25 best Christmas movies to watch during the holiday season

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION - Deck the halls with boughs of laughter - the Griswolds are back! Hapless Clark (Chevy Chase), exasperated Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and their ever-changing kids (Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki) gear up for Christmas in this Vacation installment that became a holiday classic. As usual, all the good intentions in the world can't save them from disaster ... or Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), whose unannounced visit throws the house into further disarray. (WARNER BROTHERS)CHEVY CHASE /

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22. Scrooged

Sometimes we forget that comedy movies are just as important as any other Christmas movie, and Scrooged definitely comes in as a great holiday offering with plenty of humor, as well as a lesson or two. Based off of the Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol, Scrooged stars Bill Murray as the titular Scrooge, being a stingy boss with a penchant for firing people (whether fairly or not).

Not only is this a Christmas movie, it is also a dark comedy, which makes it feel like a unique choice for being a top 25 movie for the holiday season. However, there is something so captivating about Murray, that he makes any film you watch enjoyable.

Scrooged is a modern retelling of a classic tale, and that certainly helps add to its appeal. Of course, with a cast that includes Bobcat Goldthwait, Alfre Woodard, and John Forsythe, this movie delivers on so many levels.

It may not feel like your typical choice for best holiday movie, but it delivers and that’s what matters. And yes, I admit that Bill Murray is definitely a major reason why I loved this movie, because he plays a bad guy perfectly, even as he helps deliver the comedy too.

A Christmas Carol has long been a story of redemption, and even Scrooged works to deliver that theme, even if it does it in a fresh way (or at least fresh for when it debuted).

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