29 Christmas Movies for Teens That’ll Make You Laugh and Cry
Don’t forget the Christmas cookies and it’ll be the ultimate holiday movie night.
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One of the merriest parts of the holiday season is watching an endless amount of Christmas movies under the glow of the lights on the Christmas tree while sipping on hot chocolate. There’s no better feeling than being home for the holidays, and there are certainly enough Christmas movies to keep you booked and busy throughout winter break. While the Christmas classics are great, sometimes you want a festive film that just speaks to you. Whether you’re looking for a new holiday rom-com on Netflix or want to tune into some high school drama, there are tons of Christmas movies for teens to stream in an instant.
Much like finding the perfect present, teen movies bring an instant smile to our face with their heartwarming storylines and relatable lessons about life and love. Sure, some of these Christmas films’ plots are a bit far-fetched — it’s a little unlikely that you’ll run into your royal lookalike like Stacy in The Princess Switch — but exaggerated tropes are what make Christmas flicks so magical. So pour yourself a warm cup of hot cocoa (don’t forget the marshmallows!) and get ready to laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh. Here are the best Christmas movies for teens to watch with your besties while you write out your Christmas wishlists.
Unaccompanied Minors
If you're ready for some Christmas comedy, then you'll love Unaccompanied Minors. It's about a group of kids who get stuck at the airport without their parents on Christmas Eve thanks to a blizzard. The kids, who are wildly different from one another, end up creating hilarious chaos for an uptight airport official and his assistant.
Let It Snow
When a snowstorm hits a small town on Christmas Eve, the friendships and love lives of several high school students become intertwined. Let It Snow is a rom-com that'll definitely make you laugh and say “awww” a time or two.
Love Hard
When Natalie thinks she met the man of her dreams on an online dating app, she flies out to Lake Placid, New York, to surprise him for Christmas. But she’s the one in for a major surprise when she discovers that her seemingly-perfect guy looks nothing like he does in his photos. Starring Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang, and Darren Barnet (aka Paxton Hall-Yoshida from Never Have I Ever!), this rom-com is a fun watch.
Elf
The humor of this classic makes it a perfect Christmas movie for teens. It follows a child-like man named Buddy who was mistakenly sent to the North Pole and raised among Santa's elves. Now, he's on a mission to find his real dad and build a relationship with him, no matter how awkward the process might be.
Holiday Rush
Christmas is right around the corner and Rush, a widowed father of four, is fired from his radio DJ job. He’s determined to get back on the airwaves, but having to scale back on their lavish lifestyle in the meantime, the whole family must move in with their aunt.
A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish
This is the Christmas-themed addition to the Cinderella Story film series, so you more or less know what the plot’s like. The movie follows an inspiring singer named Kat, whose evil stepmother and two stepsisters make her life more than difficult. In order to follow her dreams, Kat picks up a job dressing up an an elf, but everything changes when she starts falling for Santa.
The Holiday Calendar
When Abby, a struggling photographer, inherits an Advent calendar, she didn’t know that her life was about to change. The calendar can magically predict her future, and it’s predicting a new romance.
The Princess Switch
Stacy, a baker in Chicago, flies out to Belgravia to participate in a royal Christmas baking competition. While there, she meets Lady Margaret, the soon-to-be princess who looks just like her. So naturally, they decide to switch lives for a couple days. After watching The Princess Switch, don’t miss the sequels, The Princess Switch: Switched Again and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star.
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Jake hasn’t been home since his mother died and dad remarried, but his father offered him a deal. If he made it to Christmas dinner, he’d offer him his Porsche. Jake accepts the deal, but he soon learns that getting to New York isn’t as easy as it seems when everything that can go wrong, actually does.
Last Christmas
Kate, a year-round Christmas elf who tends to make poor decisions time and again, meets Tom. The pair soon strike a friendship. As the Christmas season draws near in the city of London and Tom continues to convince Kate of the goodness in life, they fall for one another.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
This classic is the perfect holiday movie for the whole family, but the Grinch’s jokes will have teens rolling on the floor. The Grinch is a rude, bitter creature who hates Christmas and wants to ruin it for everyone else. But little does he know the sweet Cindy Lou Who is about to derail all his plans.
Home Alone
Home Alone is on the list simply because it’s one of the best Christmas movies of all time. When Kevin’s parents mistakenly leave him at home as they head out to the airport, his wish that he had no family kind of comes true. But being home alone isn’t as fun when two con men are trying to rob your house. Now, Kevin’s determined to (hilariously) defend his home.
Christmas With the Kranks
Facing their first Christmas without their daughter, Blair, the Kranks decide to go on a Caribbean cruise. But their lack of Christmas spirit really upsets their neighbors. Then, Blair announces that she is coming home for Christmas after all, forcing the Kranks to get into the holiday mood.
Scrooged
This movie is based on the popular tale, A Christmas Carol. It’s a reminder of what’s really important during the holidays. Frank is a successful, but cold TV executive who’s about to learn some really important lessons. After firing a staff member, he’s visited by a couple of ghosts who will make him reevaluate his life and his actions.
Fred Claus
Here’s another funny Christmas classic. Fred Claus is Santa’s troublemaking, criminal brother. Fred ends up in big trouble and Santa, aka St. Nick, tries to help him out by giving him a job at the North Pole making toys. But Fred ends up being more of a headache than St. Nick ever imagined.
The Knight Before Christmas
Brooke is a high school science teacher who isn’t really into the idea of love, but a knight named Sir Cole who’s really from the 14th century is about to show her that she doesn’t really know herself as well as she thinks she does.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Clark Griswold has big plans for his family this Christmas. Pestering his wife and kids, he wants to make sure everything is in line for the perfect celebration. But when they get a visit from unexpected company this quickly go awry.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Pumpkin King Jack Skellington has grown tired of the same old scare and scream routine. But when he sets out to spread the joy of Christmas he puts Santa in jeopardy, creating a nightmare for all of the good little boys and girls.
The Santa Clause
On Christmas eve Scott Calvin and his son find and unexpected visitor has fallen off their roof. The visitor? Santa Clause. When Scott takes the reins of Santa’s magical sleigh he becomes the new Santa. Now he must convince a world of nonbelievers in the magic of Christmas.
Holidate
Sloane is tired of being the only single person left in her family. Jackson is done dating during the holidays. When they meet after another frustrating Christmas season, the two come up with a pact to be each other’s “holidates.” But the more holidays Sloane and Jackson celebrate together, the more they realize that they might actually be into each other.
Jasmine Gomez is the Commerce Editor at Women’s Health, where she cover the best product recommendations across beauty, health, lifestyle, fitness, and more. When she's not shopping for a living, she enjoys karaoke and dining out more than she cares to admit. Follow her @JazzeGomez.
Leah Campano is an Associate Editor at Seventeen, where she covers pop culture, entertainment news, health, and politics. On the weekends, you can probably find her watching marathons of vintage Real Housewives episodes or searching for New York City’s best almond croissants.
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