17 Underrated Christmas Movies You've Probably Never Heard Of — But Will 100% Add To Your Holiday Rotation

Growing up, we all watched the same Christmas classics on loop — Home Alone, Elf, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. They were the classic holiday movies… or so we thought. Then one day you stumble onto a 2 a.m. rerun, crack open a dusty old DVD, or — in my case — fall down a Reddit thread listing everyone's favourite underrated holiday films, and suddenly realize, "Wait… there are so many more Christmas movies out there." And honestly? The overlooked ones might be even better.

From the chaotic magic of certain very famous puppets, to Nicolas Cage having a full emotional breakthrough in a holiday rom-com, to Haylie Duff living her best life as a small-town radio host, these undiscovered gems deserved way more love — and sometimes the movies we grew up missing end up being the ones worth watching.

1. "My husband and I now kick off Christmas movies with Klaus!"

— ToTheMaxxaMehToT

"Klaus was made by a former Disney animator trying to recapture that classic Disney Renaissance magic — and honestly, he nailed it. It feels like a lost mid-’90s Disney movie, except it’s also a Christmas film, so double win. I went in fully cynical with zero expectations (Netflix movies can be rough), but it’s ridiculously charming and easily one of the best modern Christmas watches."

— LemonColossus

2. "The Family Man (2000) with Nicolas Cage — honestly, such an underrated Christmas movie. It’s so good. I watched it for the first time last year, completely at random, and ended up falling in love with it. And yes, I vaguely remember that scene. I’m definitely rewatching it again this year."

— Slasherpedia

"The Family Man is a freaking GEM!"

— Crasino_Hunk

"I really liked The Family Man, and I still have it on DVD. 😂"

— ThisMansJourney

3. "The older I get, the more I realize so many people have never even heard of Scrooged with Bill Murray. It’s been a family staple my whole life, and I absolutely cherish it."

— Crasino_Hunk

"I added the DVD to my collection last year — definitely a must, especially if you enjoy Bill Murray!"

— 3xLevix3

"How have people not heard of this one?! It’s my fav Christmas movie!"

— Jude_Oman

4. "The Man Who Invented Christmas is an embellished story about Charles Dickens writing A Christmas Carol. It’s such a wonderful movie, especially since A Christmas Carol is one of my favourites."

— mobilekungfu

"Highly recommended — it’s officially made its way onto my annual Christmas watch list. It’s a great period piece with wit, humor, and real heart."

— mirthilous

"Yes! It’s become my absolute favourite. I wrap presents while watching a marathon of all the versions of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ but I always start with The Man Who Invented Christmas."

— Victorymm07

5. "If you’re into Christmas horror, check out Rare Exports. It’s a Finnish film, and it might not be for every Christmas-movie fan, but we love it. The story follows a boy who believes the real, mythical Santa (not the red-suit version) is buried inside a mountain a company is excavating. It has a surprising ending — plus a lot of non-sexual old-man nudity, lol — but it’s genuinely a great movie."

— largemagellanicfrau

"Rare Exports is so good! I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised — it’s such a cool twist on Christmas lore… just definitely not for kids!"

— 3xLevix3

"I usually watch it soon after Halloween to transition to Christmas!"

— CelebrationFairy

6. "My parents recorded A Muppet Family Christmas on the TV back in the early ’90s. It’s one of the few things I’ll actually dust off the old VHS player in the basement for — plus I love all the vintage Christmas commercials for Wolco that came with it."

— EmX84

"It’s the best — Muppets, Fraggles, and the Sesame Street gang all together."

— singingwaitress

7. "Arthur Christmas is one of my absolute favourites!"

— Greedy_Squash6042

"Seriously underappreciated — whenever I tell people it’s my favourite ‘modern’ Christmas movie, most of them haven’t even seen it. That scene with the three of them hiding and watching Gwen open her present gets me every time, especially Arthur’s face. Grandsanta and Briony are so freakin’ hilarious."

