90s kids assemble! This list will not only take you on a walk down memory lane (the scene when little Macaulay Culkin slaps aftershave on his face, right?), but the majority of us will also feel incredibly old when we realise that The Grinch is fifteen years old this year…. At least one purely holiday-themed film was released each year from 1990-2ooo – from the classic to the creepy.
1990 – Home Alone
Directed by Chris Columbus.
The iconic kid-vs-criminal comedy is released this year, starring Macaulay Culkin at the age of ten. Hilarious and heart-warming, the Christmas season just wouldn’t be complete without this movie.
1991 – All I Want for Christmas
Directed by Robert Lieberman.
Santa has received an unusual request this year, as one little girl asks him to bring her soon-to-be-divorced parents back together.
1992 – The Muppet Christmas Carol
Directed by Brian Henson
Everybody’s favourite puppets re-enact the classic Dickensian tale, in a rendition that defined a generation. Starring Gonzo, who takes up the role of Dickens himself, and Kermit in the role of Bob Cratchit.
1993 – Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas
Directed by Henry Selick
This is the year that Jack Skellington first hits our screens, as the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town discovers Christmas. Based on a poem written by Tim Burton in the 1980s.
1994 – The Santa Clause
Directed by John Pasquin
When Santa Claus falls from his roof on Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott must take his place, according to a card he finds in Santa’s coat which invokes the titular Santa Clause.
1995 – While You Were Sleeping
Directed by John Turteltaub
Sandra Bullock stars as a woman who rescues a man from an oncoming train; however, he falls into a coma. She is swept up with spending the holidays with his quirky, lovable family.
1996 – Jingle All the Way
Directed by Brian Levant
A satirical holiday comedy in which Arnold Schwartzenegger and Sinbad battle it out as two desperate fathers, each seeking the same coveted Christmas toy ,“Turbo Man”.
1997 – Jack Frost
Directed by Michael Cooney
A serial killer is reincarnated as a snowman and goes on a Christmas killing spree. (However, this is not recommended as a typical, heart-warming Christmas film. Stick with the classics.)
1998 – Jack Frost
Directed by Troy Miller
Starring Michael Keaton in, perhaps, a more pleasant and family-friendly take on the mythical figure. A year after his father’s tragic death, Charlie inadvertently resurrects him in the body of a snowman.
1999 – A Christmas Carol (David Hugh Jones)
Patrick Stewart appears as everybody’s favourite miser in this powerful adaptation of the classic tale.
2000 – Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas – or, The Grinch (Ron Howard)
Jim Carrey stars as the Grinch, a bitter and spiteful creature who despises Christmas – that is, until he meets the young, cheerful Cindy Lou Who.
Niamh Crosbie, Film and Entertainment Editor
