Christmas ESL Movies

This is a list of some good movies for Christmas time which you can share with your students.

Classic Christmas Movies:

A Christmas Carol - Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge learns the error of his ways through the intervention of the ghost of his former partner and of three spirits in this faithful adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic novel.

Miracle on 34th Street - When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing.

It's A Wonderful Life - George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas ! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget about suicide ?

A Christmas Story - Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940's.

Animated Christmas Movies

The Little Drummer Boy - An orphan drummer boy who hated humanity finds his life changed forever when he meets three wise men on route to Bethlehem.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (Animated Classic) - A snowman tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his beaming nose (as the song goes), meets up with Hermey, an elf , and Yukon Cornelius. They run into the Abominable Snowman and find a whole island of misfit toys. Rudoph vows to see if he can get Santa to help the toys, and he goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. But Santa's sleigh is fogged in. Rudolph is the only one who can help.

The Nightmare Before Christmas - Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept.

Mickey's Christmas Carol - The classic Disney animated characters play the roles in this animated retelling of the Charles Dickens masterpiece.

Kids Christmas Movies:

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carey): Based on the book by the famous Dr. Seuss. Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Who's, an almost mutated sort of munchkinlike people. All the Who's love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch is a nasty creature that hates Christmas, and plots to steal it away from the Whos which he equally abhors. Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriend the Grinch.

Comedy (some not intended for Children)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Chevy Chase): It's Christmas time and the Griswold family are preparing for a family seasonal celebration, but things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.

Bad Santa: A bad conman and his pint size partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper, only to rob department stores on Christmas Eve but run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid.

Ernest Saves Christmas: An goofy and bumbling but well-meaning man (Ernest) attempts to help Santa Claus find a successor. If he can't, there would be no Christmas.

Home Alone - An 8-year-old boy, Kevin McAllister is accidentally left behind when his family takes off for a vacation over the holiday season. Once he realizes they've left him home by himself, Kevin learns to fend for himself, and eventually has to protect his house against some clumsy burglars who are planning to rob every house in Kevin's neighborhood. (Also Home Alone 2).