5 Fun Christmas Movies to Make You Laugh Over the Holiday Break — And the Quotes That Make Them Classics
Who doesn’t enjoy a great comedy over the Christmas break? Fun Christmas movies — comedies, in particular — make up some of the most popular holiday classics over the years. We’re breaking down which ones you need to see. Moreover, we’re revisiting some of their most classic lines.
‘Elf’ is an especially fun Christmas movie for families
Elf (2003) is one of Will Ferrell’s defining roles. He stars as Buddy, a human raised in the North Pole as one of Santa’s own – with the help of an adoptive elf-father, played by Bob Newhart. Buddy finds out he’s not actually an elf, and subsequently takes a trip to New York to meet his birth father, peevishly played by James Caan.
Along the way, Buddy falls in love with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel).
Elf’s homages to the early Rankin Bass classics are enough to bring back all the Christmas nostalgia you remember as a child. And Deschanel’s divine holiday singing voice does this instant classic justice.
Jon Favreau’s little holiday flick is additionally rife with quotable moments. Among our favorites are Buddy’s lines “There’s room for everyone on the Nice List!” and “I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite!”
‘Home Alone’ and ‘A Christmas Story’ are raucous boy’s tales for the holiday
A Christmas Story might be the most quotable film on this list. The 1983 Christmas favorite has the talents of Jean Shepherd behind it. And his matter-of-fact humor, combined with a hilarious voice-over, make his 1940s account of one childhood Christmas particularly funny.
Skipping over the overused “You’ll shoot your eye out,” there’s also the quip: “Adults loved to say things like that but kids knew better. We knew darn well it was always better not to get caught.” Moreover, the hilarious line involving main character Ralphie’s (Peter Billingsley) pink bunny suit: “Aunt Clara had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually 4 years old, but also a girl.”
A Christmas Story meanders along with a Charlie Brown-esque charm. Ralphie, in his quest to get a Red Ryder BB gun, continually falls upon hard times for a nine-year-old boy. In the end, the movie’s warm seasonal glow makes it such a nostalgic Christmas movie, we can’t resist re-watching it.
Similarly, 1990’s Home Alone follows the adventures of Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) as he navigates being home alone for Christmas. His endearing lines “Guys! I’m eating junk and watching rubbish. You better come out and stop me!” and “Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?” certainly speak to the child-longing-for-independence in all of us.
We love fun Christmas movies with a little comedic romance
Finally, any fun Christmas movie list wouldn’t be complete without a few romantic ones. Just Friends (2004) stars Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart as high school friends who have a second chance at romance. Among the hilarious gems here are firstly “You’ll always be fat to me Chris”, delivered by the main character’s younger brother during a volatile ongoing sibling fight. Secondly, Chris Brander’s (Reynolds) best friend Clark (Fred Ewanuick) delivers the following quote to build his friend up during a rivalry between his character and Chris Klein’s Dusty:
“You’re Chris Brander,” he pep-talks. “You’re Hollywood, you date models. He’s Dusty Dinkleman, he’s Jersey, he skis in his jeans. It’s Dinkleman!”
Finally, our last quote isn’t particularly funny. But it’s a tender moment in a fun Christmas movie that’s otherwise full of funny moments. Happiest Season (2020) stars Kirsten Stewart as Abby and Mackenzie Davis as Harper. The couple try to navigate their way around coming out as a lesbian couple and being together during the holidays.
“I want to wake up with you on Christmas morning,” Harper tells Abby. “And if that doesn’t convince you to love Christmas, I’ll never bring it up again.”
