Watching a Christmas movie over the holidays is much like hearing Mariah Carey playing on the radio: it's inevitable. That said, few things capture the spirit of the season better than a festive movie marathon filled with all the classics.
There’s something about seeing the holiday magic — and chaos — unfold before your eyes. From laughter to tears, the best Christmas movies stir up all the feels, no matter how many times you’ve seen them.
Whether you’re queuing up an animated classic like "The Polar Express" or funny comedy like "Christmas Vacation," there’s a revolving door of picks to bring on the merry mood. Turn the flicks on as you kick back with a plate of homemade cookies or let them hum in the background when you hang out with loved ones. Either way, just like a Christmas song, they're bound to get you into the holiday spirit.
While you may know your favorite films like the back of your hand, we made a list (and checked it twice) of famous Christmas movie quotes to recite throughout the season. These funny finds will surely inspire a smile, while the romantic ones may make your heart grow three sizes. (Not really, but...you get the idea).
Sure, you can keep these lines to yourself, but what’s the fun in being a Grinch? That is, before he discovered the true meaning of Christmas and all. Feel free to incorporate these iconic quotes into your Christmas greetings or deck your Instagram captions with them from now through Dec. 25.
Either way, they'll have you ho, ho, ho-ing in delight right into New Year's Day.
Famous Christmas movie quotes
- “Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” — Fred Gailey, "Miracle on 34th Street"
- “Tell her that you love her. You’ve got nothing to lose and you’ll always regret it if you don’t.”— Daniel, "Love Actually"
- “I just woke up thinking about going home with you and got very excited about Christmas.” — Abby, "The Happiest Season"
- “The thing about trains ... it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.”— Conductor, "The Polar Express"
- “This is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back?" — Kevin McCallister, "Home Alone"
- “Never be afraid when people can’t see what you see. Only be afraid if you no longer see it.” — Jeronicus Jangle, "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey"
- “It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more.”— Frank Cross, "Scrooged"
- “I realized that Christmas is the time to be with the people you love.”—Billy Mack, "Love Actually"
- “You can mess with a lot of things. But you can’t mess with kids on Christmas.” — Kevin McCallister, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
- “If you’re worried and you can’t sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep. Then you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.” — Bob Wallace, "White Christmas"
- “Just because I cannot see it, doesn’t mean I can’t believe it!” — Jack Skellington, "The Nightmare Before Christmas"
- “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” — Charlie Brown, "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
- “We’re not just doing this for us. We’re doing it for the kids. For every kid who ever sat on Santa’s lap.”—Mall Santa, "Jingle All the Way"
- “That’s what Christmas memories are made from, they’re not planned, they’re not scheduled, nobody puts them in their Blackberry, they just happen.”— Kelly Finch, "Deck the Halls"
- “Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas, upon, which the entire kid year revolved.”— Ralphie, "A Christmas Story"
- "This is Christmas. The season of perpetual hope.” — Kate McCallister, "Home Alone"
- “It’s Christmas Eve and we are going to go celebrate being young and being alive.” — Miles, "The Holiday"
- “Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.”— Santa, "The Polar Express"
- “That’s the one good thing about regret: It’s never too late. You can always change tomorrow if you want to.”— Claire Phillips, "Scrooged"
- “Thank you for trying to get me to like Christmas. I love that you love it. I’m just so content taking care of other people’s pets when they’re away for the holiday.” — Abby, "The Happiest Season"
- “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” — Clarence, "It’s a Wonderful Life"
- “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” — Buddy, "Elf"
- “If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love is actually all around.” — Prime Minister, "Love Actually"
- “What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas ... perhaps ... means a little bit more!”— The Grinch, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
- “Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”— Conductor, "The Polar Express"
- “Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” — Santa Claus, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
- “I suppose it all started with the snow. You see, it was a very special kind of snow. A snow that made the happy happier, and the giddy even giddier. A snow that’d make a homecoming homier, and natural enemies, friends, natural.” — Narrator, “Frosty the Snowman”
- “I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.” — Charlie Brown, "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
- “Yes! Yes I do! I like Christmas! I love Christmas!” — Ebenezer Scrooge, "A Christmas Carol"
Funny Christmas movie quotes
- “Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead? — Clark Griswold, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”
- “You smell like beef and cheese. You don’t smell like Santa.” — Buddy the Elf, “Elf”
- "Ah, Christmas. Time for Santa Claus and his eight prancing rein-bear — Fozzie Bear, “A Muppet Family Christmas”
- “You’re skipping Christmas! Isn’t that against the law?”— Spike Frohmeyer, "Christmas with the Kranks"
- “Honey, do you honestly think I would check thousands of tiny little lights if I wasn’t sure the extension cord was plugged in?” — Clark Griswold, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
- “Son of a nutcracker!” — Buddy, “Elf”
- “You’ll shoot your eye out kid!”— Ralphie, "A Christmas Story"
- “I want my house to be seen from space.” — Buddy Hall, "Deck the Halls"
- “You say you hate Washington’s birthday or Thanksgiving, and nobody cares, but you say you hate Christmas, and people treat you like you’re a leper.” — Kate Beringer, "Gremlins"
- “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup.” — Buddy, "Elf"
- “I don’t know what to say, but it’s Christmas, and we’re all in misery.”— Ellen Griswold, "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"
- “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!”— Kevin McCallister, "Home Alone 2"
- “I spend months picking out the perfect present for everyone. You know the only thing I get in return? Coupons, free back rubs.” — Kiki, "A Bad Moms Christmas"
- “And we’re going to have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas.”— Clark Griswold, "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"
- “You have such a pretty face, you should be on a Christmas card.” — Buddy, "Elf"
- “Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.”— Clark Griswold, "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"
- “I think you’re really beautiful and I feel really warm when I’m around you and my tongue swells up.” — Buddy, "Elf"
- “Of course. Santa. The big man. The head honcho. The connection.” — Ralphie, “A Christmas Story”
- “Surprised, Eddie? If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am right now.” — Clark Griswold, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
Short Christmas movie quotes
- “Seeing isn’t believing; believing is seeing.” — Charlie, “The Santa Claus 2"
- "But sir, Christmas is a time for giving ... a time to be with one’s family.” — Bob Cratchit, "A Christmas Carol"
- “Well, in Whoville, they say that the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day.” — Narrator, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
- “It’s all humbug, I tell you.” — Ebenezer Scrooge, “A Christmas Carol”
- “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” — Zuzu Bailey, “It’s a Wonderful Life”
- “No one should be alone on Christmas.” — Cindy Lou Who, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
- “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” — Charlie Brown, "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
- “A toy is never truly happy until it is loved by a child.” — King Moonraiser, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
- “You know, I think this Christmas thing is not as tricky as it seems.” — Jack Skellington, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
- “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” — Ebenezer Scrooge, "A Christmas Carol"
- "Just because you can’t see something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist." — Charlie Calvin, "The Santa Claus"
- “For when the first snow is also a Christmas snow, well, something wonderful is bound to happen.” — Narrator, "Frosty the Snowman"
- “Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day. It’s a frame of mind.” — Kris Kringle, “Miracle on 34th Street”
- “Tomorrow is Christmas! It’s practically here!” — The Grinch, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
- “It’s Christmas Eve. A time of mystery, expectations, who knows what might happen.” — Drosselmeyer, "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms"
- “A true selfless act always sparks another.” — Klaus, “Klaus"
- “To me, you are perfect.” — Mark, "Love Actually"
- “Cheer up, dude. It’s Christmas.” — The Grinch, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
- “God bless us, every one!” — Tiny Tim, "A Christmas Carol"
