20 non-traditional Christmas movies to watch this year

Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett in Carol. Image via Wilson Webb/The Weinstein Company.

Because there are only so many times you can watch A Christmas Story without wanting to shoot your own eye out, here are 20 non-traditional Christmas films.

If you don’t enjoy Christmas — or if you are just meh about it — December can be a tough month to get through. It’s particularly difficult if you live with one or more people who are invested in the holiday. Then there’s really no escaping Christmas, especially when it’s time to pick out a movie to watch.

You will sit through It’s a Wonderful Life. You will laugh and cry in equal measure. Your heart will be warmed. You will think twice the next time you wish your life was different.

You know, basically how you experience every Christmas film, give or take an existential crisis.

No disrespect to A Christmas Story, the many Christmas Carols, Love Actually, or the rest, but the incessant cheer of holiday movies can become kind of cloying. Some of us need a break from the holly-jolliness. So Culturess has put together a list of Christmas movies for people who aren’t keen on Christmas movies.

Some of them are set around Dec. 25 but are not really about Christmas. Some barely deal with Christmas at all but still have a holiday feel. Others explore themes that are often on the brain during the holiday season. We have war movies, rom-coms, and psychological thrillers, mainstream entertainment and independent cinema. There’s a little something for everyone here, even people who do love Christmas.

Here are our 20 (technically 22, but you’ll see what I mean) favorite non-traditional Christmas films.