Best Santa Claus Movies (December 2025)

We’re counting down the days to Christmas! If you’re working your way through your favorite holiday movies and want to give a little extra spotlight to our favorite guy in red, we’ve compiled our top picks. From classic takes to more modern spins, there are plenty of great depictions of jolly old St. Nick across the silver screen. Here are the best Santa Claus movies to watch this season.

What are the best Santa Claus movies?

Kris Kringle made his first on-camera appearance in 1898 in the silent short film Santa Claus, directed by George Albert Smith. Since then, Santa’s had countless depictions on screen. These are just a few of our favorites. 

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

One of the most beloved holiday classics of all time, and yet one that modern audiences sometimes overlook in favor of newer takes, Miracle on 34th Street is a film that simply radiates Christmas spirit. The story follows a kindly man going by the name Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn), who takes over the role of the Macy’s store Santa. He does such a good job at playing the part that everyone wants to take their kids to visit Santa. But as his fame grows — and his continued insistence he is the real deal — the film turns into a charming courtroom battle to test Kris Kringel’s sanity.

This movie is one of those films that remind us that the magic of Christmas isn’t found in what’s under the tree, but in our shared kindness to one another. It’s worth reading the original review of the film from the New York Times archive. The 1994 remake is also worth a watch, though we’re very partial to the original.

The Santa Clause (1994)

This might be a polarizing (no pun intended) portrayal of Santa Claus. As a kid, it’s a bag of laughs. As an adult, it veers dangerously close to body horror. Somehow, though, all of it still feels absolutely full of Christmas cheer. Either way, the concept is wild. Just roll with it, though. This film absolutely screams 1994.

The movie hinges on a bizarre but simple rule: whoever wears Santa’s suit has to become Santa. We learn about this rule when a divorced dad, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), has his son for Christmas. They spot Santa on the roof. Santa — spooked — falls, dies, and vanishes, leaving behind only the suit and a card explaining The Santa Clause. Scott follows the instructions on the card he finds on Santa, puts on the suit, and that’s it. There’s no opt-out policy. Soon, Scott undergoes a deeply uncomfortable transformation into the new Santa Claus. Beneath the comedy (and the existential nightmare), the film is still doing classic holiday work. It’s got themes of belief, responsibility, family, and the spirit of Christmas sneaking back into the life of someone who lost that magic a long time ago. 

Elf (2003)

Elf gives us one of the warmest, most straightforward portrayals of Santa Claus on this list. The metatheatrical commentary on how adults stop believing in Santa — “What about Santa’s cookies? I suppose parents eat them too?” — is part of why it works so well. The movie is brimming with wit and hilarity, and it’s refreshing to get a modern Santa performance (played by Ed Asner) that doesn’t involve contracts or strange new mythology. This is just classic Santa, doing his best and trying to keep up with the times.

The film follows Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human who was accidentally raised as an elf at the North Pole and is very obviously not built for elf life.  When he learns the truth about where he comes from, Buddy heads to New York City to find his real father (James Caan), who is on the naughty list. Though Santa gets less on-screen time than Buddy, the movie still revolves around St. Nick in both plot and spirit. He represents the old-school magic of Christmas, the kind that runs entirely on belief and goodwill. Watching Santa struggle as faith fades, then rally thanks to Buddy’s unshakable sincerity, cements Elf as one of the most joyful holiday movies ever made and one we’ll happily watch every year. 

The Polar Express (2004)

Though some aspects of this movie may have faded in glory over the years, a recent rewatch gave me a newfound appreciation for the film. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s steeped in myth and magic, with some truly beautiful lessons that resonate with adults as well.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, The Polar Express follows a young boy who begins to doubt Santa’s existence and is surprised when a mysterious train appears in front of his house on Christmas Eve. He boards the train bound for the North Pole, setting off on a journey that will change him and his fellow passengers forever. And really, the journey itself is the point. While the movie isn’t entirely about Santa, he does make a big impression. He represents certainty in a world full of questions, plus the reward for belief held onto just a little longer.

For all its visual oddities and earnestness, The Polar Express does capture a very particular feeling about Christmas. It’s hard not to feel a twinge of nostalgia-tinged longing, remembering how much of our childhood wonder has faded. But perhaps that’s part of the lesson too. Maybe that sense of magic isn’t gone entirely, and it can be found again, no matter our age.

Klaus (2019)

This one’s more recent — well, we say recent, but 2019 was six years ago now. Still, this animated film is one of the better Santa Claus–related movies to grace our screens, and it has more originality than we expected. The story takes us to 19th‑century Norway, where Jesper Johansen (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) is a spoiled, lazy son of the Royal Postmaster General. He’s also the absolute worst student at the postmaster academy and is given a nearly impossible task to prove himself. The consequence of failure is pretty daunting, being the loss of his inheritance. Off he goes to Smeerensburg, a frozen northern town and the unhappiest place on Earth. It’s also where Jesper meets a mysterious toymaker named Klaus, sparking an unlikely friendship.

Netflix’s Klaus was directed by Sergio Pablos in his feature film debut. Klaus is Netflix Animation’s first original animated feature and the first animated film from a streaming service to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. That alone should tell you it’s a solid watch for the Christmas season. The 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t hurt either.

How we picked the best Santa Claus movies

Though there are plenty of Santa Claus movies, we narrowed our favorites to those we felt offered the best depictions of Santa. We’ve got the greatest Santa of all time, a few modern spins, and some animated films that work for both kids and adults.

If you’re looking for even more festive watches, check out our picks for the best Christmas movies.

Source: Comingsoon.net