Movies like Xmas 1986 (1986)
The best movies like Xmas 1986 (1986) are National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Charlotte's Web (2006) and The Dead (1987). If Xmas 1986 hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedReminders of Him (2026)7.8/10 from 461 votes
- NewestReminders of Him (2026)Released 2026
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
It's Christmastime, and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration. But things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen, and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going, knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCharlotte's Web (2006)
Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dead (1987)
After a convivial holiday dinner party, things begin to unravel when a husband and wife address some prickly issues concerning their marriage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Best Man Holiday (2013)
When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be reignited.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpirited (2022)
Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Story (1983)
The comic mishaps and adventures of a young boy named Ralph, trying to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift for the 1940s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGloria (1999)
After serving a prison term for her boyfriend, a streetwise, middle-aged moll named Gloria stands up against the mobs, which is complicated by a six-year-old urchin with a will of his own, whom she reluctantly takes under her wing after his family has been gunned down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisStill Alice (2014)
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Night Before (2015)
In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming to an end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaught (1949)
Wide-eyed and poor young Leonora weds an obsessive millionaire named Ohlrig, but the marriage is loveless. Even worse, Ohlrig seems to have manic, violent tendencies. Eventually, young Leonora escapes her unhappy life and begins working with New York City doctor Larry Quinada, who she soon falls for. Unfortunately, Ohlrig refuses to grant his wife a divorce, and things get even darker for Leonora when she realizes she's pregnant with his child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ice Storm (1997)
In the weekend after thanksgiving 1973 the Hood family is skidding out of control. Then an ice storm hits, the worst in a century.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse (2001)
When a huge snowstorm leaves everyone stranded, Mickey and all of his guests at the House of Mouse, including Pooh, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel and many more of his old and new friends, break out the cookies and hot chocolate to help Donald mend his tattered Christmas spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRepeat Performance (1947)
On New Year's Eve 1946, Sheila Page kills her husband Barney. She wishes that she could relive 1946 and avoid the mistakes that she made throughout the year. Her wish comes true but cheating fate proves more difficult than she anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHead Full of Honey (2018)
A young girl tries to help her grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, navigate his increasing forgetfulness, and ends up going on a remarkable adventure with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHome Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReminders of Him (2026)
When Diem's custodial grandparents adamantly refuse Kenna's attempts to see her daughter, Kenna discovers unexpected compassion, and then something truer and deeper, with former NFL player and local bar owner Ledger. As their secret romance develops, so do the dangers for both of them, leading Kenna toward heartbreak and, ultimately, the hope for a second chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011)
A Christmas elf accidentally takes off in Santa's sleigh, crash lands in a small town, and loses the magic toy bag. Beethoven must rescue the elf, recover the bag from greedy crooks, and return the sleigh to Santa in time to save Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn to Christmas Creek (2018)
As Christmas approaches, Amelia Hughes, a career-focused Chicago app developer lacking in holiday spirit, returns to her small hometown of Christmas Creek to rediscover the meaning of Christmas. There, she reunites with her childhood best friend Mike and her estranged uncle Harry, whose mysterious rift with Amelia’s father divided her family during the holiday season when she was a child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIronweed (1987)
An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his hometown of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Xmas 1986?
The closest matches to Xmas 1986 are National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Charlotte's Web (2006) and The Dead (1987). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Xmas 1986?
Start with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), the closest match to Xmas 1986.
What is the highest-rated movie like Xmas 1986?
Reminders of Him (2026), rated 7.8/10 by 461 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Xmas 1986?
Reminders of Him (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Xmas 1986?
Yes: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Charlotte's Web (2006) and The Dead (1987).
How are movies similar to Xmas 1986 chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Xmas 1986, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.