The 10 Best '80s Christmas Movies, Ranked

Christmas comes but once a year, and that special time is approaching once more. But you don't have to smell gingerbread or see sparkling lights twinkling outside your front door to enjoy these 1980s-created holiday classics. Thanks to the joys of technology, you can stream them, get them on Blu-Ray, and even catch them on cable at any time of the day and any part of the year you want. 

But which of these films should be on your screen when snow starts falling outside? Much more importantly — which ones should be left outside in the cold? We've ranked some of the best-known and most-beloved Christmas movies that were released in the 1980s. There's just one TV movie in here — the rest are all big-screen offerings. Ordered from the meh to the fantastic, this list should help you out. Slice up a little fruitcake, pour yourself some apple cider, and dig into what's bringing holiday cheer to our tv screens every year.

This one might be best watched through thick nostalgia goggles. It's a little chintzy, it's a little cheesy — and really, how many outrageous elf puns from Dudley Moore's Patch can one take? That's why it's worth being namechecked in this list, but it can't quite compete with the big boys. Yet for '80s kids, there's a certain cheesy, heartwarming value to Tri-Star's big swing at creating a Christmas classic.

The film follows the life of Santa Claus (David Huddleston), who takes on Patch as his ambitious assistant when his annual workload gets him down. Patch's attempt at modernizing things up at the North Pole causes calamity and, eventually, his resignation. He heads to New York, which brings him into contact with evil toy magnate B.Z. (John Lithgow). Spilling some of Santa's secrets to B.Z. and creating a magic lollipop puts the big guy's popularity in danger, as B.Z. secretly wants to replace Santa.

Hey, it's not Shakespeare, but it's Christmassy, fun, and cute. Sometimes that's all you need to get through a long holiday with the family.

A sweet, simple, unassuming Disney film that's just a little sappy, "One Magic Christmas" isn't quite as iconic as, say, "A Christmas Story," but it's still got a solid niche following among family film aficionados. 

Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton) has been sent by St. Nick himself to fix the lives of the Grainger family. Ginnie (Mary Steenburgen), Jack (Gary Basaraba), Cal (Robbie Magwood), and Abbie (Elisabeth Harnois) are all suffering from a severe lack of holiday spirit due to their poor financial situation and the looming threat of homelessness. On top of that, Ginnie and Jack keep locking horns over Jack's dream of opening up a bicycle shop. Gideon soon sweeps into action, becoming Abbie's protector. But when Jack is killed in a robbery, the family learns that only the magic of Santa Claus can bring their father back to life. But the family will have to regain their faith to see their dearest wish come true.

A surprisingly faith-filled motion picture, this was an odd and interesting little offering from Disney. It hasn't seen a cultural re-evaluation yet, but it's still a pleasant enough way to pass a winter afternoon.

It's the ultimate modern movie question: is "Die Hard" a Christmas movie or not? Well, it's set on Christmas Eve night, it features a Christmas party gone awry, and it features some very Christmas-themed deaths. We'll be darned if that's not good enough to count.

Police officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) tries to prove he's a good husband to his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), by showing up to her company's Christmas party. But he doesn't know that Nakatomi Plaza is set to come under attack from some rough customers — a German terrorist named Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who will do about anything to get the money held in the office complex's vault. Soon Holly's been taken hostage, and John must perform an impossible miracle to save everyone's lives before it's too late.

A fun, punchy action movie, "Die Hard" would rank higher on this list — but since it's not a pure Christmas movie, it doesn't seem quite fair to put it up against bona fide holiday classics. Still, it's the number one action-adventure Christmas movie in the world's hearts, and that's something.

People may like to disparage the "Ernest" series of films as being gauche and silly, but during the late 1980s and early 1990s, they were a staple of kids' cinematic diets worldwide. If you give them a watch 20 years later, you'll find that most of them still hold up — especially "Ernest Saves Christmas," which gives the charming redneck a showcase that keeps him appealingly goofy while also making a point about love and togetherness.

Santa Claus (Douglas Seale) plans on passing the reins to the virtuous, Mr. Rogers-like TV host Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark). He finds himself in the cab of Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney), and that's where his problems begin. Santa loses his sack of toys, and Ernest goes on a mission to reunite the jolly old elf with his property. It's now a race against time to convince Joe to become a new Santa, and in the meantime, Ernest has to contend with a teenager named Harmony (Noelle Parker), who must find her own way back home. "Ernest Saves Christmas" is a genuinely sweet and funny movie, the right kind of goofy, and a pleasant ride for young and old alike.

"Prancer" is a gentle, low-key feature film about the importance of family and the Christmas spirit. It's retroactively become something of a dark horse among the big 1980s Christmas films, and while folks raised during the era might not immediately recall this one, its real-life grit still warms the heart and tugs at the soul no matter its lack of fame.

