Forgotten Christmas Movies You’ve Never Heard Of

Each year when December rolls around, many of us instinctively turn on the same beloved Christmas movies we’ve watched over and over again.

Naturally, classics such as Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Story, The Family Stone, It’s a Wonderful Life and Home Alone have earned their place in the holiday cinema canon, offering comfort, nostalgia and familiar story beats year after year. These films are cherished annual watch-list traditions, quoted endlessly and replayed until the snow melts.

But beyond this well-lit marquee of tried-and-true holiday favorites lies a quieter collection of under-seen, forgotten and underappreciated Christmas movies—hidden gems waiting to be discovered (or rediscovered) under the tree.

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Take Tokyo Godfathers, for example. This animated film from Perfect Blue director Satoshi Kon is rarely mentioned alongside mainstream Christmas movies, yet it delivers one of the most heartfelt, sentimental and universal holiday stories. Set on the snowy streets of Tokyo, it follows three homeless people who discover an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. What unfolds is a surprisingly emotional and funny reflection on redemption, found family and goodwill.

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These lesser-known Christmas movies probably aren’t at the top of your list, but they offer new perspectives, compelling stories and unexpected warmth during these colder days of the year. As Bill Nighy’s Billy Mack begrudgingly sings in 2003’s Love, Actually — yet another well-known holiday classic — Christmas is all around … and also found in the films many of us have overlooked. Thankfully, that’s what this list is for. Better check it twice.

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