Top 15 Christmas Movies That Aren’t Really About Christmas

1-15

Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - December 24th 2025, 20:00 GMT+1

The Long Kiss Goodnight 1996 cropped processed by imagy — 15. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

Snow on the ground, a Christmas parade in the air, and absolutely nobody has time for peace on earth—this movie kicks off like the holidays are just another obstacle in the way of survival. *The Long Kiss Goodnight* takes the “nice suburban mom” setup and yanks the rug so hard it practically files for overtime, turning amnesia into an excuse for car chases, gunfire, and identity whiplash. It’s festive in the same way a convenience-store Santa display is festive during a robbery: present, blinking, and deeply irrelevant to the chaos. The action is the point, the one-liners are unapologetic, and the holiday setting keeps adding an extra layer of absurdity—because nothing says “seasonal” like remembering you might be an assassin while carolers lurk nearby. | © New Line Cinema

Trading Places 1983 cropped processed by imagy — 14. Trading Places (1983)

A holiday comedy that treats Christmas like a mischievous backdrop for social sabotage is basically an evergreen concept, and this one makes it look effortless. *Trading Places* runs on a cruel bet, a sharp premise about class, and the kind of momentum that keeps the jokes flying even when the story is quietly doing something pointed. The seasonal details—parties, Santa suits, winter wealth—aren’t the “message,” but they’re the perfect costume for a plot about privilege and humiliation. It’s funny, mean in a controlled way, and surprisingly rewatchable because the comedy isn’t just gags; it’s people being strategically petty with consequences. By the time it hits the big payback, the holiday spirit has basically been replaced by righteous chaos… which, honestly, still feels seasonal. | © Paramount Pictures

Iron Man 3 2013 cropped processed by imagy — 13. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Christmas shows up here like a decorative excuse: twinkly lights, winter vibes, and then—immediately—explosions. What makes *Iron Man 3* feel like a stealth holiday movie is the mood: Tony Stark is spiraling, sleep is optional, and the season’s usual “reflect and reset” energy gets flipped into anxiety and damage control. The story leans harder into character than some superhero entries, mixing tech panic, bruised ego, and a very physical reminder that suits don’t solve everything. It’s funny in a dry, stressed-out way, and the action keeps coming, but the real hook is watching the hero deal with fear when there’s no neat villain-shaped box to put it in. Christmas is there, sure—mainly to underline that even saving the world doesn’t get you a quiet holiday. | © Marvel Studios

Gremlins 1984 cropped processed by imagy — 12. Gremlins (1984)

Nothing ruins the cozy Christmas aesthetic faster than a small creature with bad impulse control, and *Gremlins* treats that as a mission statement. The holiday setting is doing double duty: it’s warm and nostalgic on the surface, then instantly weaponized when everything turns into a mess of claws, sabotage, and broken decorations. The movie is funny, mean, and oddly charming, the kind of horror-comedy that lets you laugh and then immediately regret laughing because something just got set on fire. It also has that perfect “December chaos” logic—people are stressed, the town is busy, and small mistakes snowball into disaster before anyone can say “seasonal cheer.” By the end, Christmas lights feel less like décor and more like a warning system. | © Amblin Entertainment

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2005 — 11. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

A noir mystery wrapped in Christmas lights is a very specific flavor, and this one commits like it’s allergic to sincerity. *Kiss Kiss Bang Bang* drops a petty thief into Hollywood chaos, then piles on wisecracks, mistaken identities, and a crime plot that keeps swerving just to stay interesting. The holiday backdrop is mostly there to make everything feel a little more ridiculous—tinsel on violence, carols echoing while someone’s lying, parties that look glamorous until the knives come out (sometimes literally). The dialogue is the main event: fast, self-aware, and sharp enough to leave scratches. It’s not “heartwarming,” unless you count the warmth of a joke delivered at exactly the wrong moment, which this movie treats as an art form. | © Silver Pictures

Little Women 1994 cropped processed by imagy — 10. Little Women (1994)

