PG · ~76 min | 7+ |
| 24 | Thu, Dec 24 | The Polar Express | 2004 · G · ~100 min | 5+ |
| 25 | Fri, Dec 25 | It's a Wonderful Life | 1946 · PG · ~130 min | 10+ |
December 21 is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, so it gets one of the shortest movies.
The Nightmare Before Christmas closed our Halloween list on October 31. Now it gets its Christmas turn. Families who did both challenges will spot the full circle.
The Polar Express on Christmas Eve is a tradition in a lot of houses: hot chocolate, pyjamas, and a bell at the end.
It's a Wonderful Life is long, black and white, and best for older kids and grown-ups. With little ones on Christmas Day, swap in the family's favourite movie from the month: the tracker will tell you which one won.
Bonus: 8 picks for tweens and teens
Too old for Frosty? Swap any of these into the calendar. They're live-action family movies with a bit more edge.
| Movie | Year · Rating | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Gremlins | 1984 · PG | Set at Christmas, with three rules that all get broken. Scarier than the rating suggests, best for 10+. |
| National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | 1989 · PG-13 | One dad's war against Christmas lights. Some rude jokes, 12+. |
| Scrooged | 1988 · PG-13 | A cynical TV boss gets the Dickens treatment. Darker and funnier. |
| A Boy Called Christmas | 2021 · PG | A boy's journey north to find a hidden elf village. |
| Noelle | 2019 · PG | Santa's daughter has to find her brother before Christmas. |
| Spirited | 2022 · PG-13 | A musical twist on A Christmas Carol, told by the ghosts. |
| White Christmas | 1954 · NR | Songs, tap dancing and snow that won't arrive. Great with grandparents. |
| Last Christmas | 2019 · PG-13 | A London Christmas romcom, set to George Michael songs. |
After bedtime: 10 Christmas movies for grown-ups
Kids asleep? The countdown doesn't have to stop. These are for adults: check the rating before you press play.
| # | Movie | Year · Rating | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Holiday | 2006 · PG-13 | Two women swap houses for Christmas. Pure comfort. |
| 2 | Love Actually | 2003 · R | Ten love stories in five London weeks. Everyone has a favourite. |
| 3 | Little Women | 2019 · PG | Four sisters, two Christmases, one of the warmest openings in film. |
| 4 | The Family Stone | 2005 · PG-13 | A tense family Christmas, funnier and sadder than you expect. |
| 5 | Edward Scissorhands | 1990 · PG-13 | A Tim Burton fairy tale about where snow comes from. |
| 6 | Tokyo Godfathers | 2003 · PG-13 | Anime: three homeless friends find a baby on Christmas Eve. |
| 7 | Die Hard | 1988 · R | The yearly debate: is it a Christmas movie? Watch and decide. |
| 8 | Happiest Season | 2020 · PG-13 | Coming home for Christmas, with one big secret. |
| 9 | Carol | 2015 · R | A quiet 1950s love story that starts in a department store at Christmas. |
| 10 | The Holdovers | 2023 · R | A grumpy teacher, a stranded student, an empty school over Christmas. |
Your printable Christmas movie tracker
Download the free Christmas Movie Tracker 2026 (PDF, no signup). Purple: A4 or US Letter. Warm neutral: A4 or US Letter.
The tracker has all 25 nights with dates, movies and runtimes, two equal circles (full movie / 20 minutes), snowflake ratings, and a Christmas Day family awards box. Print it and stick it on the fridge.
Prefer a quick version? Screenshot this grid. Every night: tick it and add one word.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ☐ | 2 ☐ | 3 ☐ | 4 ☐ | 5 ☐ | 6 ☐ | |
| 7 ☐ | 8 ☐ | 9 ☐ | 10 ☐ | 11 ☐ | 12 ☐ | 13 ☐ |
| 14 ☐ | 15 ☐ | 16 ☐ | 17 ☐ | 18 ☐ | 19 ☐ | 20 ☐ |
| 21 ☐ | 22 ☐ | 23 ☐ | 24 ☐ | 25 ☐ 🎄 |
Christmas Day family awards: favourite movie · funniest movie · best song · the movie we'll watch again next December.
Why a ready-made list beats "let's watch something"
Choosing is the hardest part of movie night. When a whole family has to agree, with the clock running towards bedtime, the easy option is to watch nothing, or the same thing again.
A fixed list removes the decision. Nobody has to pick. You check tonight's line and press play. That's the whole idea behind Harder: when every step is already laid out, your energy goes into doing the thing, not deciding what the thing is.
The tracker is the other half. A row of ticks filling up is its own motivation (here's why tracking works). By Night 10 nobody asks "can we watch a movie?". They ask "what's tonight's?"
Want more December rituals? Pair it with the Advent Challenge, 24 nights of elf scenes, December Photo a Day or the screen-free Cozy Reading Challenge. Worried about your own routines slipping? The Holiday Minimum Plan keeps them alive until January.
Christmas movies FAQ
What are the best Christmas movies for young kids? For under-5s: The Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Prep & Landing, Olaf's Frozen Adventure and Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas. All are under 30 minutes, gentle and easy to follow.
What are the best Christmas movies for the whole family? Elf, Klaus, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Arthur Christmas, The Grinch (2018) and The Polar Express work across ages, from about 5 to adults.
Which movies on the list might upset sensitive kids? Home Alone and Home Alone 2 (menacing burglars), The Nightmare Before Christmas (spooky design) and The Polar Express (a few intense train scenes). Watch them yourself first if you're unsure.
Can we start the challenge late? Yes. Start on tonight's date and skip the earlier nights, or pick the ones you most want to see from the first weeks and watch them at the weekend.
What if we miss a night? Just watch tonight's movie. Don't double up out of guilt. The goal is a cosy December, not a perfect record.
What counts as a busy-night minimum? Any short special from the list or the first 20 minutes of tonight's movie. On the tracker it counts the same as a full movie.
Is there a free printable tracker? Yes. It's free with no signup, in A4 and US Letter, in two designs. The download links are in the tracker section above.
Where can I watch these movies? Availability changes every year and depends on your country, so search each title on your streaming service or check your local library.
Is Harder affiliated with any of these studios? No. Harder is independent. Movie titles are used only to name the films, and all descriptions are our own.
Key takeaways
- One movie a night, December 1 to 25, 2026, already in order.
- 9 short specials for busy weeknights, 16 full movies for weekends and Christmas week.
- The minimum (a short special or 20 minutes) counts the same as a full movie.
- Missed a night? Just watch tonight's movie.
Start on Tuesday, December 1
You don't need to plan 25 movie nights. They're above, in order, with runtimes that fit a school night.
Save this page. Print the tracker (A4 / US Letter). Stock the hot chocolate.
Then, starting December 1, check tonight's line, press play, and tick the box. You don't have to choose tonight's movie. It's already done.
Sources
Release years, US ratings and runtimes come from studio, streaming and rating-board listings, checked in November 2026. Runtimes are rounded and may differ slightly between versions.
Harder is independent and not affiliated with any of the studios, distributors or streaming services mentioned. All descriptions on this page are in our own words.
