11 Best 1980s Christmas Movies

There are certainly hundreds of Christmas movies nowadays with a large chunk of them under Hallmark’s ownership. Netflix has also got some great movies out right now like, The Noel Diary, Love Hard, A Bad Mom’s Christmas and A Hollywood Christmas.

These titles are certainly great, but none of them will ever touch home like the good ole classics from the 80’s. So whether you’re looking for something good to snuggle up and get cozy to watch or something to play in the background while everyone eats and opens presents, be sure to check out the list below!

11 Best Christmas Movies from the 1980s

1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

While my lists don’t always follow a certain order, I had to kick this one off with my absolute favorite: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1980). I’m also excited to show off my new Christmas sweater that says “Shitter’s Full!” to my family. But among my favorite kind of movies is when everything goes wrong, and if that’s what you’re into as well, this one will not disappoint!

Taking place in the frigid winter of one of Chicago’s suburbs, Clark and Helen Griswold are hosting Christmas for their family and just want what any family wants: to host a festive Christmas celebration. But no matter how hard they try, nothing can go right, sending viewers into hysterical laughter with each turn of events. From the Christmas tree to the holiday lights to destroying their dry Turkey dinner, everything turns into a disaster during their Christmas vacation.

So if you haven’t seen this one yet, you surely won’t regret it! You can stream it on HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video.

2. A Christmas Story (1983)

Another Christmas classic, A Christmas Story (1983), is set in 1950s Christmastime somewhere in the suburbs. While not everything turns out to be a disaster like National Lampoon’s A Christmas Vacation, this family faces some different challenges as some iconic scenes have withstood the test of time. These include “Oh Fudge!”, “Fa ra ra ra rah”, “You’ll shoot your eye out!”, and my favorite “’Frag-eelay’. That must be Italian!”

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you’re in to get the warm fuzzies and laughs whether watching this by yourself or with the whole family. You can also find this one running all day during Christmas Eve on ABC or if you have HBO Max, you can stream it there.

3. Die Hard (1988)

There’s still a lot of controversy over whether this movie is really a Christmas movie. If you want to decide for yourself, this is more of an action film that happened to take place during a Christmas party. When John McClane (Bruce Willis) just wanted to enjoy the holiday night with his wife and coworkers, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) has taken his wife and close friends hostage. But the police are of little help as they surround the high-rise building, so John takes matters into his own hands to rescue the love of his life and his dear coworkers.

While this film largely falls into the action genre, there is a romantic, holiday twist that can also put it into either of these categories.

4. Gremlins (1984)

This is another controversial film that sits on the border of the holiday, comedy and horror genres. It’s about a young man who receives a gremlin as a pet, which then attracts other gremlins who wreak havoc on the whole town on Christmas Eve.

The film is also known to have a black comedy vibe but has also been wildly successful with a large following, despite some  criticism for some of the violent scenes.

This movie also has a sequel that came out in 1990, called Gremlins 2: The New Batch that has more of a satirical basis to it, but it was a box office bomb.

BUT there is still hope as Gremlins 3 is set to come out in 2023!

5. Scrooged (1988)

Another Christmas classic starring the famous Bill Murray as Frank Cross, this movie portrays a modern take on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. As a highly successful TV executive with nothing but a Scrooge personality, Frank drives away the love of his life, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). But after he fires his staff member, Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), on Christmas Eve, Frank is faced with various ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate and fix what he has done.  A true Bill Murray classic, this is another oldie but goodie!

6. Lethal Weapon (1987)

Another action movie set during Christmastime, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover star as a pair of mismatched LAPD detectives, where Martin Riggs (Gibson), a former Green Beret who becomes suicidal following the death of his wife and Roger Murtaugh (Glover), work together as partners.

While this movie may not be as popular as others during Christmastime, it did spawn a franchise that includes three sequels, a TV series and even a fourth sequel in development.

But whether or not you’re in it for the story, ladies, if you want to see the sexy, young Mel Gibson with a fluffy mullet, you’re in for a real treat!

7. Mickey’sChristmas Carol (1983)

Another great one to gather around the TV with the kids, Mickey’s Christmas Carol is another adaptation from Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. Including all the characters from the Mickey Mouse universe as well as Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio, the selfish Scrooge McDuck turns down his nephew Fred’s (Donald Duck) Christmas dinner and declines to make a donation for the poor. But on Christmas Eve night, the ghost of Scrooge’s business partner, Jacob Marley (Goofy) appears and terrifies Scrooge, commending him for this selfishness and threatening to doom him to wear heavy chains for eternity if he does not change his ways.

If you’re looking for a fun holiday movie with a Scrooge twist to watch with the kids, this will definitely be one to put on for a family movie night!

8. A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986)

If you enjoy Dolly Parton, you’ll enjoy watching her in this ABC original about a country singer (Parton) and a strapping man who rescues orphans from a witch and a lax sheriff. It may not be an iconic Christmas movie, but it does have its memorable moments with a Hallmark-type feel: country woman meets sexy, selfless man and they fall in love. It’s definitely a movie that will give you the warm fuzzies on a cold Christmas night!

9. Rocky IV (1985)

This movie is living proof that you can still have a great movie with a Christmas-action combination. It was also the highest grossing film in the Rocky franchise as well as the third highest grossing film of 1985 (Back to the Future was the first).

This story involves Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) planning to retire living with his wife, Adrian (Talia Shire). But during an exhibition match, Rocky’s friend, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), was beaten to death by a massive newcomer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). So Rocky is determined to get payback against Drago, flying to Russia to train for a Christmas Day fight. But despite their vastly different training methods, they face a long, intensive match.

If you’re into MMA or enjoy the Rocky series, you will enjoy this one while staying in the holiday spirit!

10. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

If you love horror movies like me, I recommend checking out this killer Santa movie that has developed a cult following over the years, even inspiring some of the latest holiday horror movies.

This psychological slasher movie follows a young man named Billy who suffers from PTSD over witnessing his parents’ murder on Christmas Eve by a man disguised as Santa Clause. By the time Billy matures into adulthood, he breaks down at Christmastime and emerges on a killing spree also under the disguise of Santa Clause.

While this wouldn’t be my first pick of a holiday nor Halloween movie, you can still get in your horror fix while staying in the Christmas spirit (kinda).

11. Babes in Toyland (1986)

You may have seen Drew Barrymore as a little girl in E.T., but how about a young Keanu Reeves? He was no more than 22 years old at the time of the film’s release. This movie was based on the 1903 operetta of the same name, following little Lisa Piper (Barrymore) who is magically transported to Toyland, a mystical kingdom threatened by the evil Mr. Barnaby (Richard Mulligan). You can find it streaming on Amazon Prime Video!

What is Your Favorite Christmas Movie?

While it’s obvious my personal favorite Christmas movies are set in the 80s, I also love The Santa Clause with Tim Allen as Scott Calvin in the 1994 classic, Elf (2003), Home Alone (1990) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). Granted those are just about everyone’s favorite Christmas movies, but it’s because they’re classics.

I’d love to hear some of your favorite Christmas movies, both 80s and from other decades! Please let me know in the comments below!