The softest-looking movies can still land emotional body blows, and this one does it with ribbons, snow, and a family dynamic that feels lived-in rather than staged. Christmas shows up in *Little Women* as part of the texture—gifts, generosity, small sacrifices—while the real story stays focused on growing up, changing dreams, and figuring out who you are when the world keeps nudging you toward who you *should* be. The March sisters’ bond is the point, and the holiday moments just crank the feelings up because December has a talent for making everything sentimental and urgent at the same time. It’s comforting without being weightless, and it keeps its heart right at the surface without turning into syrup. The seasonal glow is there, but it’s a backdrop for ambition, grief, and love that refuses to be tidy. | © Columbia Pictures

L A Confidential 1997 — 9. L.A. Confidential (1997)

Christmas in this movie isn’t cozy—it’s decorative, like tinsel hung in a room where everyone is hiding something. *L.A. Confidential* uses a late-year Los Angeles sheen—flashbulbs, parties, public smiles—to sharpen the contrast with what’s underneath: corruption, brutality, and men trying to convince themselves they’re the “good” kind of compromised. The holiday atmosphere makes the noir feel even colder, because nothing says dissonance like carols floating over a city that’s busy eating itself. It’s slick, tense, and meticulously paced, with glamour functioning as camouflage more than celebration. The plot keeps tightening until everyone’s moral math stops working, which is exactly the kind of “seasonal reflection” nobody puts on a greeting card. | © Regency Enterprises

When Harry Met Sally 1989 cropped processed by imagy — 8. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Some romances track years with dramatic milestones; this one tracks them with timing, weather, and the slow realization that friendship can be the long con of the heart. *When Harry Met Sally...* keeps circling New York through different seasons, and the winter stretch quietly does a lot of work—holiday parties, cold sidewalks, and that end-of-year mood where people start reevaluating their entire emotional inventory. Christmas isn’t the plot, but it’s a pressure point: it amplifies loneliness, nostalgia, and the urge to call someone you shouldn’t call. The dialogue stays sharp, the comedy stays human, and the warmth feels earned rather than packaged. It’s the kind of movie that makes December look romantic mostly because December makes everyone a little dramatic. | © Castle Rock Entertainment

Batman Returns 1992 cropped processed by imagy — 7. Batman Returns (1992)

Snow falls, Gotham sparkles, and the city still looks like it’s one bad decision away from biting someone. *Batman Returns* practically drapes itself in Christmas imagery—tree-light glow, winter pageantry, seasonal crowds—while telling a story that’s really about power, loneliness, and people turning their worst impulses into public spectacle. The holiday setting isn’t “cheer”; it’s contrast, making the film’s twisted fairy-tale tone feel even more off-kilter. Catwoman and Penguin don’t just show up as villains; they show up as extreme versions of what happens when a city discards people and then acts surprised when they crawl back. It’s gothic, strange, and oddly festive in the way a nightmare can still be decorated. | © Warner Bros.

The Royal Tenenbaums 2011 cropped processed by imagy — 6. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Family gatherings can feel like holidays even when nobody says “Merry Christmas,” mostly because the tension shows up early and stays late. *The Royal Tenenbaums* isn’t about the season, but it carries that familiar end-of-year energy: old resentments resurfacing, forced closeness, emotional re-gifting, and the uncomfortable awareness that everyone remembers things differently. The movie’s humor is dry and specific, the sadness is real, and the whole story moves like a beautifully arranged mess that still counts as your mess. It’s stylish without being cold, and it somehow makes dysfunction feel both absurd and painfully recognizable. The holiday connection is more mood than plot—wintery melancholy, bittersweet nostalgia, and the sense that time is passing whether the family is ready or not. | © Touchstone Pictures

In Bruges 2008 cropped processed by imagy — 5. In Bruges (2008)

