Movies Every Mother and Daughter Should Watch This Christmas

By Southern Living
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Going home for the holidays? Then you should bookmark this list, which is full of movies you’ll love watching with your mother and mother figures at Christmastime. When the weather turns cold and the sofa beckons, reach for a good movie. With a cozy blanket and a mug of hot cocoa in hand, you’ll soon be scrolling for a great Christmas film to make you laugh, cry, and wonder at the joy of the season. In those moments, you’ll need a few ideas, and we have plenty for you. These Christmas movies are classics old and new, and they all take place during the holiday season. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, but all will entertain you and your mom—and all are guaranteed to prompt a re-watch. (They’re classics for a reason.) For a family film with zany laughs galore, put on Elf. For a movie with a great soundtrack that you can watch while cooking together, go for A Charlie Brown Christmas. If you’re interested in classics, we also have plenty of black-and-white films (some of which are also movie musicals!) from the 1940s that will warm your heart. Happy holidays!

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These Holiday Films are Sure to Please

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A Charlie Brown Christmas

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Get a fire going, snuggle up on the couch, and watch the Peanuts gang ring in the Christmas season.

To watch: $12.99, amazon.com

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Almost Christmas

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It’s all about family (and their struggles to just get along) in this Christmas film starring Danny Glover and Gabrielle Union.

To watch: $14.99, amazon.com

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Christmas in Connecticut

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Barbara Stanwyck stars in this 1945 Christmas comedy about a food writer whose world is turned upside down when she has to host a war hero for Christmas.

To watch: $2.99, amazon.com

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Elf

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What’s a Christmas movie marathon without a few laughs? This hilarious holiday flick starring Will Ferrell will have you and your mama belly-laughing in no time.

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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Eloise at Christmastime

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Because no Christmas season is complete without a trip to the Plaza with Eloise.

To watch: $5.49, amazon.com

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Holiday Affair

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Janet Leigh stars in this romantic 1949 film about a young widow and her son, whose lives are interrupted during the holiday season by mom’s two suitors.

To watch: $2.99, amazon.com

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Holiday Inn

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Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire star in this song-and-dance-filled holiday romp about romantic rivalry and holiday cheer that had its premiere in 1942.

To watch: $14.98, amazon.com

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It Happened on 5th Avenue

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An unexpected holiday tangle arises when hobo Aloysius T. McKeever and his friends move into a mansion on 5th Avenue in this 1947 Christmas caper.

To watch: $2.99, amazon.com

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It's a Wonderful Life

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The 1946 Christmas classic staring James Stewart is a must-watch with mom come December.

To watch: $7.99, amazon.com

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Last Holiday

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Queen Latifah stars in this comedy about a woman who, upon being told she has a terminal illness, takes a solo vacation to Europe.  

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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Love Actually

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Love, actually, is all around in this Christmas film of many interweaving plots.

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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Meet Me in St. Louis

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Next-door neighbors fall in love in this 1944 classic starring Judy Garland—it’s the film that brought us Garland’s memorable rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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Scrooged

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Bill Murray stars in this 1988 retelling of A Christmas Carol, which sees Murray visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve.

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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The Apartment

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This 1960 Billy Wilder-directed film stars Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon and takes place during the holiday season with office parties aplenty.

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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The Bishop’s Wife

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Cary Grant and Loretta Young star in this 1947 film about a Christmastime visit. The visitor? Dudley the angel.

To watch: $9.99, amazon.com

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The Family Stone

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Destined to be a Christmas classic for years to come, The Family Stone explores the ups and downs of coming home for the holidays.

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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The Holiday

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Swapping homes for the holidays might just change lives in this re-watchable Nancy Meyers film starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz.

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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The Preacher's Wife

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Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance star in this Penny Marshall-directed remake of the 1947 Christmastime classic The Bishop’s Wife.

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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The Shop Around the Corner

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Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart are destined to fall in love in this romantic 1940 drama set in Budapest, Hungary, at Christmastime. 

To watch: $3.99, amazon.com

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White Christmas

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Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen star in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, a charming 1954 movie musical about two performing pairs.

To watch: $16.99, amazon.com

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