— marleythebeagle

"I just watched it for the first time and have no idea how I’d never seen it before. It’s a 10/10 wholesome Christmas movie — I may or may not have teared up a few times and laughed way more than I expected. I can’t wait to watch it again."

— butter_gum

8. "Christmas in Connecticut from the '40s is my favourite. It's silly and sweet!"

— butter_gum

"Christmas in Connecticut is such a great farce."

— mirthilous

"This is definitely a favourite!"

— slightlysmirking

"I recently discovered Christmas in Connecticut, and I love it."

— LeafyMagician

9. "Naughty and Nice (2014) with Haylie Duff and Tilky Jones is one of those movies that’s so bad it’s good. It’s about an LA radio DJ sent to a tiny town after his on-air antics go too far, and of course, a cheesy Christmas romance follows. As someone who used to work in radio, the inaccuracies are hilariously wild — which honestly makes it even more fun to watch. The acting is meh, and the story is predictable, but if you love laughing, this one is perfect."

— 3xLevix3

10. "All I Want for Christmas (1991) follows siblings Ethan (Ethan Randall) and Hallie O'Fallon (Thora Birch), who desperately want their divorced parents to get back together. As Christmas approaches, they hatch a plan to get their mom’s fiancé, Tony (Kevin Nealon), out of the picture by locking him in an ice cream truck and sending him off to New Jersey. Their scheme works, and it leaves their dad, Michael (Jamey Sheridan), perfectly positioned to step back into the picture."

— 781nnylasil

"I LOVE this movie, and hardly anyone seems to know it. My sister and I have watched it since we were little, and now we can’t hear ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ without immediately thinking of Hallie. 😅"

— AundreaViolet

11. "Please, please, please watch A Wish for Wings That Work! I’ve had that movie since I was a kid, and I still watch it every Christmas."

— der_heckin

"I really believe I could quote this movie word for word."

— wheniamacartoon

"I watched it last year for the first time since the ’90s and found a VHS-style recording on YouTube, commercials and all. It totally took me back to when my dad used to set up the VCR to record every holiday special."

— johnnycoxxx

12. "Daddy’s Home 2 — starring Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, John Lithgow, and Mel Gibson — is a hilarious holiday movie about one big family cramming into a shared vacation rental. It’s packed with family-friendly, painfully relatable holiday jokes (including the legendary 'WHO TOUCHED THE THERMOSTAT?!'). I’ve actually never seen the first Daddy’s Home, but this one always delivers the laughs."

— 3xLevix3

"Daddy’s Home 2 is actually really good."

— Low_Marionberry3271

13. "Last year my kid and I watched While You Were Sleeping (1995) with Sandra Bullock, and I was surprised by how much I loved it. It’s a laid-back rom-com set around Christmastime. She plays a train-station worker who saves her crush’s life, goes to check on him at the hospital, and gets mistaken for his fiancée while he’s in a coma. Awkward chaos follows, but it’s also super sweet and genuinely heartwarming. I’d never heard of it before, but it ended up being such a good watch."

— Ruca704

14. "Happiest Season is in my yearly rotation. I love it."

— zereldalee

"It surprised me. It was a lot better than I expected!

— hair_in_a_biscuit

15. "I’ve loved One Magic Christmas since I was a kid — I watched it so much we actually had to re-record it on VHS!"

— Womenisyourfwiend

"I got the DVD about 10 years ago, and I LOVE this movie and the theme music."

— LeotasNephew

16. "Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas is another absolute classic."

— singingwaitress

"Try to find the 30th Anniversary Restoration if you can. There have been tons of releases over the years, but that version is a fan edit that restores it to how it originally aired, and it’s the best one to watch."

— Masterweedo

17. "And finally: My family used to make fun of me for how much I watched Prancer!"

— Womenisyourfwiend

Okayyyy your turn — what's the most underrated Christmas movie I completely skipped? Or did I already shout out your fave? Tell me in the comments! 🎄🎅🧑‍🎄

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Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.