A hit goes wrong, two men get shipped off to Belgium, and suddenly the prettiest medieval city imaginable is hosting an existential crisis in a winter coat. *In Bruges* isn’t about Christmas in any sentimental way, but it absolutely uses the season’s atmosphere—lights, cold streets, that postcard calm—to make everything feel more surreal and more haunted. The jokes are sharp, often cruel, and weirdly gentle when they catch you off guard, like the film can’t decide whether it wants to hug you or insult you. Beneath the dark comedy, the story keeps circling guilt and consequence, and the holiday timing makes it feel like a punishment wrapped in decorative paper. It’s a Christmas-adjacent movie where nobody learns a tidy lesson, but everyone pays for something. | © Blueprint Pictures

The Apartment 1960 cropped processed by imagy — 4. The Apartment (1960)

Office holiday parties are supposed to be fun; this one just helps confirm that everyone in the building needs therapy and better boundaries. *The Apartment* threads its story through the days around Christmas and into New Year’s, using the season’s forced cheer as a bright, glossy contrast to loneliness, compromise, and people treating each other like furniture. The comedy is dry and observant, the romance is complicated in ways that still feel modern, and the heartbreak sneaks in wearing a polite smile. It’s not “Christmas magic,” unless the magic is watching someone realize they can’t keep loaning out their life to people who don’t respect it. The holiday setting matters because it amplifies everything: the emptiness, the hope, the desperation to start over before the calendar flips. | © The Mirisch Company

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone 2001 cropped processed by imagy — 3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)

Hogwarts at Christmas is basically a cinematic sugar rush: floating candles, giant feasts, and snow that makes the whole place look like it was designed by someone who collects holiday ornaments professionally. The plot of *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* has bigger concerns—secrets, danger, and a certain suspicious corridor—but the Christmas stretch hits because it’s the first time Harry gets a version of the holiday that isn’t painful. The warmth isn’t just decoration; it’s character development in tinsel form, a brief pause where wonder gets to take the front seat. The movie isn’t about Christmas, but it understands how the season can make belonging feel louder, especially when you’ve never had it. | © Heyday Films

Edward Scissorhands cropped processed by imagy — 2. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Pastel suburbia already feels like a fairy tale, then *Edward Scissorhands* drops in a lonely invention with blades for hands and lets the neighborhood decide whether to adore him or fear him. Christmas isn’t the engine of the story, but it becomes the stage where everything peaks: parties, spectacle, judgment, and the moment when beauty and discomfort collide in public. The holiday energy fits the movie’s whole mood—twinkly on the outside, aching underneath—because it’s really about being watched, misunderstood, and treated like a seasonal novelty until people get bored. And yes, the film can literally make it snow without a cloud in sight, which feels like the most Tim Burton form of festive logic imaginable. | © 20th Century Fox

Die Hard 1988 cropped processed by imagy — 1. Die Hard (1988)

Christmas Eve office parties are supposed to end with bad karaoke and one regrettable email—not a hostage crisis and a barefoot cop improvising survival tactics. *Die Hard* uses the holiday setting like seasoning: it’s everywhere, it adds flavor, and it makes the contrast funnier and sharper, but the story’s real obsession is momentum. The decorations don’t drive the plot; the desperation does, with John McClane trying to save people while the building turns into a maze of glass, smoke, and very loud opinions about authority. The movie’s genius is how casual it is about the Christmas backdrop—carols, gifts, reunions—while everything on screen is pure chaos management. It’s not about Christmas. It just happens to take place on the one night everyone is supposed to be peaceful. | © 20th Century Fox

1-15

Every December, the same debate pops up like a pop song in a mall: what even counts as a Christmas movie? Some films barely mention the holiday, yet they somehow feel more festive than anything with a talking snowman. The secret ingredient isn’t carols—it’s timing, mood, and that unmistakable “everything is happening at once” energy the season brings.

These picks live in the gray area on purpose: action thrillers, romances, dramas, even a few that would deny being festive if you asked them directly. They’re not about Christmas, technically… but they’re set in it, shaped by it, or simply get watched in December like it’s a tradition nobody remembers starting.