Thirteen Christmas movies and TV specials, ordered by the youngest age Common Sense Media prints on each review. The youngest on this page is 4+. The highest is 10+, on Home Alone. Set the age to the youngest person who will actually be in the room, and the list keeps only the titles at or under it.
Three are TV specials and ten are features. The ages come from the editorial reviews on Common Sense Media, read in October 2026, not from the parent comments under them and not from the letter on the poster. A 5+ next to a title means that review’s editors put the age there. It does not mean the film is safe for every five-year-old, and it does not mean your household has to agree. Parents on that site often don’t. Home Alone is the obvious case: the editors say 10+, and a set of 89 parent reviews on the same page sits at 9+.
In this article
Christmas movies by age, at a glance
Each age below is a ceiling. Pick 6 and you get the nine titles whose Common Sense Media age is 6 or younger. Pick 4 and you get one, the 1966 Grinch special. The count is the whole point of the table. The notes under each title, further down, are the part worth reading before you press play.
| Youngest age in the room | Titles that stay |
|---|---|
| 3 | None of these 13 |
| 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 6 | 9 |
| 7 | 9 |
| 8 | 12 |
| 9 | 12 |
| 10 or older | All 13 |
Filter by the youngest age
Set the age to the youngest person on the couch. Sorting Christmas movies by age this way keeps a title only when Common Sense Media’s age for it is the same or younger. Within an age, the titles sit in alphabetical order, ignoring a leading “The” or “A”. Nothing here is ranked, and nothing is a recommendation. A title that drops off is not a bad film. It is over the age you set.
Christmas movies by age
Set the youngest age on the couch and the list drops anything above it. Tap or click to open.
The filter and the copy button need JavaScript. All 13 titles are written out below, in the same order, with fuller notes.
What each Christmas movie actually contains
Same 13, same order: youngest Common Sense Media age first, then alphabetical. The notes only help if they say what the age is about, so each one below comes from the review it links. Two of the years are corrected against the studio's own pages, and both corrections are linked.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966, TV special)
Common Sense Media's age is 4+, the youngest on this page. The review calls the peril extremely mild, and then names the part that is not nothing: the Grinch's dog is treated poorly, slammed into snow drifts and run over by the sleigh. It is a television special, so there is no film letter to print beside it. The review is short, and the dog is the line to read.
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977, TV special)
Common Sense Media's age is 5+. The review's flag is not a scare. It is the repeated mention of a dead loved one, an eccentric but fondly remembered father, and the review is explicit that, apart from Kermit the Frog in an introductory sequence, the familiar Muppets, Miss Piggy and the rest, do not appear. The year is the other thing worth getting right. The Jim Henson Company's own page calls it a 1977 television special. The 2001 date on the review is a later home-video date, November 6, 2001, not the premiere. The review is the age source.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947, feature)
Common Sense Media's age is 5+, and the review is of the 1947 film. It opened before the Motion Picture Association's rating system, which the Association dates to 1968, so there is no letter to quote. What the review does flag: characters smoke cigars and cigarettes, and in two scenes characters appear drunk. The plot turns on a hearing over whether Kris Kringle is mentally competent, after he insists he really is Santa Claus. The review covers that film, not a later remake.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it G. Common Sense Media's age is 5+ anyway, and the review says why: the Ghost of Christmas Future is scarier than the others, and in one version of the future Tiny Tim is projected to die. A G and a 5+ are not a contradiction once you read both. The review is the age source. The letter is the Association's.
Prep & Landing (2009, TV special)
Common Sense Media's age is 5+, and the review's own line is that there is very little in the way of iffy stuff. The date needs one correction. D23, Disney's official fan club, lists it as a half-hour ABC special airing December 8, 2009. The 2011 date on the review is a later home-video date, November 22, 2011. The review is the age source.
Arthur Christmas (2011, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for some mild rude humor. Common Sense Media's age is 6+. The scene worth knowing about is not the humor. A homeowner comes out of his house and fires a gun at Arthur, Grandsanta, and Bryony, mistaking them for aliens. The review also has the military firing missiles at Grandsanta's sleigh until it bursts into flames. The review names both under violence.
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for brief rude humor. Common Sense Media's age is 6+. The review's violence note is pratfalls and physical comedy: characters catapulted through the air, speeding on sleds, and the Grinch throwing things at his alarm clock. This is the animated feature. It is not the 1966 special above, and it is not the 2000 film, which is off this list. The review.
Klaus (2019, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for rude humor and mild action. Common Sense Media's age is 6+. The town has been feuding for generations, and the review quotes the insults: "shut up, you idiot" and "go home, loser!" It also lists "brat" and "holy moly." Netflix's own trailer is a short look at that feud before anyone commits to the film. It runs 2 minutes 46 seconds.
Common Sense Media's review of Klaus is the age source. The trailer is only a look at the tone.
The Polar Express (2004, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it G. Common Sense Media's age is still 6+, because the review describes continuous close calls: fast rides on the train and in a pneumatic tube, filmed from a child's point of view, plus treacherous climbs. A G means the Association saw nothing it thought would offend parents for viewing by children. It does not mean a quiet film, and this is the title where that difference shows. The review is the source for the 6+.
