The most iconic Christmas movies of all time -

Everyone has a movie (or two) that they must watch during the Christmas season. Whether it be a 'Home Alone' marathon with the family or watching 'Love Actually' while cozying up to someone special, these movies were the highlight of our childhood and continue to be a part of our Christmas traditions.

So, are you in the Christmas spirit? Then click on and check out the most iconic Christmas movies of all time in this gallery.

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'Home Alone' (1990) - Starring: Macaulay Culkin. Kevin McCallister was accidentally forgotten by his family as they were rushing to go on a Christmas trip. While home alone, he's surprised by two thieves trying to break into the house.

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'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' (1992) - Starring: Macaulay Culkin. Kevin McCallister loses his dad at the airport and gets on a flight to New York while his whole family heads to Florida. Alone in the Big Apple, he tries to stop two thieves who are planning to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.

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'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' (1989) - Starring: Chevy Chase. The father of the family, Clark Griswold, promised everyone that he would organize a traditional and fun Christmas. But nothing goes according to plan!

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'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (2000) -

Starring: Jim Carrey. The story is set inside a snowflake, home to a very bad-tempered Grinch who wants to end Christmas. A small child, Cindy Lou Who, tries to make him see the beauty of Christmas.

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'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993) - Jack Skellington was tired of living in Halloween Town, and one day manages to make it to Christmas Town. The problem? His fellow Halloween ghouls don't really understand the spirit. 

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'Elf' (2003) - Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan. The movie tells the story of Buddy, who was raised as an elf at Santa Claus' workshop in the North Pole. After he grows to be twice as tall as the other elves, Buddy discovers that his biological dad lives in New York and he sets out on a journey to find him.

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'Arthur Christmas' (2011) - Arthur voiced by: James McAvoy. Arthur wants to know how his dad, Santa Claus, manages to hand out gifts to all the children in the world in just one night. And he finds out: old Santa controls a super-secret operation in the North Pole. At the same time, Arthur is given an urgent mission that he must complete as quickly as possible.

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'Miracle on 34th Street' (1994) - Starring: Mara Wilson. The real Santa is hired to work as Santa Claus at a toy store. There, he meets Susan, a little girl who doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas. Santa makes it his mission to convince everyone that he's the real deal!

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'The Santa Clause' (1994) - Starring: Tim Allen. The real Santa Claus suffered an accident as he was delivering gifts to the house of toy salesman, Scott Calvin. Scott finds a card telling him to put on Santa's suit, but little does he know, that means he's the new Santa Claus! 

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'A Christmas Carol' (2009) - Starring: Jim Carrey. This is the story of a moody old man, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future! Scrooge, who doesn't believe in the Christmas spirit, is forced to rethink and fix his negativity and mistakes, before it's too late.

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'The Polar Express' (2004) - Starring: Tom Hanks. On Christmas Eve, a little boy who is doubtful about Santa sets off on a train ride to the North Pole. During the trip, the small boy witnesses all sorts of magical events.

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'Fred Claus' (2007) - Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti. Of the two Claus brothers, Fred is the troublemaker while Nicholas is the well-behaved one. When Fred's criminal actions get him in trouble, Nicholas rescues him and takes him to the North Pole to work as a toy-maker.

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'The Holiday' (2006) -

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black. Two women, one from the United States and one from the United Kingdom, decide to switch houses during Christmas after going through difficult breakups. They each find romance at their new location, but realize that moving back to their own countries will force those relationships to end.

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'The Muppet Christmas Carol' (1992) -

This is the adapted version of Charles Dickens's classic 'A Christmas Carol.' Ebenezer Scrooge meets Kermit and his Muppet friends, and together they all find the spirits of past, present and future to learn the real meaning of Christmas.

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'A Charlie Brown Christmas' (1965) - When Charlie Brown complains about the materialistic side of Christmas, Lucy suggests he direct a theater play. He accepts the challenge, but what was supposed to be a lesson turns into a frustrating experience. Now he must ask for Linus' help to discover the real meaning of Christmas.

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'Call Me Claus' (2001) - Starring: Whoopi Goldberg. A television producer hires an actor to play Santa, but he turns out to be the real one! 

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'Love Actually' (2003) - Starring: Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson. The story starts five weeks before Christmas and, as the countdown commences, we follow the lives of ten different people who are all connected in one way or another.

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'Surviving Christmas' (2004) - Starring: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, and Christina Applegate. A rich man has had enough of spending Christmas on his own, so he decides to go back to the house where he grew up, hoping he will find the Christmas spirit. However, he comes across a new family living there and decides to offer them US$250,000 to pretend to be his family for Christmas.

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'Bad Santa' (2003) - Starring: Billy Bob Thornton. Swindler Willie makes a living dressing as Santa so he can rob shops during Christmas. However, he and his partner meet a little boy who shows them the true Christmas spirit.

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'Jingle All the Way' (1996) - Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger. A busy businessman wants to make up for his absence to his son, who asks for a trendy new toy for Christmas. The problem is that it's Christmas Eve and the toy is sold out everywhere. The determined father does everything possible to try to find one!

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'Deck the Halls' (2006) - Starring: Matthew Broderick, Danny DeVito and Kristin Davis. In Cloverdale, dentist Steve Finch is considered the ultimate Christmas expert. But car salesman Buddy Hall is new in town, and when he finds out that his house can't be seen by the 'My Earth' satellite, he decides to decorate it with Christmas lights. The two start a war to decide who really owns Christmas.

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'The Family Man' (2000) - Starring: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle. Jack Campbell is a bored investment broker who wonders how his life would have turned out if he had married his high school romance, Kate. Then one day, he wakes up to find out he's happily married to Kate, has two children, and lives a relaxing life in the suburbs.

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'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946) - Starring: James Stewart. A father is depressed after going broke and decides to kill himself. However, he is saved by an angel who shows him how different life would have been if he had never existed.

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'White Christmas' (1954) - Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney. Two ex-US army buddies meet two sisters and together the four of them end up on stage, their name in lights. And the finale? A beautiful rendition of 'White Christmas.'

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'Four Christmases' (2008) - Starring: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon. Every Christmas, Brad and Kate escape from their crazy families and go somewhere exotic. One year, all flights are canceled due to bad weather. The couple is forced to attend the Christmas celebrations and things don't go as planned.

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'Christmas with the Kranks' (2004) - Starring: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis. It all starts when Blair, the Kranks' daughter, decides to go to Peru for the holidays. The Kranks decide to skip Christmas for a cruise instead, until their daughter decides to come back at the last minute. The couple only has 12 hours to get everything prepared for their daughter's arrival.

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'Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas' (2011) - Manny and Ellie get ready for their family Christmas while Scrat desperately attempts to catch his acorn. The problem comes in when Sid accidentally destroys Manny's traditional Christmas stone, leaving him furious!

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'Mariah Carey: All I Want for Christmas is You' (2017) -

This animated movie is narrated and produced by Mariah Carey, and was inspired by her hit single, 'All I Want For Christmas Is You.' The story is about a little girl named Mariah who dreams of finding a dog under the tree.

See also: The most essential Christmas playlist.

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