The Most Popular Christmas Movie the Year You Were Born
There are a lot of ways to ring in the Christmas season: putting up the tree, baking cookies…and, of course, watching some classic holiday movies. If you’re an older adult, have we got a list for you! We did a little research and found the most popular Christmas movie from the year you were born. Keep reading to find more about these great films, and perhaps add one to your to-be-watched list this holiday season!
1942: Holiday Inn
Believe it or not, “White Christmas” debuted in this classic! We love this movie for a lot of different reasons: Fred’s drunken dance sequence, the music, the funny montage that ends with Bing having a little tantrum over his farm. Astaire and Crosby only starred in one other movie together besides this one: Blue Skies, 1946. After watching this movie, we’re a little sad they shared so few film credits!
1943: The Song of Bernadette
Based on the 1941 novel of the same name, The Song of Bernadette stars Jennifer Jones as Bernadette Soubirous, a young peasant girl who claims to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary 18 times in 1858. Not only did Jennifer Jones win both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress, but this was also the first movie in which she was billed as Jennifer Jones! She previously acted under Phyllis Isley, which is her real name. Though we’ve never seen The Song of Bernadette, we’re adding it to our holiday watchlist this year!
1944: Meet Me in St. Louis
Unlike The Song of Bernadette, we’ve seen Meet Me in St. Louis many, many times over. The film stars our favorite, Judy Garland, as Esther Smith, one of four sisters living in St. Louis at the turn of the century. If you’ve ever heard “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, then you can thank this film! It was written specifically for this movie. Although it’s a seasonal vignette that features scenes from all four seasons, we’d definitely classify Meet Me in St. Louis as a holiday movie.
1945: Christmas in Connecticut
If you hate the miscommunication trope, then don’t add Christmas in Connecticut to your list. But if you enjoy comedy of errors movies (or Barbara Stanwyck), definitely give this one a watch! Elizabeth Lane is a columnist who’s lied about…well…everything. She has no husband, no farm, no baby, and no white-picket fence. But she’ll have to come up with all those things fast, thanks to her boss inviting a wounded war hero to her farm for Christmas. We watch this one every December―and absolutely love everything about it!
1946: It’s a Wonderful Life
Honestly, do we even need to introduce this one? This is not only one of the best Christmas movies ever, but it’s also one of the best movies ever made, period. It’s a Wonderful Life inspired many directors, including Steven Spielberg, who once said, “It’s a Wonderful Life shows that every human being on this earth matters―and that’s a very powerful message.” We couldn’t agree more! If you don’t get at least one tiny teardrop in your eye at the end, then you’re either lying or have chronic dry eye.
1947: Miracle on 34th Street
Did you know that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade footage used in this movie was real? Speaking of, Natalie Wood’s character may not have believed in Kris Kringle, but Natalie herself was convinced that Gwenn was, in fact, the real Santa. Gwenn himself even quipped after winning his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, “Now I know there’s a Santa Claus.” This movie was remade in 1994 with Richard Attenborough and Mara Wilson. And while we also love the remake, you can’t beat the classics!
1949: Holiday Affair
We watched this movie for the first time this year, and we’re surprised it’s not more popular! The premise kind of reads like a vintage Hallmark movie: a devil-may-care salesman falls for a young widow with an adorable little boy. Only, we don’t feel it’s quite as predictable or schmaltzy as some Hallmark movies! Robert Mitchum’s character doesn’t exactly have the most stellar reputation, and at the time, neither did Mitchum himself. The actor actually spent two months at a prison farm after he got arrested for marijuana possession the year this movie was released. According to IMDB, this movie was actually intended to soften Mitchum’s image.
1950: The Great Rupert
Have you ever heard of this movie? We hadn’t! According to the description on IMDB, this movie is about “a little squirrel with lots of charm [that] accidentally helps two poor, down-but-NOT-out families overcome their obstacles.” Though we can’t speak to the movie itself, we do think it sounds adorable! Rupert the squirrel wasn’t a real trained squirrel but rather the result of some good, old-fashioned stop-motion magic. Interestingly enough, two exteriors from The Andy Griffith Show (Walker’s Drugstore and the courthouse) can be seen in the background in several shots. Now we definitely have to watch it!
1951: Scrooge, A Christmas Carol
We won’t lie and say this is our favorite version. (That honor goes to the Muppet version.) But we do quite enjoy this 1951 classic starring the one and only Alistair Sim! You’re probably already familiar with the story, so let’s dispense with that and move right on to the pop culture portion. Some call this the definitive adaptation of Dickens’ beloved story, mostly because it’s the most accurate! And while we may love it today, audiences back when it first released…kind of ignored it. It wasn’t until it started airing on TV later that it gained a cult following and became the beloved classic we know today.
