Looking for a fun way to make the countdown to Christmas even more magical? A Christmas movie countdown is a lovely family tradition that gives everyone something festive to look forward to each day.
The idea is simple: choose a selection of Christmas movies and watch one each day in the run-up to Christmas. You could start on December 1st and watch a different film every day until Christmas Eve, or choose a shorter countdown that fits around your family’s schedule.
From classic Christmas favorites and animated adventures to cozy festive comedies, there’s a film for every kind of family movie night.
The best part? You don’t need to spend lots of money, buy special decorations, or plan elaborate activities. With a little preparation, you can create a Christmas tradition that brings everyone together and makes the weeks before Christmas feel extra special.
Here’s how to start your own Christmas movie countdown tradition, plus ideas to keep it fun, affordable, and easy to enjoy year after year.
What Is a Christmas Movie Countdown?
A Christmas movie countdown is a festive tradition where you watch a Christmas film each day as you count down to Christmas.
Many families choose 24 movies, beginning on December 1st and finishing on Christmas Eve. Others prefer a 12-day countdown, weekend movie nights, or a handful of films during the week before Christmas.
You can choose the movies yourself, let the children help, or create a list of family favorites that everyone looks forward to watching.
Some families watch their movie at the same time every evening, while others fit it in whenever they have a spare hour or two.
There are no strict rules. The idea is to enjoy a little festive time together and create happy memories as Christmas approaches.
How to Start a Christmas Movie Countdown Tradition
Getting started is easier than you might think. You only need a list of movies, a way to keep track of the days, and a little enthusiasm for festive family time.
1. Choose Your Countdown Length
First, decide how many movies you’d like to watch. A 24-day countdown is perfect if you love Christmas films and want a daily tradition throughout December. However, if evenings are already busy with school events, work, shopping, and Christmas preparations, a shorter countdown may be much easier to manage.
Here are a few options:
- 24-day countdown: Watch one Christmas movie every day from December 1st to Christmas Eve.
- 12-day countdown: Start on December 13th for a shorter festive tradition.
- Weekend countdown: Watch one film every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday in December.
- Christmas week countdown: Choose a film for each day in the final week before Christmas.
- Family favorites countdown: Pick five or six films everyone loves and watch them whenever you have time.
Choose the option that suits your family. You can always watch more films if you’re enjoying yourselves.
2. Make Your Christmas Movie List
Once you’ve chosen your countdown length, make a list of the films you’d like to watch.
Include a mixture of old favorites, animated Christmas movies, festive comedies, and films the children haven’t seen before.
You could choose the films yourself, ask everyone to nominate their favorites, or write the titles on slips of paper and draw one each evening.
If you want to keep things organized, number your list from 1 to 24. Then tick off each movie as you watch it.
Don’t worry about finding 24 completely different films. Rewatching a much-loved Christmas classic can be just as special as discovering something new.
3. Create a Simple Countdown Calendar
A visual countdown can make the tradition even more exciting, especially for younger children. You could use a paper calendar, a printable checklist, a chalkboard, or a simple list on the fridge.
Write one movie title beside each date and let the children cross it off after watching. Alternatively, write each title on a folded piece of paper and let someone choose the film for that evening. If you’d prefer a surprise, keep the titles hidden until movie time.
There’s no need to buy a special advent calendar. A homemade version works just as well.
4. Decide When You’ll Watch Each Movie
The easiest way to make this tradition last is to choose a time that works for your family. Maybe watch a film after dinner, have movie night every Friday, or save your Christmas films for lazy weekend afternoons.
If your children have early bedtimes, you could choose shorter films or watch them over two evenings when appropriate.
And remember, you don’t have to stick rigidly to the calendar. If life gets busy, skip a day or swap the order around. The countdown is meant to be enjoyable, not another thing to feel guilty about.
5. Add a Little Christmas Movie Magic
You don’t need to turn every film into a themed party, but a few small touches can make the experience feel special.
Try gathering blankets and cushions, switching on the Christmas tree lights, serving popcorn in festive bowls, or letting everyone wear their favorite cozy pajamas.