Farmgirl Jessica Riggs (Rebecca Harrell) is trying to cope with her mother's death, while her dad John (Sam Elliott) is overwhelmed by the prospect of living without his wife and keeping their little apple farm alive. His older child, Steve (John Joseph Duda) tries to help, and his sister-in-law, Sarah (Rutanya Alda) offers to take in Jessica to lessen John's financial burdens. But everything changes when a reindeer enters the picture. Jessica soon becomes convinced that the reindeer belongs to Santa Claus, and tries to help him reunite with his owner, forcing John to figure out what's important and regain his faith.

Unique among holiday offerings, this is a bittersweet meditation on family love, the importance of believing in the impossible, and father-daughter bonding.

Now we're talking big-hearted nostalgia. While this is cheating a little bit, since it's a British TV production, many American children became familiar with "The Snowman" when it crossed the ocean in 1984, airing on a variety of cable networks. It's a little less iconic on these shores, but it definitely counts as an important Christmas staple.

The short film follows the adventures of a young boy who wakes up to a snow day. He makes a snowman, who quickly comes to life. They have an adventure overnight, and the boy has a time he'll never forget. But when he wakes up, it's to a sad surprise: No snowman can last forever.

It's a lovely, simple, heartwarming film that might run on the short side, but was just as much of a VHS favorite for '80's kids as "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," which earns it an easy entrance to this list.

While audiences might quibble over whether or not "Die Hard" counts as a Christmas movie, "Gremlins" definitely lands in the holiday category. Set around a disastrous Christmas for the Peltzer family, it features a small town overtaken by carol-singing, Santa hat-wearing Gremlins. It's a little gruesome, a lot of fun, and still manages to keep up a Christmassy feeling of love and togetherness against all odds.

Failed inventor Rand Peltzer (Hoyt Axton) is running out of options for his teenage son Billy's (Zach Galligan) holiday gift. He stumbles on a small shop in Chinatown and brings home an adorable Mogwai named Gizmo. The shopkeeper warns him that there are three rules to Mogwai ownership — don't feed them after midnight, don't get them wet, and don't expose them to bright light. Naturally, these rules are broken almost immediately. When Billy's friend spills water on Gizmo, he begets five nasty Gremlins, who create more of their brethren until the whole city comes under threat. Only Billy, Kate, and Gizmo can save them all.

Somehow, the darkly comic, gore-laden humor marries perfectly with its very Christmassy surroundings. That's a rare feat, and one that makes this movie an unforgettable watch.

A twist on "A Christmas Carol," "Scrooged" is a spirited, yuppie-ized peek into the life of a greedy man getting his just desserts — and then some — but also learning how to be a better person as he puts a little love in the hearts across New York City. 

Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a self-centered TV executive who pays for his cruel behavior toward his employees and loved ones. Visited by the ghost of Lew Hayward (John Forsythe), his equally soulless mentor, Frank is soon spooked to find himself on an all-night ride through the city with the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. Can they help Frank become less selfish and convince him to bring Christmas joy to New York City, re-kindle his relationship with Claire Phillips (Karen Allen), and improve the lives of the Cooley family?

Striking just the right note between sarcasm and sweetness, "Scrooged" knows that its secret power is in its warm, beating heart.

It may not be traditionally heartwarming, but time has turned the festive "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" into a 1980s holiday season staple. For families all around the world, watching it is a yearly tradition.

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) just wants to have a traditional Christmas celebration with his family. Since both his parents and his wife, Ellen's (Beverly DeAngelo) will be flying in this year, he's determined to make everything merry and bright. But he doesn't plan for Cousin Eddie's arrival with his clan and trailer, for his light display to go on the fritz, for his Christmas tree to go up in flames — and, most importantly, for his dreams of a backyard pool to die when his bonus check from work turns out to be a jelly of the month club subscription, leading Eddie to kidnap his boss in retribution.

This is a gut-busting modern classic with about a million things to recommend it, from the fun performances to the memorable lines to the genuinely heartwarming message lying under its often crude humor. It's one for the ages for '80s kids everywhere. 

There's a reason why this movie is so legendary, TNT and TBS replay it from dawn on Christmas Eve to the morning after Christmas Day. It's incredibly important to the cultural zeitgeist as a tradition, a semi-wholesome peek into America's past, and an easily quotable holiday romp. 

"A Christmas Story" is all about what happens to Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who faces down the Christmas of 1940 with a single hope in his heart. All he wants is a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle, even though every adult in his life warns him that he'll shoot his eye out. As Christmas draws closer, Ralphie does what he can to get his present. But there may be complications that keep him from attaining his dream.

Warm and witty, this is the absolute tops when it comes to '80s Christmas films. While an element or two may not have aged well, it still stands out as the very best holiday movie of its era.