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5 great comedy movies to watch on Christmas Eve

By
Will Ferrell in Elf.
New Line Cinema

If you’re looking for a laugh this Christmas, there are plenty of Christmas comedies to get you in the holiday spirit. But you’re a busy person with presents to open and parties to host, so you don’t want to waste your time scrolling the streaming services to find a comedy to watch.

You want to cut to the chase! We’re here to help you do that by highlighting five great comedy movies to watch this Christmas.

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Need more recommendations? We also have guides for the 10 best TV shows to watch on Christmas, the best Christmas movies on Netflix, the best Christmas movies on Disney+, the best Christmas movies on Hulu, the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best Christmas movies on Max, and the best Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel. 

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Elf (2003)

Elf
66%
pg
97m
Genre
Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Stars
Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart
Directed by
Jon Favreau
Watch on Hulu
A strong contender for the most beloved Christmas comedy ever, Elf is currently streaming on Hulu and Max. Will Ferrell stars in this modern Christmas classic as Buddy, a grown man who mistakenly fell into Santa’s gift sack on Christmas Eve and was raised as a toy-making elf by Santa’s helpers. Being about 3 feet taller than all the other elves, Buddy can’t shake the feeling that he doesn’t belong, so when Papa Elf explains that he’s actually a human, Buddy sets off to find his real dad in Manhattan. Unfortunately, his real dad is basically Scrooge.

A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Story
77%
pg
93m
Genre
Comedy, Family
Stars
Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin
Directed by
Bob Clark
Watch on max
They don’t really make movies like A Christmas Story anymore. This holiday classic simply tells the story of young Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) and his family during one Christmas season in the 1940s. All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun, which is really the perfect gift, but as his parents, teachers, and Santa all tell him, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” But that won’t stop Ralphie from persisting. Now with a sequel and a stage adaptation, A Christmas Story is widely considered one of the best Christmas movies ever. It’s streaming on Max.

Jingle All the Way (1996)

Jingle All the Way
34%
pg
89m
Genre
Family, Comedy, Adventure
Stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman
Directed by
Brian Levant
Watch on Amazon
Jingle All the Way strikes a particular chord of nostalgia that most kids simply won’t understand. It’s a snapshot of a time when Black Friday at department stores was legitimately dangerous and people couldn’t get anything they wanted with a simple click in their browser. In this 1996 cult classic, workaholic Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) misses yet another important event in his son’s life and promises to make it up to him by getting him a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. (Because gifts heal all parenting mistakes.) Unfortunately for Howard, it’s Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man. Now, he and all the other last-minute dads are in a race all over town to find the year’s most popular gift. Jingle All the Way is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The Grinch (2018)

The Grinch
51%
pg
85m
Genre
Animation, Family, Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson
Directed by
Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier
Watch on Peacock
While Jim Carrey’s jaw-dropping turn as The Grinch in How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a modern classic for many parents, this animated update will probably resonate better with the kids. It’s the same story but with a little less direction from Dr. Seuss and a little more animated magic. Still, The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) is persuaded to leave his Mt. Crumpet cave with his dog Max to steal Christmas from the annoyingly optimistic Whos in Whoville. The Grinch is currently streaming on Peacock.

Krampus (2015)

Krampus
55%
pg-13
98m
Genre
Horror, Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Emjay Anthony, Adam Scott, Toni Collette
Directed by
Michael Dougherty
Watch on max
Finally, once the kids are in bed, treat yourself to something a little more adult. In this horror comedy, young Max is disillusioned by Christmas after yet another family clash, deciding that he’s done with the holiday once and for all. But his lack of festive spirit soon summons Krampus, a demonic ancient evil who punishes non-believers. Soon, twisted demonic representations of holiday icons begin descending on the home and forcing them to band together to fight for their very survival. Krampus is on Max now.

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Nick Perry
Nick Perry

Nick Perry is a freelance writer who bounced from Hollywood to Silicon Beach to pajama pants. His work has been featured on Digital Trends, Good Morning America, Entrepreneur, Mashable, and more media outlets.

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