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When you think about the best Christmas movies of all time, you probably get a feeling of warm nostalgia all over. But sometimes, that’s not the feeling you want, and you just need a good laugh. While there’s comfort in classic Christmas movies and thrills in romantic Christmas films, funny Christmas movies trump them all. There’s nothing like seeing the Christmas feast fall apart, the family at each other’s throats, the presents get ruined and the tree getting knocked over — only to have all the characters pick it all up with a laugh and move on. Really, there’s no other catharsis like it.
These are just a few of our favorite funny Christmas movies. Be warned: While some of these are family friendly, most of them in recent years seem to get their laughs by juxtaposing the sweeter parts of Christmas with other elements that we can only describe as “naughty.” While Elf and some of the very old titles may be okay for little ones, look elsewhere for a list of the best Christmas movies for kids. But once their in their beds, with the visions of sugarplums dancing around, break one of these out and have a good laugh.
Once Upon a Deadpool (2018)
Is this really a Christmas movie, or is just a re-cut of Deadpool 2 that’s PG-13 instead of R and released around Christmastime so younger viewers can see it? The answer depends on how much you want to sneak an irreverent Marvel movie into your holiday viewing.
Noelle (2019)
Anna Kendrick stars in this film as Noelle Kringle — Santa’s daughter. Things get screwy when her brother, Nick (played by Bill Hader) goes missing when he’s supposed to take over as the next Santa Claus. Can she help the family keep it all together, or is Christmas doomed?
A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)
The three moms from Bad Moms, played by Kathryn Hahn, Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell, have to deal with a huge obstacle to their own Christmas cheer — their own mothers. Add on the pressure to make holidays magical, and you’ve got a comedy that really gets any stressed-out parent.
Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)
The sequel to 2015’s Daddy’s Home, this movie brings the exaggerated tensions of a blended family into a holiday setting. This time, a now-friendly father and stepfather (played by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) have to deal with holiday drama from their own fathers (played by John Lithgow and Mel Gibson).
Almost Christmas (2016)
It’s paraphrasing Tolstoy to say that all happy families are the same, and all unhappy families are good fodder for Christmas movies. In this one, Danny Glover plays a recent widower who invites his grown children home for the holidays, where drama ensues.
Office Christmas Party (2016)
The title tells you everything you need to know about this movie: It’s about a corporate holiday event that goes off the rails. (We’ve all been to one of those.) The ensemble cast includes Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T. J. Miller, Jillian Bell, Vanessa Bayer, Courtney B. Vance, Rob Corddry, Kate McKinnon and Jennifer Aniston.
The Night Before (2015)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie star as three childhood friends who take part in their annual Christmas Eve celebration, and then get swept up in mayhem as they try to find a rumored underground party. And while the R-rated hijinx they get into are increasingly insane, it’s also nice to see a movie about adults who actually enjoy celebrating the holidays together, as opposed to most movies that show adults doing it out of some kind of obligation.
Get Santa (2014)
For a family Christmas comedy from the other side of the pond, Get Santa follows a father and son who come across a crash-landed St. Nick, who’s on the run fro the police! Together, they must get him back to the North Pole (and do some family bonding in the process).
A Madea Christmas (2013)
Madea is writer/director Tyler Perry’s most enduring character, so it’s almost shocking that it took seven movies to put Madea in a Christmas movie. In it, the matriarch joins a friend and her family for the holidays, and has to deal with everything from oddball in-laws to a floundering town Jubilee.
The Best Man Holiday (2013)
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)
Even if you don’t have the benefit of 3D, which this movie was presented in during its original 2011 run, there are still plenty of jokes that kill in two dimensions — and an unforgettable cameo from Neil Patrick Harris that’s a guaranteed laugh.
Four Christmases (2008)
The central duo in this film — played by Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn — is a childless couple that usually travels far away during the holidays to avoid their dysfunctional families. When their flight is canceled and a news crew alerts their family that they’re stuck stateside, they suddenly have to visit all four of their parents separately. (Spoiler alert: It doesn’t go smoothly.)
Fred Claus (2007)
Hey, it’s Vince Vaughn again! This time, he plays Fred Claus, Santa’s brother who is opposite in every way. Can the two brothers reconcile in time to save Christmas?
The Holiday (2006)
The Holiday, about two women who swap homes for the holidays and end up on the path to new loves, is a rom-com with plenty of rom, but actors like Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law make sure there are plenty of laughs as well. It comes from Nancy Meyers, who directed Father of the Bride and Something’s Gotta Give.
Deck the Halls (2006)
What is it with men and their Christmas lights? This comedy follow two competitive neighbors, played by Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito, as they try to out-do each other’s outdoor holiday displays. What could go wrong?
Last Holiday (2006)
This comedy comes from a grim premise: A saleswoman (played by Queen Latifah) believes she has less than a month to live, so she jets off to make the most of her last moments on a dream vacation. And while there are some sappy and rom-com elements in there, Latifah keeps the laughs coming.
Unaccompanied Minors (2006)
This movie is about something familiar to any kid who’s had to deal with a long-distance divorce: The Christmas Eve flight from one parent to the next. Only in this film, all flights get downed, and the parent-free kids are all stuck in the airport together. The movie is directed by Bridesmaids‘ Paul Feig, and is based on the This American Life story “In the Event of an Emergency, Put Your Sister in an Upright Position” by writer Susan Burton.
