5 great comedy films to watch on Christmas Eve

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If you’re looking for a laugh this Christmas, there’s plenty of it 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 through streaming services to find a comedy to watch.

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

Need more recommendations? We also have guides for 10 Best TV Shows to Watch at Christmasthe best Christmas movies on Netflixthe best Christmas movies on Disney+the best Christmas movies on Huluthe best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Videothe best Christmas movies on Maxand best Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel.

Elf (2003)

• Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy

• Stars: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart

A strong contender for the most beloved Christmas comedy ever, Fairy currently streaming on Hulu and Max. Will Ferrell stars in this modern Christmas classic as Buddy, a grown man who accidentally falls into Santa’s gift sack on Christmas Eve and is 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 human, Buddy sets off to find his real dad in Manhattan. Unfortunately, his real father is basically Scrooge.

Watch on Hulu

A Christmas Story (1983)

• Stars: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin

They don’t really make movies like that A Christmas story longer. This holiday classic simply tells the story of young Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) and his family during a 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 tell him, “You’re going to shoot your eyes out.” But that doesn’t stop Ralphie from persisting. Now with a sequel and an adaptation, A Christmas story generally considered to be one of the best christmas movies ever. It’s streaming on Max.

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Jingle All the Way (1996)

• Genre: Family, Comedy, Adventure

• Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman

• Directed by: Brian Levant

Jingle all the way strikes a special chord of nostalgia that most kids just don’t understand. It’s a snapshot of a time when Black Friday in department stores was legitimately dangerous and people couldn’t get anything they wanted with a simple click of their browser. In this 1996 cult classic, workaholic Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) misses yet another important event in his son’s life and vows to make it up to him by getting him a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. (Because gifts cure all parenting mistakes.) Unfortunately for Howard, it’s Christmas Eve and every store is sold out at Turbo Man. Now he and all the other last-minute dads are in a race across town to find the most popular gift of the year. Jingle all the way streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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The Grinch (2018)

• Genre: Animation, Family, Comedy, Fantasy

• Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson

• Directed by: Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier

While Jim Carrey’s astonishing 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 kids. It’s the same story but with a little less direction from Dr. Seuss and a little more animated magic. Nevertheless, The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) is persuaded to leave his Mt. Crumpet caves with his dog Max to steal Christmas from the annoyingly optimistic Whos of Whoville. The Grinch currently streaming on Peacock.

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Krampus (2015)

• Genre: Horror, comedy, fantasy

• Stars: Emjay Anthony, Adam Scott, Toni Collette

• Directed by: Michael Dougherty

Finally, once the kids are in bed, treat yourself to something a little more grown-up. In this horror comedy, young Max becomes disillusioned with Christmas after yet another family clash and decides he’s done with the holidays once and for all. But his lack of party spirit soon summons Krampus, a demonic ancient evil that punishes non-believers. Soon, twisted demonic representations of holiday icons begin to descend upon the home, forcing them to band together to fight for their very survival. Krampus is on Max now.

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