Lawyers Mutual Ranks the Top Christmas Films

Forty years ago, lawyers in North Carolina had a special reason to celebrate at Christmas.

After suffering through a protracted crisis where malpractice insurance was difficult or impossible to obtain, they happily discovered a gift of liability protection under their tree.

It came from a brand-new company called Lawyers Mutual, the first lawyer-owned and operated professional liability carrier in the country.

In the decades since its creation in 1977, Lawyers Mutual has continued to ring in the New Year with its insureds across the state.

Meanwhile, in December of 1977, people around the country were gathering around their television sets for the ABC movie special “It Happened One Christmas,” starring Marlo Thomas and Orson Welles. It was a gender-reversal remake of the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and it was one of the highest-rated shows of the holiday season.

40 Top Christmas Movies

Looking for some seasonal cinema? In honor of Lawyers Mutual’s 40^th birthday, here are 40 top Christmas movies of all-time, as rated by Rotten Tomatoes and other review sites. Included are a few surprising picks that aren’t traditional Christmas films but have a yuletide connection:

1. It’s A Wonderful Life
2. Miracle on 34^th Street (1947)
3. Holiday Inn
4. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
5. The Polar Express
6. Scrooged
7. Elf
8. A Christmas Carol
9. A Charlie Brown Christmas
10. Love Actually
11. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 animated)
12. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
13. The Muppet Christmas Carol
14. A Christmas Story
15. The Apartment
16. Babes in Toyland
17. The Nightmare Before Christmas
18. Gremlins
19. Home Alone
20. Trading Places
21. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
22. Serendipity
23. Batman Returns
24. Frosty the Snowman
25. Christmas in Connecticut
26. A Midnight Clear
27. 3 Godfathers
28. Meet Me in St. Louis
29. Lethal Weapon
30. The Santa Clause
31. Tangerine
32. The Shop Around the Corner
33. The Bishop’s Wife
34. In Bruges
35. Bad Santa
36. Joyeux Noel
37. Meet John Doe
38. Ernest Saves Christmas
39. Arthur Christmas
40. Santa Claus Conquers The Martians

So what movies would you add – or subtract – from the list?

Sources:

• Rotten Tomatoes https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-christmas-movies/4/
• Nerve http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/ranked/ranked-the-100-best-christmas-movies-of-all-time
• Good Housekeeping http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/g1315/best-christmas-movies/