Christmas. It’s here again. Didn’t we just have one of those? Why do things fly by so fast? Regardless, it’s that special time of year for you and your family, and with Christmas, comes Christmas movies — and the time-honored tradition of everyone gathering on the couch in front of the fire place to watch something the whole family can enjoy. That can be tough with toddlers.
While there are movies that you might like or want to watch, they aren’t always going to hold the attention of the little ones crawling around your household. It can be hard to find literally anything to hold their fleeting attention spans, but not to worry, we’re here to help.
Here is a list of our favorite picks for movies for toddlers this holiday season.
Sesame Street Double Feature: Elmo’s Christmas Countdown and Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
This bountiful double-feature is jam-packed with all your favorite Sesame Street characters, like Elmo, Abbey Caddaby, Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, Oscar, Cookie Monster, The Count, Grover, Snuffy and Kermit the Frog.
It’s also jam-packed with celebrities as well, to keep the adults kind of entertained too. In Christmas Countdown, Ben Stiller plays Still the Elf, who tells a story to Stan the Snowball about how Christmas was almost ruined. Stiller enlists Elmo and Abby Cadabby to help.
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is a bonafide classic from the early days of Street back in 1978. We get all the perennial favorites trying to make sure Santa can fit down a chimney, and that he has milk and cookies when he does. Spoiler: Cookie Monster makes that a little difficult.
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas
Everyone’s favorite precocious monkey, Curious George, stars in this adventure about the true meaning of Christmas. This one came out in 2009 and chronicles how George and The Man with the Yellow Hat both have to figure out what to get each other for Christmas.
George’s Christmas list is all weird shapes and The Man has to decipher it somehow. Meanwhile, The Man tells George to just surprise him, but George doesn’t know what to do. Fun for everyone!
Peter Rabbit’s Christmas Tale
This continuation of Beatrix Potter’s all-time favorite children’s books takes Peter out of Mr. McGregor’s garden and into the hearts of children everywhere. In this heartwarming story, food is scarce and Peter and his cousin Benjamin want to help out during the annual winter food delivery dropoff.
They use a family sled to cart along the goods but run into some issues along the way, the least of which is not a sneaky fox looking to make the food his own. This is the first and only Christmas special from the Nickelodeon TV series.
Olivia Claus
This fun Christmas special about Olivia the pig features a litany of different stories, including a hang out at a beach party, Olivia’s dreams of becoming Santa and how she deals with the loss of Matilda, her favorite doll.
There’s another special too, called Olivia’s Christmas Surprise. This is perfect for all the Olivia fans out there who just can’t get enough of her silly antics.
Pete the Cat: A Very Groovy Christmas
The very cool and laid-back cat Pete is here to mellow out your Christmas vibes, man. In this groovy special, Pete and his buds want to get a lot of cool gifts, which don’t we all? If anyone personifies the true spirit of Christmas, it’s Pete.
Of course, those intentions turn inward and the gang ends up helping a bunch of people on the way and learn that the best part of Christmas is giving instead of getting. But is it?
VeggieTales – The Best Christmas Gift
This is the first VeggieTales Christmas special episode. It’s about how Bob and Larry are prepping for a very important Christmas show, but things aren’t coming together as planned. Bob struggles with the correct way to celebrate since things aren’t going well, but after they travel to the first Christmas and witness firsthand how difficulties are a part of it, things smooth over.
If you’re a VeggieTales fan, you’re going to love the themes and storyline of this one. …Well, your toddler will.
The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf’s Story
A fun take on the whole “Elf on a Shelf” Christmas tradition, this story tells the tale of Chippey, a “scout” elf tasked with helping nine-year-old Taylor McTuttle restore their belief in Christmas magic. However, the boy breaks the most important elf on a shelf rule, and in the process dooms Chippey to an existence sans his magic.
Taylor and Chippey eventually learn to work together and realize that true belief has to come from inside and nowhere else. It’s full of singing, dancing, magic and a wholesome message that no matter what happens, you can always carry the Christmas spirit in your heart.
Stick Man
When we think of men made from sticks, usually it’s all about Groot, but Stick Man is a fun, irreverent take on the Christmas spirit that will keep your little one coming back and back. It’s based on a 2008 book where the titular character escapes a dog, gets stuck in a river, escapes from a swan (sensing a theme here) and even almost gets burned up in a fire.
Despite all his obstacles, he still needs to make it home in time to celebrate Christmas with his family. Will he make it? Fans of The Gruffalo’s Child will immediately recognize the character and have some built in institutional knowledge about the character, since Stick Man is a spin-off from that series.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
A stop-motion classic that originally premiered in 1964, this tale about Santa’s most famous reindeer and his shiny nose made quite the splash when it first premiered. It also has the distinction of being shown every year on TV since its premiere, not just once, but several times over the season.
The story involves Rudolph being born with a glowing red nose and how he learns that his red nose is not a burden and something to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of. Some of the themes are a little dated for this generation but it still holds up as a testament to the perseverance of the Christmas spirit.
