Christmas Movies Tier List
Christmas films get a free pass eleven months of the year, which makes December the only honest month to rank them. Twelve entries, unranked, judged on whether you would still watch them without the tinsel. All twelve entries begin in Unranked, so the ordering is entirely yours: drag or tap into S–F, rename the rows, share the link or export a PNG.
Home Alone
Elf
Die Hard
The Grinch
The Polar Express
Miracle on 34th Street
A Christmas Story
Love Actually
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Jingle All the Way
Klaus
It's a Wonderful Life0 of 12 items ranked.
Board saved automatically in this browser. Original.
How this board is built: the 12 tiles are an editorial starting set, not an official roster and not a published ranking — every entry waits in Unranked until you place it. Item tiles are original pictograms or two-letter emblems drawn for this site rather than character artwork, film stills or club logos, so nothing here is licensed material reused from a rights holder. Tiers you set are your own judgement.
What's included in this Christmas Movies board
The board arrives with all 12 entries present as tiles and none of them assigned to a tier. That is deliberate: a template that opens with a finished ranking only invites you to agree or disagree with whoever made it, whereas an empty ladder makes you commit to an ordering of your own. Drag a tile onto a row, or on a phone tap the tile and then the tier you want. You can add rows for extra categories, rename the standard ones, and remove any entry you do not recognise — a list you can defend is more useful than a long one you cannot.
How to rank this Christmas Movies board
Rank rewatch value first, because that is the actual job of a Christmas film — it has to survive being played every year in the same room. Then weigh how it holds up as a film. A movie that only works because of tradition is a tradition, not a good movie, and saying so is the point of the board. Third, judge whether Christmas is load-bearing: remove the holiday and does the plot collapse, or could it be set in July? The films where the season matters earn more than the ones that merely decorate a generic story. Finish by allowing one pure-comfort pick near the top, explained. Sentiment is a legitimate criterion as long as it is visible.
Using the board without over-thinking it
Most people finish a board like this in a couple of minutes and then reorder the middle rows for another ten. That middle is where the honest disagreement lives, so do not rush it: place the obvious top three and the obvious bottom three first, then work inward. If two entries still feel identical, that is a real observation — say so in a row note or a text tile rather than inventing a difference. When the ordering settles, export the PNG so the arrangement is saved somewhere permanent, and copy the share link if you want someone else to argue with it.
Ranking criteria used here
- rewatch every December
- how well it holds up as a film
- Christmas is actually load-bearing
Before you share it
Put your criterion in the board title, so a reader knows whether they are looking at a favourites list or an analytical one. If the subject changes with patches, seasons or releases, add the date. And remember the share link carries tier names, colours and the tile order — uploaded photos stay on your device, so export a PNG when those matter.
All 12 items in this template
Back to the boardHome AloneElfDie HardThe GrinchThe Polar ExpressMiracle on 34th StreetA Christmas StoryLove ActuallyThe Nightmare Before ChristmasJingle All the WayKlausIt's a Wonderful LifeChristmas Movies tier list FAQ
Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
It is set at a Christmas party and the season is load-bearing, which is the test that matters. Whether it is a Christmas movie is a joke; whether it belongs on this list is not.
Should sequels be included?
Only the ones people actually rewatch. Padding the board with direct-to-video sequels turns a ranking into an inventory.