1952: Pluto’s Christmas Tree
Our list wouldn’t be complete without a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon! Though less than 7 minutes long, it’s still one of our absolute favorites. According to IMDB, this was the last short to feature Chip n’ Dale. It’s also one of the few Disney cartoons in which Mickey doesn’t share any time with Minnie. You can find this one on Disney+, and we definitely recommend watching it. Though funny, it’s surprisingly heartfelt!
1954: White Christmas
You knew it was coming! White Christmas is required holiday viewing. Since we’re pretty sure ninety percent of people are familiar with the story, we won’t waste any time with a rundown. So here are a few fun, festive facts instead! First, that scene where Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye perform “Sisters” wasn’t in the script. The two actors were just goofing around on set when the director saw it and thought it would be funny in the movie. Even though Rosemary Clooney plays the “mother hen” sister Betty, she was actually seven years younger than Vera-Ellen in real life! If you live anywhere near Augusta, Kentucky, you’re in luck! A lot of the costumes and props from this movie are on display at the Rosemary Clooney House.
1956: Bundle of Joy
Full disclosure: We haven’t seen this one. We have, however, seen the 1939 film this one was based on―Bachelor Mother, starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven. The premise is Baby Boom meets Little Shop Around the Corner. After a salesgirl finds a baby outside an orphanage, she does the humane thing and takes it in. Only, everyone around her mistakenly believes it’s her baby. Real-life married couple Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds star in this one together. And though Reynolds’ character only adopted a baby in the movie, Debbie herself was pregnant with Carrie Fisher at the time. Sadly, Fisher would go on to leave Debbie Reynolds a mere three years later for none other than Elizabeth Taylor.
1958: Bell, Book and Candle
Do you like Bewitched? Then add Bell, Book and Candle to your holiday watchlist this Christmas season, because this movie actually inspired the 1964 sitcom. It stars Jimmy Stewart as Shepherd Henderson, a publisher and groom-to-be who falls under the spell of his neighbor, Gillian Holroyd. Literally. According to IMDB, Cary Grant actually wanted to play Shep Henderson. This was also the last time that Stewart (who turned 50 during filming) played a romantic lead in a movie. Novak was reportedly disappointed with that, as the actress stated that Stewart was her favorite leading man. We haven’t actually seen this one either, and maybe we, too, are under Novak’s spell because we suddenly have half a mind to watch it!
1961: Babes in Toyland
If you’ve never seen this one, it’s not really a surprise. This was a certified box-office bomb. Regardless, Annette Funnicello had a great time filming and even said it was her all-time favorite movie! Disney legend Tommy Kirk, however, who played Grumio, did not agree. He said it was “not a good film; it doesn’t quite come off. It has cute stuff in it, but a lot of it’s a mess.” Have you ever seen Babes in Toyland? And if so, would you agree more with Miss Funnicello or Mr. Kirk? Maybe we’ll have to watch this one ourselves to decide!
1962: Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol
A lot of people know Jim Backus as Mr. Howell from Gilligan’s Island. But the truly enlightened among us know that Backus also voiced Mr. Magoo, an elderly man whose bad eyesight frequently gets him into horrible situations that he knows nothing about. In 1962, NBC aired Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, and made history in the process. That’s because this was the first-ever made-for-TV Christmas special!
1964: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. Had a very shiny…okay, you get it. Whether you absolutely adore this movie or find the stop-motion animation a little uncanny valley, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen this one. After all, it’s aired on TV every single year since 1964! If you like the movie Elf and notice that Buddy’s costume looks similar to the ones the elves wear in this one, it’s no coincidence. The design team actually modeled those costumes after the ones in Rudolph!
1965: A Charlie Brown Christmas
We couldn’t leave without a shoutout to A Charlie Brown Christmas! Interestingly enough, Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson (the director and producer, respectively) were convinced it was going to flop! To be fair, Lee’s son Jason told People that his father reported the network would say things like, “It’s too late to do anything about this. We’ve got to put this thing on the air. We don’t really understand what this is going to be.” It was probably hard to believe in their project when the network said things like that! Fortunately, this special went on to prove everyone wrong, even nabbing an Emmy in 1966. We happen to think this special is perfect, so we’re happy the network didn’t get its way.
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Originally published December 01, 2023
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