You could also choose a simple snack that matches the film or have the children make tickets for their family movie night. Keep it easy enough that you can repeat it throughout December without creating extra work for yourself.
24 Christmas Movies for Your Countdown
Need some inspiration for your movie list? Here’s a mixture of animated favorites, family adventures, Christmas comedies, and classic festive films to consider. Check each film’s age suitability before adding it to your family’s list, as some Christmas movies include humor or themes better suited to older children.
- The Polar Express – A magical train journey to the North Pole, a lovely choice for a cozy Christmas evening.
- Home Alone – A festive comedy about a boy accidentally left behind when his family goes away for Christmas.
- The Muppet Christmas Carol – A fun, musical retelling of the classic Charles Dickens story.
- Arthur Christmas – An animated adventure exploring how Santa delivers presents around the world.
- The Santa Clause – A Christmas comedy about an ordinary dad who unexpectedly finds himself taking on Santa’s role.
- Elf – A cheerful festive comedy about Buddy, a human raised by elves who travels to New York.
- The Grinch – An animated version of the story about a grumpy character who tries to steal Christmas.
- Klaus – An animated Christmas story about an unlikely friendship and the origins of a festive legend.
- Miracle on 34th Street – A Christmas classic about a department-store Santa and the question of whether he really is the real thing.
- The Christmas Chronicles – A festive adventure involving two children and an unexpected encounter with Santa.
- A Charlie Brown Christmas – A shorter animated special about finding meaning beyond the commercial side of Christmas.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas – A musical fantasy that blends Halloween and Christmas, best suited to families who enjoy slightly spooky stories.
- Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey – A colorful musical adventure filled with inventions, magic, and Christmas spirit.
- The Princess Switch – A festive romantic comedy that older children and teens may enjoy with a parent.
- White Christmas – A classic musical featuring songs, dancing, and a snowy festive setting.
- Scrooge – A Christmas Carol adaptation for families who enjoy classic stories and musical numbers.
- The Grinch – Choose a different adaptation from the one you’ve already watched, if your family enjoys comparing versions.
- Rise of the Guardians – A fantasy adventure featuring mythical characters, including a version of Santa Claus. It’s more winter-fantasy than a traditional Christmas film.
- The Holiday – A romantic Christmas-season film generally better suited to adult viewers and older teens.
- The Family Stone – A family gathering comedy-drama with mature themes, better suited to adults and older teens.
- Last Christmas – A romantic festive comedy for an older audience.
- The Man Who Invented Christmas – A historical drama about Charles Dickens and the creation of A Christmas Carol, better suited to older viewers.
- A Boy Called Christmas – A fantasy adventure about a boy traveling north in search of his father.
- Your family’s favorite Christmas movie – Finish the countdown with the film everyone wants to watch again.
A quick note: This is a suggested list, not a claim that every film is suitable for every age or available on your streaming service. Some titles are aimed at adults, so swap them for family-friendly alternatives if you’re watching with younger children. Availability can also vary by country and year.
Make Each Movie Night a Little Different
Watching a film every day is fun on its own, but you can add a small activity or treat if you’d like to make the countdown feel more varied. Here are some easy ideas.
Christmas Movie and Snack Pairings
Match your snacks to the movie without making a complicated themed menu.
- The Polar Express: Hot chocolate and marshmallows.
- Elf: Spaghetti-inspired sweets or a plate of festive treats, if your family likes that.
- The Grinch: Green grapes, green sweets, or green-topped cupcakes.
- Home Alone: Pizza, popcorn, or a family takeaway-style dinner at home.
- Arthur Christmas: Christmas cookies and milk.
- The Muppet Christmas Carol: Mince pies or another favorite festive snack.
- A Charlie Brown Christmas: Simple popcorn and a cozy blanket.
- Klaus: Biscuits and hot chocolate for a snowy movie night.
These are just suggestions. Use snacks you already have at home, and don’t feel you need to prepare something special every evening. Also check out these Christmas movie and dinner combinations for more food pairings on family movie night.