The Family Stone (2005)
There’s drama in The Family Stone, there’s comedy in The Family Stone. There’s even some romance in there, too. Basically, you can put it on no matter what mood you’re in. The story follows a woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) who goes to her boyfriend’s family for the holiday, suspecting he’s going to propose, but she finds a chilly reception from them, so she calls in her sister (Claire Danes), complicating things.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
This noir comedy comes from Shane Black, meaning it has the same irreverent blend of Christmas and mystery/action, like Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys and even Iron Man 3, some of his other movies. That means that it’s mostly a noir plot, with lots of quips and one-liners from stars Robert Downey, Jr., and Val Kilmer.
Just Friends (2005)
This movie stars Ryan Reynolds, so you know instantly it’s going to be hilarious. He plays a formerly geeky high schooler who grows up, becomes successful, and then unexpectedly finds himself stranded in his hometown around Christmastime, where he reconnects with an old crush.
Christmas With the Kranks (2004)
Based on the John Grisham novel Skipping Christmas, Christmas With the Kranks follows a newly empty-nester couple who tries to opt out of the holidays since their daughter would be absent. Of course, they get sucked right back in.
Elf (2003)
Will Ferrell is so funny in this fish-out-of-water tale, it’s easy to forget this movie is PG! Gather up the whole family and watch as Buddy the Elf leaves the North Pole for the grumpy world of New York City.
Bad Santa (2003)
The year 2003 was a banner one for Christmas comedies: It brought us one of the sweetest ones with Elf — and also one of the dirtiest ones with Bad Santa. In it, Billy Bob Thornton plays a foul-mouthed mall Santa who’s secretly planning a Christmas heist, but winds up bonding with a local kid and developing some holiday spirit in spite of himself. (And, if you enjoy it, there is a sequel.)
Love, Actually (2003)
There are lots of love stories intertwined in Love, Actually, and some of them are funnier than others. Basically, if you see Bill Nighy, you know you’re in the right place for comedy.
Friday After Next (2002)
Fans of the Friday series will be pleased to remember that the third movie in the franchise is a Christmas movie. The holiday gets off on the wrong foot when a thief dressed as Santa robs Craig (Ice Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps), sending them on a quest to recover their Christmas presents and rent money.
Jingle All the Way (1996)
It’s funny how many of these Christmas comedies focus in and exaggerate one holiday pain point (like putting up those Christmas lights). Jingle All the Way spotlights the obsession with getting the year’s “hot” holiday toy, and the trials a parent is willing to go through to find it.
The Ref (1994)
This is the movie for those who like their Christmas comedies pitch black. Denis Leary plays a criminal named Gus who, when his burglary goes awry, takes a couple hostage on Christmas Eve. Only they’re bickering and on the outs to begin with, and when their family starts to arrive for a holiday dinner, Gus has to pretend to be their marriage counselor for the sake of appearances. It’s not clear who has the shortest end of the stick, him or his hostages.
Mixed Nuts (1994)
Co-written and directed by the great Nora Ephron, Mixed Nuts is another Christmas comedy with a serious-sounding premise: It follows the staff of a financially precarious suicide hotline. It’s hard to wring any comedy out of that setup, but the ensemble cast, which includes Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Rita Wilson, Garry Shandling, Juliette Lewis, Adam Sandler and Liev Schreiber, pulls it off.
Home Alone (1990)
Is Home Alone really a comedy? Yes. Is it an action movie? Sure — and a family drama as well. Basically, you can throw this on even if the family can’t agree on what type of Christmas movie to watch. Watch it as many times as you can before the whole thing gets rebooted for Disney+ later this year.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
The National Lampoon movies have a knack for taking romanticized moments of family life — summertime vacations, holiday gatherings — and revealing them for the messy, hilarious ordeals they often can be. Watching them is a balm, and will make your family the jolliest bunch of a-holes this side of the nuthouse.
Scrooged (1988)
So many actors have taken on the role of an Ebenezer Scrooge-type figure, from Alastair Sims to Mickey Mouse, but, in Bill Murray’s hands, the shopworn stereotype of a Christmas crank becomes a figure of hilarity. It just goes to show hat if you mix Murray and ghosts, the result is always funny.
A Christmas Story (1983)
A Christmas Story always ranks up there with the best Christmas movies of all time because of the utterly un-romantic view it takes of the holidays. Once you wipe it of its rose-colored nostalgia, the rest is pure-comedy gold, especially if there’s still a little part of you that feels like Ralphie from time to time.
Trading Places (1983)
Though it’s not about gathering around the tree, this Prince-and-the-Pauper-style comedy does take place at Christmastime, and says something about the generosity of the human spirit (or lack thereof). Plus, it has Dan Aykroyd in a really dirty Santa suit.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
We’re No Angels (1955)
This holiday film features one of the few comedic performances by Humphrey Bogart. He plays a convict who escapes from prison alongside two other inmates (played by Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov). Together, the trio try to hide out on an island before moving on to the rest of their lives, and wind up getting mixed up in the affairs of the locals.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Barbara Stanwyck stars as a food writer who claims to be a perfect housewife. Narrator voice: She is not. When her editor decides a soldier should spend the holidays on her farm, she tries to keep him from figuring out the truth in hilarious ways.
The Thin Man (1934)
A screwball detective comedy set against the holidays, The Thin Man most attractive feature is the charm of the rat-tat-tat dialogue between Nick Charles (William Powell) and his wife Nora (Myrna Loy). If you love snappy, witty conversations, take this over any Santa story.
Parenting & Relationships Editor
Marisa LaScala covers all things parenting, from the postpartum period through empty nests, for GoodHousekeeping.com; she previously wrote about motherhood for Parents and Working Mother.
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