A Christmas Story (1983, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it PG. Common Sense Media's age is 8+, and the review does not soften the language. Adults and kids both swear, and the words it lists include "ass" and "son of a bitch." The plot runs on a boy who wants a Red Ryder BB gun. The review also notes kids bullied daily, mostly yelling and arms twisted behind backs, which is a second reason the age sits where it does. The review has the longer language list.
Elf (2003, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for some mild rude humor and language. Common Sense Media's age is 8+. The review names potty language and cursing, and gives "pissed," "hell," and "damn" as examples. The film is the cheerful one on this half of the list, which is exactly why those words are worth knowing about before a younger sibling joins in. The review.
The Santa Clause (1994, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it PG. Common Sense Media's age is 8+. The review's warning is plain: the original Santa takes a fatal fall off a roof, and police later arrest his replacement with guns drawn. The review also notes a slightly suggestive joke about whether a grown-up has been "naughty," and divorced parents who bicker in earshot of their child. The review also lists a joke about drug use in the 1960s and a little drinking.
Home Alone (1990, feature)
The Motion Picture Association rated it PG. Common Sense Media's age is 10+, the highest on this page, which is why a pick of 10 or older is the first one that shows all 13. The review describes frequent slapstick violence, especially toward the end, and language that includes "s--t," "crap," and "horse's ass." The traps are the joke of the film, and the review's own one-line summary names both: slapstick violence and language. The review is the one to read if the argument in the room is that a PG should be fine for anyone.
What we left off
One title gets named so a search does not hand you the wrong Grinch. The 2000 live-action film is not the 1966 special and not the 2018 feature. Common Sense Media calls it a scarier, more intense take, notes fires among the cartoonish action, and puts the age at 8+.
Everything else stayed off as a category. Romance is a different night. So are the sequels. Home Alone here is the 1990 film only.
What the letters mean
The letters need a sentence of their own. The Motion Picture Association dates its rating system to 1968. On the Association's own page, G means "nothing that would offend parents for viewing by children," and PG means parents are urged to give parental guidance because a film may contain material they might not like for their young children. That describes a theatrically rated film. It is not the same test as Common Sense Media's age, which is why The Polar Express can be G and 6+ on the same row, and Home Alone can be PG and 10+.
Miracle on 34th Street opened in 1947, before that system, so it has no letter. The three television specials are a different case, and this page does not borrow a film letter for any of them. The TV Parental Guidelines are a separate code, for TV programs. Where a feature's review prints the Association's reason and the reason says something specific, it is quoted above.
Where to look for a copy
The filter settles what stays in the room. It says nothing about where to find them, so search the title and the year in your own apps, or in your library's catalogue. This page does not check which service has which film, and a badge on a review site is not a promise that a title is included with a subscription you already pay for. A library card is a separate question, covered in What Can You Get With a Library Card. Start with the year. "The Grinch" without one will hand you the wrong film.
For a regular Friday with teenagers, the closer cousin is Funny Family Movies: 13 Picks to Watch With Teens. Different night, different argument.
Frequently asked questions
Is a PG always fine for a younger child?
No. On this page, Home Alone is PG and Common Sense Media's age is 10+. Elf and The Santa Clause are PG and 8+. Arthur Christmas is PG and 6+. The letter and the age answer different questions, and the notes above say which part of each film the age is about.
What if the youngest child is under 4?
The lowest age on this list is 4+, for the 1966 Grinch special. The filter shows nothing below that, on purpose.
What if the adults disagree with the age?
Then the adults decide. Common Sense Media's age is one editorial number, and the parent reviews on the same page often land somewhere else. Home Alone is the clearest example here: the editors say 10+, and 89 parent reviews on that page sit at 9+. The filter uses the editorial number so the page stays consistent. It does not settle a household.
Where do the ages come from?
From Common Sense Media's editorial reviews, read in October 2026, one review per title. Not from the parent comments, not from the Motion Picture Association letter, and not from memory. Each note above links the review it came from.
The couch does not get less crowded. The pile does. Set the age, read the note, and leave the rest of the stack on the shelf until the room changes.
Researched and written by Richie with the help of modern digital tools. Images: AI-generated.
Sources
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966), Common Sense Media. Age 4+.
- Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, Common Sense Media. Age 5+.
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Common Sense Media. Age 5+.
- The Muppet Christmas Carol, Common Sense Media. Age 5+.
- Prep & Landing, Common Sense Media. Age 5+.
- Arthur Christmas, Common Sense Media. Age 6+.
- Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018), Common Sense Media. Age 6+.
- Klaus, Common Sense Media. Age 6+.
- The Polar Express, Common Sense Media. Age 6+.
- A Christmas Story, Common Sense Media. Age 8+.
- Elf, Common Sense Media. Age 8+.
- The Santa Clause, Common Sense Media. Age 8+.
- Home Alone, Common Sense Media. Age 10+.
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Common Sense Media. Named so it is not confused with the other two, and not on the list.
- Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, The Jim Henson Company. The 1977 date.
- Prep & Landing, D23. The 2009 premiere.
- Film ratings, Motion Picture Association. The 1968 date, and the G and PG definitions.
- TV Parental Guidelines. A separate code, for television.
- Klaus | Official Trailer | Netflix, Netflix on YouTube.
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