Everyone has their own personal favorite Christmas movie. Some of them are traditional classics, while others are more non-traditional fare that include action and horror movies that take place at Christmas. But what Christmas movies are generally considered the best of the best?

The Rotten Tomatoes team compiled a list of the 62 Best Christmas Movies of All Time, and some of the inclusions may prove surprising. Their choices proved particularly interesting, as it's filled with some great picks, as well as some rather surprising ones.

UPDATE: 2022/12/20 12:30 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

Christmas movies come in all shapes and sizes. The movies could be festive and joyful. They could be action and horror movies that have a Christmas background setting. These can also be dramas, with love stories or family conflict as the main storyline. In 2022, there was even a movie that had Santa Claus showing up and killing mercenaries to save a little girl in Violent Night. However, only the best of the best rank high in the eyes and minds of film critics, and their combined scores on Rotten Tomatoes indicate the holiday movies that everyone should check out year after year.

A Christmas Story (1983) - 90%

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A Christmas Story might be one of the most popular Christmas movies playing each and every year. While some people might believe television networks overplay it every year, the likable Chrsitmas Story characters make it a movie that people seem to drift back to whether they want to or not.

The movie is about a young boy who just wants one Christmas present that year. However, his memories flash back on his overprotective mother, his foul-mouthed dad, and the school bullies. In 2022, fans even got a sequel with little Ralphie all grown up in A Christmas Story Christmas.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) - 90%

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It is not often that horror movies rank high on Rotten Tomatoes. The amount of Christmas-themed horror movies is even smaller for critically-acclaimed movies. That makes Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale as a rare treasure for holiday horror fans.

Rare Exports was a Finish horror movie where a group of researchers accidentally find an imprisoned monstrous Santa. While they imprison him to keep him from getting away, evil creatures set out slaughtering anyone in their way to free him for good. Rotten Tomatoes critics called it "an unexpectedly delightful crossbreed of deadpan comedy and Christmas horror."

Arthur Christmas (2011) - 92%

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The guys behind Wallace and Gromit made a Christmas movie in 2011. Unlike most of Aardman's movies, this one is not stop-motion. Instead, it is a CG movie about Santa Claus and his children. Arthur Christmas is not the heir apparent to Santa.

However, in Arthur Christmas, he is the one who has to save Christmas when everything goes wrong. This is more than just an animated Christmas movie and contains all the smart humor and heartfelt beats that Aardman remains known for.

Die Hard (1988) - 94%

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While some people argue whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie, there really is no doubt that it is. The movie takes place when John McClane goes to his wife's Christmas party and ends up battling bad guys. Without the Christmas party, there would be no movie.

Many fans and critics label this one of the best action movies of all time. If anything, it made Bruce Willis a legitimate action hero and changed how action heroes looked in these movies. There were at least two quality Die Hard sequels as well, but this original is a classic action masterpiece.

Carol (2015) - 94%

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Based on Patricia Highsmith's revolutionary novel The Price of Salt, Carol is a drama concerning the lesbian relationship between a young photographer and an older divorcee. In the starring roles is Cate Blanchett as Carol Aird and Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet.

The movie received widespread acclaim for its lead performances and Todd Haynes's direction, resulting in six Academy Award nominations (including acting noms for Blanchett and Mara). Unfortunately, it failed to win any, and its lack of Best Picture and Director noms provoked some controversy.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) - 94%

Stream now on Apple TV+

Predating How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas is perhaps the greatest Christmas TV special. And, if Rotten Tomatoes is to be trusted, it is. Commissioned by The Coca-Cola Company, the special was expected to be a disaster. It was written in weeks and made on a small budget in a matter of months, and its unorthodox tone, roster of child actors, and jazz music led many to think that it would fail.

That certainly wasn't the case, and A Charlie Brown Christmas continues to be aired every Christmas season, making it a true annual favorite.

It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - 94%

Stream now on Prime Video

Often heralded as the greatest Christmas movie ever made, It's a Wonderful Life failed in its initial run. It received lukewarm reviews (despite receiving numerous Academy Award nominations) and bombed at the box office, and it wasn't until its countless TV airings in the 70s and 80s that it became a perennial Christmas tradition.

Today, it's regarded as the quintessential Christmas film. Just as meaningful today as it was in 1946, It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful movie that has earned its place in the Christmas canon.

Klaus (2019) - 95%

Stream now on Netflix

While it went mostly underrated thanks to its existence as a Netflix exclusive, but Klaus might be one of the best Santa Claus movies ever made. The movie follo9ws a postman named Jesper, sent to the North to learn how to do his job or lose his family's fortune.

However, when he meets a man named Klaus who is making homemade toys, the two men team up to deliver them. This is a Santa Claus origin story like no other, and is a movie as beautifully animated as it is a story told.

Little Women (2019) - 95%

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Released in late 2019, Greta Gerwig's Little Women is the seventh adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's iconic novel. It may also be the best.

Most of the praise was singled on Gerwig's re-telling of the story and the superb cast that included the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep. It grossed a very respectable $216 million and earned six Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Costume Design.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - 95%

Stream now on Disney+

Perhaps the most famous and acclaimed piece of stop-motion animation in modern movie history, The Nightmare Before Christmas is an undeniable classic.

Produced by Tim Burton and featuring his signature style, the movie continues to earn acclaim for its unique blending of genres and tones (alternating between Halloween and Christmas) and for its impeccable stop-motion animation. Christmas movie, or Halloween movie? Whatever it is, it's a classic.