Try a Christmas Movie Night Theme
If you want to go beyond snacks, choose one or two themed evenings during your countdown. You could have a pajama movie night, build a blanket fort, set up a hot chocolate station, or have a living room picnic.
For extra fun, let the children make movie tickets or choose the evening’s decorations. You could even have a Christmas movie marathon at the weekend, watching two or three films with breaks for lunch and games.
Add a Small Activity
Not every movie night has to involve sitting in front of the television from start to finish. Before or after the film, you could:
- Color a Christmas picture.
- Make paper snowflakes.
- Decorate a few biscuits.
- Read a Christmas story.
- Play a festive guessing game.
- Write down everyone’s favorite part of the movie.
- Choose the next film together.
Keep the activities optional and simple. The film itself can be the main event.
How to Make a Christmas Movie Countdown Affordable
A Christmas movie countdown can be a completely free family tradition if you use films you already own or can access through services you already pay for. Here are a few ways to keep costs down.
Use DVDs you already own. If you have a collection of Christmas films, this is a perfect opportunity to revisit them.
Check your existing subscriptions. Browse the services you already use before renting or buying anything. Remember that film availability changes, so check before adding a title to your plan.
Borrow films from the library. Your local library may have Christmas DVDs available to borrow, depending on its collection.
Reuse your decorations. Your Christmas tree, fairy lights, blankets, and cushions are more than enough to create a cozy atmosphere.
Use ordinary snacks. Popcorn, toast, biscuits, or whatever your family already enjoys can work perfectly.
Don’t buy a present for every film. You might see countdown traditions involving daily gifts, but these aren’t necessary. The movie is the activity, and spending time together is the point.
Tips for Keeping Your Countdown Stress-Free
A Christmas movie countdown should be something your family looks forward to, not another task on your Christmas to-do list. Keep these tips in mind:
- Be flexible. Move films around or skip a day if you need to.
- Choose age-appropriate movies. Check ratings and content before watching, particularly with younger children.
- Let everyone have a say. Give family members chances to choose films, but keep the final list manageable.
- Don’t over-plan. You don’t need a themed dinner, craft, and activity to accompany every movie.
- Have a backup plan. Keep a couple of shorter films or Christmas specials ready for evenings when you don’t have time for a full-length movie.
- Make it work for your family. If daily films are too much, a weekend countdown can be just as meaningful.
The most important thing is to enjoy the time together. You don’t need to recreate somebody else’s Christmas tradition to make your own family memories.
Christmas Movie Countdown FAQs
When should you start a Christmas movie countdown?
The most common approach is to start on December 1st and watch one film each day until Christmas Eve. However, you can start whenever suits your family, whether that’s 12 days before Christmas or just on weekends throughout December.
Do you need 24 different Christmas movies?
No. You can repeat favorites, include shorter Christmas specials, or choose fewer films. The countdown should suit your family, not follow a strict set of rules.
How can you make a Christmas movie countdown special for children?
Let children help choose films, create a simple countdown calendar, prepare an easy snack, or make movie tickets. Small touches can make the tradition exciting without requiring lots of money or preparation.
What if we miss a day?
Simply continue with the next film when you have time. You can skip the missed movie, move it to another evening, or watch two films together at the weekend. There’s no need to catch up if it makes the tradition stressful.
Can a Christmas movie countdown work for older children and teenagers?
Absolutely. Let older children and teenagers suggest films, introduce the family to childhood favorites, or choose a themed movie night. You can also mix classic Christmas films, comedies, and films aimed at older audiences.
Start Your Own Christmas Movie Countdown Tradition
A Christmas movie countdown is a simple way to make the lead-up to Christmas feel more exciting. Whether you watch a different film every day or save your favorites for cozy weekend evenings, it’s an easy tradition that can bring the family together.
Choose a list of films, gather a few blankets, make popcorn, and enjoy some festive time together. You don’t need a perfect schedule or elaborate plans. Start with the movies your family loves, make the tradition your own, and enjoy the countdown to Christmas one film at a time.
