Christmas movies have, for a long time, considered to be one of the most anticipated aspects of the holiday season, and, as such, there have been a tremendous amount of christmas movies released over the past several decades, some of which are forgotten as soon as they’re released.  Some Christmas movies, however, make a mark on the holiday season for years to come, this list talks about 5 of the most successful christmas movies.

5. Elf

A movie released in 2003, Elf has been a mainstay of classic Christmas movies since its release.  It tells the story of Buddy, a man who accidentally ends up at the north pole by way of sneaking into Santa’s sack of toys as a child.  Elf is widely popular and is considered one of the best Christmas movies by many people.

4.  Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

The second installment of the Home Alone series, this is also the last movie to feature Macaulay Culkin as the lead role of Kevin McCallister.  The movie takes a very similar approach to the first one, however, this time, Kevin accidentally boards a wrong flight

3.  The Polar Express

Based on the novel released in 1985, The Polar Express was released in 2004.  The movie is about a boy who has started to no longer believe in Santa Clause as Christmas rolls around again.  This all changes when a magical train shows up to take him on a trip to the north pole, where he learns that seeing doesn’t have to be believing.  This movie also marks an important moment for animation as well, as the movie had a massive budget, which was unheard of for an animated movie at the time.

2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Featuring prominent comedy actor, Jim Carey,  this adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic is beloved by fans of Christmas movies for it’s mixture of comedy while also providing the same sense of the originial message of the true spirit of Christmas.  Having been released in 2000, the movie has still retained it’s massive popularity since then.

1. Home Alone

The original Home Alone movie, and what brought Macaulay Culkin into the spotlight, Home Alone is one of the best selling Christmas movies of all time.  This is likely due to it’s combination of comedic elements mixed with a good message, as well as a somewhat relateable premise.  Many parents would fear something like this happening to their child, and it shows that when push comes to shove, Christmas is about family.