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  1. Home
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  3. Holly-jolly holiday movie superlatives

Holly-jolly holiday movie superlatives

From jolliest Santa Claus to the sweetest snowman, these are the cream of the Christmas crop.

By Mary Sollosi Updated December 15, 2021 at 06:21 PM EST
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And the winners are... 

ELF, Will Ferrell, 2003, (c) New Line/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

We've been counting down the days until Christmas, and now that it's almost here, we've finally figured out the best of the best. Who is the absolute jolliest Santa? What is the all-time saddest Christmas ballad? And who across the entire yuletide cinematic tradition has the most wonderful life? Read on for the honorees in our Christmas superlatives.

This story was originally published Dec. 21, 2018, and most recently updated Dec. 15, 2021.

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MOST TANTALIZING CHRISTMAS FEAST: The roast beast, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, Cindy Lou Who, Grinch, Max, 1966.
Credit: Everett Collection

The Grinch himself carved it, for crying out loud!

RUNNER-UP: The Cratchit family's prize turkey, A Christmas Carol

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MOST ROMANTIC CHRISTMAS: Love Actually (2003)

Love Actually (2003)HUGH GRANT and MARTINE McCUTCHEON
Credit: Peter Mountain/Universal Studios

Honestly, we tried to avoid this. There's just no way around it. You can't even listen to 30 seconds of the Love Actually score and deny that it is the most romantic movie Christmas ever, period.

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MOST EXTRA HOLIDAY DÉCOR: A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

MCDBAMO EC064
Credit: Everett Collection

Only a yuletide battle of the Bad Moms could result in an ice-blue winter wonderland of such tacky grandeur.

RUNNERS-UP: All movie Whovilles

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STINGIEST MISER: Ebenezer Scrooge

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, George C. Scott, 1984, TM and Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights r
Credit: Everett Collection

Nice try, Heat Miser, Snow Miser, whatever other misers — no one can compete with this squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. Bah, humbug!

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MOST FESTIVE WARDROBE: Martha May Whovier, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, Christine Baranski, Jim Carrey, Jaffrey Tambor, 2000
Credit: Everett Collection

Just look at that dress!

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MOST COVETED INVITATION: The Nutcracker Ball, The Night Before (2015)

Joseph Gordon Levitt;Seth Rogen;Anthony Mackie
Credit: Sarah Shatz/Columbia Pictures

No amount of drugs or lost phones or creepy encounters with a mysterious Christmas Michael Shannon should be enough to keep you from this party.

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MOST WONDERFUL LIFE: George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 

MBDITAW EC006
Credit: Everett Collection

When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?

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JOLLIEST SANTA CLAUS: The Santa Clause (1994)

THE SANTA CLAUSE
Credit: Everett Collection

Miracle on 34th Street gave him a good run for his money, but Tim Allen's reluctant Kris Kringle takes the top prize, if only for being most improved.

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MERRIEST ELF: Buddy the Elf, Elf (2003)

ELF, Will Ferrell, 2003, (c) New Line/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

Obviously.

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SWEETEST SNOWMAN: Frosty, Frosty the Snowman (1969)

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, Frosty the Snowman, 1969
Credit: Everett Collection

Who can resist a snowman who hangs out among ice cream cakes and greets every person, on any day, with "Happy Birthday?"

RUNNER-UP: Sorry, Olaf.

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SHINIEST-NOSED REINDEER: Zero, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon)
Credit: Everett Collection

Take that, Rudolph! Jack's ghostly stand-in for the red-nosed icon gets extra points for all-over glow.

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SISTERLIEST CHRISTMAS: Little Women (1994)

LITTLE WOMEN
Credit: Everett Collection

If only every December could be this March!

RUNNER UP: Ladies and gentlemen, the Haynes Sisters!

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WHITEST CHRISTMAS: Amanda's English holiday, The Holiday (2006)

THE HOLIDAY, Cameron Diaz, 2006. ©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

This one's a white Christmas in every sense of the word.

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SADDEST CHRISTMAS BALLAD: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

Meet-Me-in-St.-Louis
Credit: MGM

No subsequent version of this song has ever been quite so heartbreaking as the original in Judy Garland's velvety contralto.

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DRUNKEST GRINCH: Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa (2003)

BAD SANTA, Billy Bob Thornton, 2003, (c) Dimension/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

It's not called Good Santa.

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MOST WISTFUL WHAT-MIGHT-HAVE-BEEN: Riley, Happiest Season (2020)

Happiest Season
Credit: Lacey Terrell/Hulu

Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis play the couple you're supposed to root for, I guess. But when Stewart's Abby meets Aubrey Plaza's Riley? That's when the real sparks fly.

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BEST CHRISTMAS SWAP: The Princess Switch (2018)

ThePrincessSwitch_VanessaHudgens_GU
Credit: Netflix

Stealing The Holiday's crown!

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FROZENEST POLE: A Christmas Story (1983)

A CHRISTMAS STORY, Scott Schwartz, R.D. Robb, Peter Billingsley, 1983
Credit: Everett Collection

We triple-dog dare you to challenge this winner.

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YIPPEE-KI-YAY-EST MOTHERF---ER: John McClane, Die Hard (1988)

Image
Credit: Peter Sorel/Fox

Happy trails, everyone else.

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    1 of 20 And the winners are... 
    2 of 20 MOST TANTALIZING CHRISTMAS FEAST: The roast beast, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
    3 of 20 MOST ROMANTIC CHRISTMAS: Love Actually (2003)
    4 of 20 MOST EXTRA HOLIDAY DÉCOR: A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)
    5 of 20 STINGIEST MISER: Ebenezer Scrooge
    6 of 20 MOST FESTIVE WARDROBE: Martha May Whovier, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
    7 of 20 MOST COVETED INVITATION: The Nutcracker Ball, The Night Before (2015)
    8 of 20 MOST WONDERFUL LIFE: George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 
    9 of 20 JOLLIEST SANTA CLAUS: The Santa Clause (1994)
    10 of 20 MERRIEST ELF: Buddy the Elf, Elf (2003)
    11 of 20 SWEETEST SNOWMAN: Frosty, Frosty the Snowman (1969)
    12 of 20 SHINIEST-NOSED REINDEER: Zero, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
    13 of 20 SISTERLIEST CHRISTMAS: Little Women (1994)
    14 of 20 WHITEST CHRISTMAS: Amanda's English holiday, The Holiday (2006)
    15 of 20 SADDEST CHRISTMAS BALLAD: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)
    16 of 20 DRUNKEST GRINCH: Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa (2003)
    17 of 20 MOST WISTFUL WHAT-MIGHT-HAVE-BEEN: Riley, Happiest Season (2020)
    18 of 20 BEST CHRISTMAS SWAP: The Princess Switch (2018)
    19 of 20 FROZENEST POLE: A Christmas Story (1983)
    20 of 20 YIPPEE-KI-YAY-EST MOTHERF---ER: John McClane, Die Hard (1988)

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